4 Weeks Into It

Exodus 20:8-11
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Did you catch that last sentence? Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

The Colon family Sabbath is starting to cause quite a bit of chatter and I love it! It's been really interesting. For the most part, I think our friends have a huge curiosity about what we are doing. It seems a far fetched idea to most at first. . .unplugging, taking a day away from it all every single week. Just like we have always thought until recently, so many believe that life is just too jam packed with things to do and accomplish - people to see and places to be - to pull something like Sabbath off EVERY week. It's a nice idea, but pretty close to an impossibility is what I know goes through most people's head when we try to explain.

And it's funny. When we're in conversation, no one seems to even know what to call it. . ."Kevin's day off," "a sabbatical." The word "sabbath" almost seems uncomfortable to say or even wrap a persons' mind around. I get it. It feels a little awkward to me, too. And to really explain it to those inquiring minds has been tough for me as well. . .until now. Now, after looking at the last 4 weeks I get it. Now my bottom line explanation is this. . ."It's a HOLY day.

HaHa! Now I have created yet another web to try to untangle. What really is a HOLY day? Here's my new definition. . .putting life on hold to truly experience LIFE. And in truly experiencing LIFE we experience, realize and savor sweet glimpses of the Father and his holy presence in all the little moments throughout the day. It's about connecting to those you are with at a heart level and allowing God to move instead of pushing him aside for what we call life the other 6 days of the week.

This week our Sabbath started out a bit rough once again. It seems we should learn to expect that. Kids weren't so grumpy this week. Instead the weather threw us a curve ball. The wind was blowing and it was cold. So the idea of taking a hike in Estes Park didn't quite pan out.

So where did we end up? Once again, we went to the YMCA of the Rockies to hang out for the day.



We listened to Focus on the Family's radio broadcast version of The Chronicles of Narnia The Magician's Nephew while we drove. We had a little lunch. Then we went swimming at the indoor pool at the YMCA camp.



After a little exercise it was time for a snack, so we went next door for some hot chocolate, coffee and muffins and really good "God" conversation around the table. . .and some silliness provided by Kevin, of course. Kevin and I were amazed at our little girls' hearts and words and depth at such a young age as we talked about what they thought God might want them to do with their lives when they grow up, what they felt about God when they looked at the mountains and what they loved about our family. . .






We ended the day with 1st grade basketball practice that Kevin and I coach, dinner and prayers on our bed before bedtime. Again, Emma, Claire and Olivia blew me away with their prayers for Haiti and their Compassion International "sister" in Ecuador, for their sister's colds to get better and for God to show them what to do when they grow up.

Interrupted ONLY by God. . .

THAT was a blessing.

THAT was a Holy Day.



Click Here for more from Kevin.

MLK Jr. Day - Sabbath #3

As you know by now, Sabbath starts for the Colon family at dinner time on Sunday night until dinner on Monday. This week we decided to invite some great friends to join us for a night at home to kick off the fun. Brain and Angela Weigner took a little stroll down the street and joined us for some pizza, smores and Wii. Then our entire family camped out in the basement for the night.

Breaking in the new fire pit with gooey smores and good conversation. . .





A little Wii Resort to end the night. . .





Fort building by Kevin and a good night's sleep. . .





Monday morning was Martin Luther King Day. We slept in a little too long and by the time we got out the door it was almost noon. Grumpy, grumpy girls who couldn't find their shoes or their hairbrush or their socks. . .wow! A holy day. . .yes, HOLY COW! For a few moments I actually considered calling it quits for this one, but I am SO thankful we persevered. Thanks, Kevin! Yes, I'm learning a lot. Today I learned that Satan absolutely hates it that we are going for this intentional lifestyle change we call Sabbath. He hates it and he is determined to try to screw it up in every way possible - from bad dreams to short fuses to whining children to slow traffic to long lines to messed up plans. . .he tried hard to make today a disaster. But guess what. . .HE FAILED!

Today in a very round about way we ended up in Denver on the 16th Street Mall. . .



And we decided to give the girls the assignment of really watching the people and scenery around them as we walked. Denver, like any metropolitan city, is very diverse in its surroundings. There are businessmen and homeless, "red and yellow, black and white." I tried to be very intentional to look at the city with Jesus' eyes today and wow, was it eye opening.

We made a stop at Barnes and Noble where the girls picked out a book that matched each of our personalities. Though smiling, I can't say I was thrilled with their choice for me. . . :-)











Then we found ourselves a quiet corner and read a book about Martin Luther King Jr.



This was probably my favorite part of the day. All of a sudden, the pieces of the day started fitting together as we talked. . .all we had seen and heard and felt and experienced. . .equality and justice and frustration. . .somehow Jesus was working to knit together the moment. I have an idea he knew all along how fractured our day was going to start, but I love how he had a plan to still bring it all together.

We ended the day with a walk to the state capital, a bit of yummy Italian food, Starbucks for me, of course, and a ride on the city bus back to our car. Six hours before I would have never guessed that anything great would come of this day. . .we ended it sitting on the kitchen floor praying for each other and for our family (and for my nasty kitchen floor!). And it was good. I'm so happy we are doing this!

