Edition: 8

R&R

Last Edition Recap

How have you applied the last edition to your life?

Opening Prayer

Father God, You know our struggles and pains. You promised to always be with us when you asked us to follow you, and you have never broken that promise. But you never told us it would be easy. Lord, we need to be strengthened by your power and presence. Teach us now and help us to follow you more nearly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Intro

R&R is a military term describing the downtime given to personnel for Rest and Recuperation. Without planning this time into a person’s week-to-week schedule, they will suffer from added stress, anxiety, lack of energy, depression, and burnout. God did not create the human body to keep going – it must rest and recuperate.
 
  • Rest: “cease work or movement to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.”
  • Recuperation: “Recovery from illness or exertion.”
 
Sure, the human body can do amazing things, but without R&R, the body cannot do anything – It will shut down and shut you out. 
 
R&R is more important than we’d like to think. That’s why we don’t take it as seriously as we should. Unfortunately, we do not listen to our bodies very well when it tells us we need R&R.
 
We listen to the rushing pace of the world, driving us harder and harder. We feel the pressure to perform, and so we do. We don’t want to disappoint anyone, so we push ourselves further than we should and pay the price. We become ill. We lose any sense of peace in our hearts, and we stop caring. We become despondent and burn out physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

Read

Genesis 2:1-3

Chat Point 1

  1. What did God do? Why?
  2. Have you ever experienced burnout? If so, share your story with your group?
  3. How did you feel in your burnout state?
  4. What did you do to overcome your burnout?
  5. What stops you from having R&R?

Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Clergyman)

“We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don’t allow our bodies to heal, and we don’t allow our minds and hearts to heal.”

A few weeks ago (Issue #3: Immediately), we read of Jesus saving Peter. Just before he saved him, in a sort of throw-away-easily-looked-over verse, we read this:

Matthew 14:23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

Even Jesus carved out time for R&R (call it ‘CoffeeChatConnect’, just for fun) with God. Jesus teaches us that our R&R must have a spiritual focus on God. Jesus created solitude for himself and intentionally connected his soul to God. We need to follow his lead and plug our souls into God, letting God help us recuperate. When we connect with God, we will find renewed strength, hope, purpose, joy, wisdom, etc. R&R in God recharges our souls and brings you to life.

Read

Hebrews 4:1-13

Key Focus

  • Heb 4:9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
  • Mar 2:27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Chat Point 2

  1. What stands out for you in this passage?
  2. What do you think the main point is?
  3. How important should R&R be for our spiritual lives? Why?
  4. What would it look like if Christians applied this principle or lesson to their lives today?
  5. What is Jesus telling you personally as you reflect on this lesson?
  6. How can you apply this lesson to your life this week?
What are your prayer requests?

Closing Prayer

Father God, in all your wisdom, you saw it fit to have R&R. You set the example of how important it is. Jesus, even you had R&R. Lord, let us not forget this discipline and show us how to rest and recuperate more in you. Guide us, Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In-between Chats: Personal Reflection

Only God, in His wisdom, commands that we take one day out of seven for our souls to #CoffeeChatConnect with him. He plans to save us. Surely that’s important enough for you to apply this lesson?

Edition Writer: Rev Kevin Zondagh

Executive Coach, Life Coach, and Ordained Minister. Founder of CoffeeChatConnect and the Exemplar Coaching Company.