1.  Breaking News!

Be one of the first to read Matthew's Op-Ed in The Washington Post.

 

2. Click here  to read a new article from Matthew in this month's Relevant Magazine, "The Spiritual Importance of Space."

 

 3.  Did you hear the news?  Nancy was recognized as one of the 50 Women to Watch on the front cover of October's Christianity Today. 

 

4.  Check out this excellent summary of our recent work with the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.  

 

5.  Listen to Matthew's latest sermon at the National Cathedral about how we care for animals (sermon starts at 21:45).

 

6.  Also, listen to Joel Salatin's excellent lecture, "If God is Green, Is Green always Godly?" at the National Cathedral.  

 

7.  Read about last month's ground-breaking Seminary Stewardship Alliance Conference here.

 

8.  NOW AVAILABLE! 

24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life can be found at your local book store or you can follow this link to order your copy now.

 

  

   

How do we prepare for the storms of life?  And how do we prepare for Sabbath? These are the questions that are on my mind this week, and their answers are interrelated.

 

As I go around the country talking about the 24/6 life, people want to know how Nancy and I prepare for and practice our Sabbath.  The first principle I like to share is that Sabbath does not just happen; you have to plan for it. On Sabbath eve, Nancy and I visit the grocery store and do a liturgical cleaning of the house. It is important that our home is organized and well stocked for our weekly rest; we don't want to be sidelined by unfinished chores. If we plan to drive somewhere for a hike, I fill up the tank. Nancy has a ritual of clearing off her desk and closing her computer. I take off the wristwatch she gave me thirty years ago.

 

On Sabbath evenings, we go to bed with the wonderful knowledge that a holy day stretches out in front of us. Nancy reads through the Bible each year, and Sabbath is her day to spend as much time in scripture as she wants.  I like to listen to music and read a book that I reserve for the Sabbath.  We always take at least one long walk in God's glorious creation.  We don't cook elaborate meals, but Nancy enjoys a chocolate treat on her Sabbath.  And I almost always take a guiltless nap.

 

When I am preaching on Sundays--which is often--we move our Sabbath to another day of the week; irrespective of the day, our Sabbath remains at its core both a holy day and a holiday. 

 

Yet as the mega-storm Sandy has just reminded us, life is not just a long string of sunny days. It is not a matter of if hard times will come but when. In my remaining lifetime, many more people around the globe will be hit by hurricanes, tidal waves, and war. And all of us will be hit with the personal tragedies of death, betrayal, and loss.

 

 

 

Your brother in Christ,

 

Matthew Sleeth, MD

 

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 Click here to watch clips from the new 24/6 film series. 

 

 

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