flourish

Why is Music Important During Quarantine?

The Power of Music

 

A guitarist in New York writing songs and lyrics about the coronavirus. Bono writing songs about the illness and its effects on society. Italians in the balconies of Rome lifting each other’s spirits by joining together in song and music daily across the country. Music has forever been a part of every culture. In a sense, music is the only language that every culture across the world speaks. Music speaks to the soul of a person far deeper than anything else. “The language of music is common to all generations and nations,” Gioachino Rossini, the virtuosic opera composer, once said. “It is understood by everybody, since it is understood with the heart.”

So, during the quarantines being set across the world, people are taking advantage of the time at home to write songs and cheer each other’s spirits through melody. Musicians across balconies found connection with their neighbors and filled the silence of seclusion with tunes and melodies. In a sense, people across the world, whether musician or not, are embracing music as a common language to beat the quarantine.

 

How Does This Apply to Us?

 

Music is an opportunity for us to step into new areas of creativity in our life. Have you always wanted to play guitar, but never took it up? Have you always loved singing in the shower, but never got the courage to sing in front of other people? Have you thought about songs and poetry, but been too afraid to write the lyrics? Have you wanted to learn how to read music, but never took it on? Find a guitar! Watch Youtube videos on vocal lessons! Find songwriting tips online and pull out the pen and paper! All the resources we need are online, and the only thing holding us back from learning about it is ourselves.

We can use the melodies and songs we learn to glorify God and bring community together. How amazing is it to see people posting online about how they are taking up music? Does it make you excited to see people praising God in their living rooms? We can use the talent and skill God gives to us to bring people together in community. Bring people into your new musical journey and use the songs you learn to bring hope to the others around you.

We can take this time to allow music to fill us up with new gratitude and joy for the God we serve. Ephesians 5:19 says “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” Now is your opportunity to learn a new skill and glorify God with your talent, skill and worship!

So what are you waiting for? Pick up that dusty guitar, and pull out the journal and pens. Let creativity be your guide, and praise the Lord with your heart, soul and mouth.

Read more

Sixteen Ways to Flourish While Quarantined

Flourish While Quarantined?

Let’s face it, being stuck in our homes for the next several weeks because of coronavirus is not going to be easy. We don’t just want to cope during this time and leave our homes at the end of two months full of cabin fever and swear it was the worst time of our lives. With a little bit of conscious investment and a lot of fun, we can flourish while quarantined! Here is a list of some practical ways you and your family can enjoy this time of rest and take advantage of the situation.

Cultivate Your Emotional Health

  1. Take some time to journal. Step out of your life and reflect. Take these evenings at home captive as you write out what God is doing in your life during this time.
  2. Make time for unscheduled creativity. Turn off social media and entertainment and give yourself and your kids time to be creative. Get the legos out! Get the paints out! Make playdough and mud pies! Kids need time for unfettered creativity so their minds can grow in imagination and new ideas. Start up one of your own hobbies again. Maybe now is the time to learn to play that instrument you have always been wanting to learn. Maybe you will finally get around to learning how to sketch. Be creative and take the time you need to do it.
  3. Read books that nourish your heart and mind. Reading is a wonderful way to open up our worlds. Whether you choose non-fiction or fiction, every book will add to your life. Bring out new books for you kids, and better yet, read a classic book with your kids aloud.
  4. Declutter. Complete house projects. Give stuff away. We are stepping into the spring, so what better time to clean house! Clean out those empty shelves and complete the Honey-do list. Give away the things you don’t need, and refresh your house and mind with simplicity.

Cultivate Your Physical Health

  1. Start a new exercise routine. We all tried that New Year’s resolution to get more fit, but for most of it, it didn’t stick. Maybe now is your chance to workout, clean up our diet, and get back into healthy routines.
  2. Rest and sleep. What better time to rest and refresh ourselves? Most Americans barely sleep 6.8 hours a night! Now we can take the time to get the sleep our culture sorely lacks.
  3. Take time to prepare your food. Nothing is more exciting than learning a new recipe and eating something you made with your own hands. Pull out recipe books and teach your kids how to cook!
  4. Go to the great outdoors! Go for walks in your neighborhood, plan hikes, and ride bikes! No one told us we couldn’t be outside, so take advantage of it and get some fresh air!

Cultivate Your Spiritual Health

  1. Spend time reading and studying God’s Word. Everyone tries to make time for Bible reading, what better time to do it? Pick up on that book of the Bible you have been studying, or memorize scripture.
  2. Pray. Consider this season as a time to fast and pray for your life, family, church and city. Our nation and our cities need prayer right now in the midst of an unstable economy, and sickness. Teach your kids to pray for others during this time, and encourage them to see how God answers prayer when we call out to him.
  3. Review your personal life goals. Go back through the journey of your life and create an identity statement for your life. Reorient and recalibrate your mind and heart. You may find that the next several weeks will drastically change how you see your life.
  4. Take up a new spiritual discipline. Meditation, Lectio Divina, fasting and simplicity are all forms of spiritual disciplines that will change your life and habits if you let them.