Sabbath #2 - Betasso Preserve

This week our family spent the day unplugged and in the mountains yet again. Finally, we have some decent weather here where it's not completely miserable to open the door and go outside. So, we decided to take advantage of it while we had the chance. We slept in and Kevin made omelets(his specialty). We packed a lunch of peanut butter and jelly, chips and oranges, grabbed a sweatshirt and camera, made a family visit to our favorite chiropractor and then headed 30 minutes down the road to Betasso Preserve just outside of Boulder. Here's the link.

The girls completely amazed me. It was a long and tough hike. We weren't expecting the amount of snow that we found so we weren't completely prepared, but they didn't care. They were troopers all the way. For 3.2 miles we hiked through the snow and ice and mud, up and down hills all the way. We stopped to listen to the birds and enjoy God's beautiful creation all around us. We slipped and fell. Our shoes got covered in mud. We had lunch on a log as we watched for mountain lions - luckily not spotting a single one even though we were told to "beware." And our dog, ECO (Echo), never slowed down though I know he was freezing. He cried the whole way, but more because he was excited to be outside with us than because of the pain his paws were feeling from the ice.

It really was a terrific day! We ended it with Chinese food that Claire for some reason wanted to cover her feet in to get them warm. Then it was 1st grade basketball practice time before everyone collapsed into their beds for the evening.

As I told you last week, I continue to be anxious to learn all that God has for us as we set this time aside. This week, I think I have just continued to feel the confirmation that Sabbath is God's plan. I thought I was going to get behind with all of life's "to-do's" by being intentional about Sabbath. I imagined school suffering and housework piling up. So far, it's quite the opposite. I'm caught up and I have no idea how. I'm refreshed. I'm in a better mood. I feel more connected with God and with our family. It's pretty crazy.

Here are a few pictures from the day. . .








Click Here for our first Sabbath blog post.
And Here's Claire's blog post about the day.

Sabbath

New Year's Resolutions. . .last year I hoped to be able to say at the end of 2009 that I had established a solid and consistent workout schedule that easily flowed with life and became as natural as brushing my teeth - that's the best way I can describe it. On December 31 I looked back on that resolve and gave myself a big pat on the back. . .mission accomplished! This year I have a few other things that I hope to accomplish now by the end of 2010. I'm sure you do as well. But the most important life change this year for the Colon family is one simple, yet not so simple word. . .SABBATH.

As good Christians we have grown up with the vocabulary of this word for most of our lives. Some people hear "Sabbath" and they think "Sunday." It means we go to church. Others think of the strictness of it and imagine not getting to walk more than a few feet, work or lift a finger for an entire day. I admit that I have wrestled with what it means myself. Together Kevin and I have talked about it a lot. And the bottom line for us this year is that we know that the wrestling is for a reason, and that reason is because we need it. . .we need Sabbath. God intended it and we have to be faithful even in the craziness of our 21st century world - even in the middle of church planting - even when it seems there is no time to allow. We must figure it out and "do" it.

So here is what Sabbath is going to look like to us. . every week from Sunday dinner to Monday dinner (yes, that means we'll do school on Saturday's :-) ), we as a family are going to unplug - no phone, Wii, Twitter, Facebook, computer. We are taking a break from our "work" and the distractions around us and focusing on God and family and others. For us, Sabbath can't be a day where we lie in bed all day. It's gotta be intentional. It's gotta be slow but planned. It's about smelling the roses and connecting with the Father and loving on others in a way that we don't seem to do as well any other day of our crazy weeks.

I'm so anxious to see how God is going to lead our family as we try to be faithful to his call. I'm sure we will have lots of stories to share. I'm anticipating great things and lots of lessons learned and I can't wait to share them all with you.

And so, this year my new year's gift. . .I'm going to share our Sabbath's with you. And hopefully by the end of the year, you might find yourself inspired to get serious about Sabbath, as well.

This week we introduced Sabbath to our kids. We shared a meal together, unplugged and got good sleep, slept in, Kevin made breakfast, we gathered up the snow gear and headed to the mountains. Evergreen, CO, is about 45 minutes away and Evergreen Lake is the very best ice skating place we have ever been. Over dinner and on the car ride, we talked to the girls about what this time is going to be like. I think they are excited. Olivia said it best to Kevin at the end of the day. . ."Daddy, you were with us all day." So often we are with our kids or others around us, but not really WITH them at all.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the day. . .

December 2009

December was a very busy month. Hard as I tried to keep PEACE in the holidays, I must admit that there were times where PEACE seemed far, far away. Still, looking back I must say that my efforts paid off, God did his thing and this quite possibly could have been our best holiday season yet. It was full of family time and lazy moments mixed into the typical hustle and bustle. We played together, rested together and spent a lot of time in the mini van together. I think I took something like 400 pictures from Claire's birthday to New Year's Eve. Below are only a few of the highlights. Now on to 2010!


Putting up the tree












School Performance of the Twelve Days of Christmas














Claire turned 8 years old












Flatiron Youth Chorale performances













Basketball Season 1 came to an end






























Santa came












Everyone got Snuggies












Gran and Pop came to visit











Went to see "Little House on the Prairie" with Melissa Gilbert as Ma






And Olivia STILL didn't get any teeth!

Happy 2010 everyone!