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Play! Play!! Play!!! (Having Fun With Jesus)

“Play! Play!! Play!!!” that’s what our friend Papa Joe Johnson said to Kristi and I in our time of need.

How do you play? When do you have fun? Do you know how to have fun with Jesus?

This is an important question for your living and loving. Play rejuvenates us in the happy joy of the Lord. It helps us bond with the people we love. It lightens and lifts our spirits so that we’re better able to bless others with our gifts. It protects us from burnout. It shows up sin for how stupid it is!

That’s why we asked Papa Joe and the rest of our Soul Shepherding, Inc. Board members to pray for us last Friday as we began a three-day fast from doing or talking about any work. We love and enjoy the ministry God has given us, but we need to separate from it too.

A Playful Sabbath Weekend

For our Sabbath weekend we stayed in a cottage right on the beach in Oceanside, CA. (That’s where the picture above was taken!)

We enjoyed fun with Jesus in these ways:

  • Taking walks on the beach
  • Listening to each other share how we’re feeling
  • Sleeping in
  • Cuddling
  • Watching a movie
  • Watching part of a football game (Kristi did that for me!)
  • Eating ice cream
  • Reading the Gospels and talking about Jesus
  • Breathing with belly and soul to be present to God in the moment
  • Skipping while holding hands! (It only takes a few skips to may you real happy!)

You may play in different ways. Any wholesome, happy fun that’s shared with a friend is truly God’s blessing! It seems that God affirmed this as we were walking on the beach and came upon an amazing little cross of sand on a rock!

Sand-Cross-on-Rock

Jesus’ Easy Yoke For You is Playful!

One of the chapters in Soul Shepherding’s new book, Your Best Life In Jesus’ Easy Yoke, is focused on helping you enjoy God as Abba. Jesus ministers his Daddy’s love to us and this inspires our playfulness.

Like many Christians today, Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand his playfulness at first. They were shooing away the children because they thought Jesus was too busy for them, but the Lord rebuked his stuffy friends: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:14-15)

Then the Lord Jesus opened his arms and played with the children (v 16).

You can have fun with Jesus too! Apprenticeship to Christ Jesus in the Kingdom of God is fun and playful! It’s a “What’s next Papa?” kind of life (Rom. 8:15, MSG). That’s why Your Best Life In Jesus’ Easy Yoke includes five surprising “What’s next Papa?”  adventures!

You can order this new book from Soul Shepherding or Amazon (paperback or Kindle) here.

More on Sabbath Rest

The best way to learn the practice of Sabbath for pastors and other men and women in ministry is on a Sabbatical. We show you how this can be a reality for you in our Sabbatical Guide.

We also offer an online Sabbatical Guide course. This program has everything you need to experience rest and renewal on your Sabbatical.

 

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