Cultivate Relational Health

  1. Connect with your family and friends. Though we are encouraged to avoid those who are vulnerable, this is a great opportunity to spend time with those who you need to reconnect with. Make phone calls, FaceTime calls, email, or even write a letter! Remember, others need to flourish while quarantined as well.
  2. Spend extra time with your family. Have meaningful discussions with your spouse and kids. This is a great time to give your energy and support to them as much as you can.
  3. Find ways to serve and give to those in need, especially the elderly and vulnerable. Take care of those who are quarantined and reach out to your neighbors. Find people who need help in this time and find a way to support them as much as you are able.
  4. Reconcile relationships. If you have experienced conflict or tension with someone else, do what you can to reconcile the relationship. Being in a hard emotional and economic situation makes people rethink their relationships, and it is a good time for you to evaluate your relationships as well.

You Can Flourish While Quarantined

Despite the difficulty of the times we are walking in, we can use this time of rest to reevaluate and thrive! If you have ideas, share them with others and support their growth and refreshment in this time. Together, with a little bit of help, we can all flourish while quarantined. Have a lovely next few weeks!

Read more

Five Ways to Celebrate Sabbath in Today’s World

Sabbath, or Shabbat is the Jewish holiday observed every week from sunset on Friday evening to sunset on Saturday evening. Sabbath is a time of rest as we remember that our Creator called us to rest in his goodness and grace. But how is this lived out in the life of a believer today?

Sabbath calls us to practical rest and worship. We do not celebrate it today as some kind of religious attempt to find God through it, but rather to see his lovingkindness in it. Sabbath is a moment in time when we cease from work. So here are five practical ways to live out Sabbath in today’s world:

FIRST, SABBATH IS AN INVITATION TO CEASE FROM WORK

It reminds us that we are no longer slaves to work. Just like the Israelites who were redeemed from Egypt celebrated Sabbath in the wilderness, so can we. We are reminded of the provision of the Lord and we are invited to trust him to provide for us, even when we don’t work. You can choose to intentionally take time away from your busy life and rest. When we stop working, mowing our lawns, and buying clothes, we get an opportunity to step away from life, we spend time in the presence of God and in the presence of those we love. When we physically rest we are blessed. We may ask, “how do we step away from work when my boss needs me, or my children’s soccer game is on Saturday afternoon?” It is a matter of choice. We can actively make the decision to choose to rest and we can step into trusting God to provide us with what we need. We trust Him enough to leave our provision in His capable hands.

SECONDLY, SABBATH IS AN INVITATION TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Sabbath gives us an opportunity to engage in church and community. Sabbath in the Bible was always a communal experience, whether it was the Jews gathering in the temple in David’s day, or believers who met in the synagogue during the time of the early church in Acts. Sabbath is meant to be shared. The communal experience of unity with other believers allows us to intercede for miracles to be performed on Sabbath like when Jesus was on earth. What does this practically look like? This means we attend church and spend time in community on Saturday. We may ask the question, “What if I cannot find a Sabbath-keeping church?” The emphasis of community can be celebrated in good formative God-fearing communities on Sunday as well, but this does not mean we forget Saturday as the day of rest ordained by God.

THIRDLY, SABBATH IS AN INVITATION TO DELIGHT

Sabbath is meant to be a time of delighting and rejoicing in the Lord and the good things he has done for us. Taking time to delight in the Sabbath rest is about the fragrance of Heaven working in our lives so we can enjoy him. Practically this can mean many things: spend time with your family, enjoy time in nature, reading a book or take a nap. The physical act of resting our bodies and souls brings refreshment and wholeness to our very minds and bodies. We receive the fullness of joy when we receive the rest the Sabbath offers.

FOURTH, SABBATH IS AN INVITATION INTO GOSPEL RESTORATION

Through Jesus we are able to engage in the practical application of Sabbath so we can receive grace to be restored. We can then extend that grace to others on this day. The gospel story is bigger than all of us, and we become a part of this story when we celebrate the tradition and rhythm that has been a part of our world since it began. Celebrating Sabbath as a tradition just like millions of others through thousands of years of history, shares the gospel with those who need Jesus. When we live our lives in a way that reflects the gospel story people desire to celebrate with us, especially in our Sabbath celebrations. The gospel story is told through the tradition and rhythm of Sabbath.

FINALLY, SABBATH IS AN INVITATION TO FUTURE HOPE

Sabbath is not just a marker in history of creation and the Exodus from Egypt. It is not just a time of peace and a reminder of God’s command to rest. It also points to the future of being in eternity with Jesus. Sabbath in the present strengthens the hope and the promise that we will be resurrected and in Jesus presence forever. When we celebrate Sabbath over dinner with family and friends, consecrating the time and creating an atmosphere of worship, we step into that future life now. We get a little taste of our eternal life with Jesus. When we create that atmosphere during the Sabbath dinner, we increase our hope for eternity and get to experience the wholeness of Jesus in our lives in a very real and tangible way.

Read more