sabbath

Sabbath. That Jesus-sounding word no one knows what to do with. Sometimes I call it Saturday. Other times I don't call it anything because frankly, it's just not in my week. I have time off, but I fill it. I fill it with meetings, catching up on cleaning and grocery shopping, mindlessly switching between apps on my phone, fulfilling promises I made to people, and just plain old overcommitment.

There's just no pure, unadulterated rest in my life. And boy am I feeling it.

I feel tired.

I feel anxious.

I feel unable to quit.

And when your mind can't quit, but your body quite literally shuts down on you, it's high time to re-prioritize. 

So, Sabbath. What was that middle-eastern guy from centuries ago named Jesus talking about anyway? Sleeping in? Netflix? Junk food? Hermit-ing into your room for a day? Taking a walk outside? Trying new restaurants? Napping? 

I don't know exactly what the most effective Sabbath is, or even the full meaning of that word, but our Seattle team tried it in a way I haven't before. We Sabbathed together. You see, usually when we hang out with people there's a plan.

We're meeting around this time.

We're going here.

We're eating this for dinner.

And now it's over. 

Our Seattle team is reading a book called Building a Discipling Culture by Mike Breen and it's been a pretty easy, yet fantastic read.  In one of the chapters Breen talks about the rhythm between work and rest and how crucial that constant rocking back and forth is to your effectiveness as a human, but also as a Christian. He challenges the reader to practice Sabbathing with others--inviting people into your rest space, showing how you rest and recharge, and then doing that together. No schedule. No plans. No prep. No times. Just meeting up and giving an entire day to each other.

And that's exactly what we did. We met up, had a late brunch with a wide spread of yummy breakfast food, and then had no plan but to let our bodies rest in the same space together. 

Now, it must be said here that I'm an introvert. Actually probably an ambivert. But, in my rest, I'm a full out introvert. I like dark, quiet, and alone. So, I was pretty unsure about this way of resting. But, I just tried because...why not? Ok...I agreed because Dan really wanted to try it. But it ended up being completely opposite of what I expected. I expected for everyone to feel rest except me because we were hosting it at our house. So that meant stocking everything and keeping tabs on how everyone is doing. Not dark. Not quiet. Not alone. 

So I made a pledge to myself and told myself sternly, "I'm not doing anything I don't want to do." Plain and simple. And a little bratty. But dang it, this was my Sabbath too. And I wanted this way of Sabbathing to be a good experience. (Plus, I had another week of work before I made it to the next Saturday and I wasn't going to have this one hijacked. Pretty bratty, right?)

So, in my stubbornness, I stuck to that pledge. And wowza I'm glad I did because it was one of the the most restful Saturdays I've had in months. We didn't have a plan but we ended up doing so many things together: going for walks, flying a kite, snacking, laughing, talking about Seattle, painting, looking through magazines, watching Netflix, ordering pizza, and jumping on some trampolines. It created even more depth between us as a team--as friends--and allowed us to see each other recharge. We didn't get a thing done except deepening our connections with each other. So, in other words, we were most productive in the least tiring way. Maybe that's what that Jesus guy meant.

So I don't know exactly what Sabbath looks like for you, but I challenge you to try a group Sabbath. Call a friend or two (or seven like us), pledge an entire Saturday to each other, and don't plan a thing.

...except these awesome-possum sausage balls. You gotta make these 😉

Mamma's Sausage Balls (makes 3-4 dozen sausage balls)

- 2 rolls of sausage (pick your sausage based on your preferred level of spicy. I like to mix 1 roll of mild with 1 roll of hot and it typically is tame enough for both preferences to tolerate)
- 3 cups of shredded cheese
- 4 cups of Bisquick

Mix with your hands until all Bisquick and cheese are absorbed into sausage. Roll into small ~1.5" balls and place on large cookie sheet. I typically freeze them on the cookie sheet (uncooked) so that I can bag, save, and use them for other mornings. Especially since this recipe makes 3 quart-sized baggies full. 

Bake however many you want at 375℉ for 25 minutes. Eat with grape/strawberry jelly!

bread + wine

Hi, I’m Holly and I love to eat. Now, before you “back” the page and mumble to yourself, “Well, that was embarrassing,” let me explain.

I love to eat. I love to eat because I love the satisfaction that comes with being full and feeling fed. And out of that place comes a passion I have for feeding others. Nothing makes me happier than to look at my calendar for the day and see

Game night with ____, ____, & ____ @ 8:00pm

 or

Hosting dinner with _____ @ 6

Now, don’t mishear me, I by no means am claiming Pioneer Woman/Rachel Ray status (TBH, I still get the meaning of vegan and vegetarian mixed up and that’s like Hipster Cooking 101). I’ll be the first to admit I still have to call my mom to ask where things are in the grocery store and honestly; I really think there’s a tad less joy in life when you’re on a hardcore clean-eating diet.

I just like to feed people. It’s my thing. I love to host, house, and extend hospitality. But for me, it has to do with more than the food part. There’s just something about having people around a table. Maybe it’s because it’s a shared experience where we’re all getting full on the same food, looking at each other and commenting on the yummy-ness of it all.  Or maybe it’s because in that moment all who are present are sharing in victories, bad news, light-hearted conversation, and old stories. I think it's just gotta be both.

There’s just something about sitting in the presence of another, creating something between people that wasn’t there before.

I’m in the middle of reading a book by Shanna Niequist’s book "Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes". Homegirl gets me. The whole book is dedicated to the food that gathers people around the table and the guest called Love that pulls up her chair when we're all united there. So far she's talked about fond memories of certain dishes, her sassy and sweet group of women that make up her dinner club, and her life-long struggle with her weight and loving herself in spite of it. At the end of every chapter she puts the recipe of the dish that was involved in her story in that chapter.

I. Love. This. Book. It has affirmed and inspired me to live into my passion for gathering people and join God in His redeeming work there. That's what this blog is about. Telling stories that happen around my table and inspiring you to begin your own "Bread and Wine" journey. So, if you love to eat like I do, pull up a chair. Dinner's at 6.