Happy Sabbath!

"We strive to build an environment in our home and in our hearts 
where the Spirit of God may dwell."

- Rawlins Family Mission Statement

I look forward to Sundays!  I especially love the atmosphere of our home when we have hymns or conference talks playing.  My husband and I have playlists we've created to enrich our Sundays... and every day for that matter.  Last night my husband shared with me a song from his compilation,  "Nearer My God to Thee"  I love a-capella groups and men's choirs... Plus, this is one of my favorite hymns; so, a combination of these things was a real treat to listen to.  

What do you do to draw nearer to God on the Sabbath?

What sort of things invite the Spirit and help you desire greater commitment to the covenants you've made?

Moroni has some great verses that help us to keep our Sundays conducted after the manner of the Spirit:

• The Sacrament was administered "according to the commandments of Christ" "They [the elder or priest] did kneel down with the church, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ." (Moroni 4:1,2)

• "They came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins." (Moroni 6:2)

• "They took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve Him to the end." (Moroni 6:3)

• "They were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way..." (Moroni 6:4)

• "The church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.  And they did meet together oft to partake of [the sacrament], in remembrance of the Lord Jesus." (Moroni 6:5,6)

• "They were strict to observe... As oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven... And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost." (Moroni 6:8)

• "The power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing" (Moroni 6:9)

The Sabbath is a day of rest and I’ve discovered that I find rest when  I am centered on the Savior (which can actually mean hard work, very hard work)  But the rest is real: it is comforting,  It is spiritual, it is encouraging, it is hopeful - always hopeful because it is found in truth, it is refreshing and rejuvenating.

Like Moroni, I find rest when I am with others whose focus is the same as we “meet together often to fast and to pray” and conduct our lives “after the manner of the Spirit”.  It makes my day and my week so much brighter and it nourishes my soul. 

Maybe that’s why it’s called “Sun”day?   

-Alicia :)
My Favorite Choral Hymn Arrangements for Sunday Take a listen!

https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-leaders-call-for-better-observance-of-sabbath-day?lang=eng

A Sign of Our Love & Faith

"Faith in God engenders a love for the Sabbath; faith in the Sabbath engenders a love for God... True believers keep the Sabbath day holy." - Elder Russell M. Nelson

What a great time in the history of the world to be alive!! As members of the church, we have innumerable teaching tools at our fingertips to help increase faith in the hearts of our children and invite a greater measure of the Spirit in our homes, especially on the Sabbath Day.

In our most recent General Conference, Elder Russell M. Nelson said, "I almost wish I were a young father once again. Now parents have such wonderful resources available to help them make family time more meaningful, on the Sabbath and other days as well. They have LDS.org, Mormon.org, the Bible videos, the Mormon Channel, the Media Library, the Friend, the New Era, the Ensign, the Liahona, and more—much more. These resources are so very helpful to parents in discharging their sacred duty to teach their children. No other work transcends that of righteous, intentional parenting!"

The vocabulary I love here is, "righteous, intentional parenting."  To me this is when we as parents are very deliberate about what we teach and allow to be taught to our children, especially in our homes.  When it comes to worship, it means we choose carefully only those things on the Sabbath that will direct us to Christ, things that elevate our hearts, our minds, and our actions, to be about His work in strengthening our own faith and the faith of others.  When our children see that our intent is sincere, they can be influenced in a righteous way and the same desires will begin to work within their hearts.  We can intentionally choose to have light and truth flood our homes with all the access we have to the wonderful resources Elder Nelson listed.

My son, Chandler is a great example to me of keeping the Sabbath Day holy.  He obsesses over watching football and has always wanted to have a Superbowl party.  Well, we have a rule in our family that anything we watch, read, or listen to on the Sabbath must be something that helps us focus on Christ and His Gospel.  This was hard for him, especially when February rolled around.
When he was 11yrs old, all his friends were talking about the upcoming Superbowl and he was relentless, "Please mom and dad, please let me watch the Superbowl.  All my other friends at church do."  We told him that he would need to make the decision himself.  We said we would not watch it as a family and that we'd be happy to find a way to record it so we could have an "after bowl party" the next day.  (Of course he thought that sounded lame and we couldn't really blame him for feeling that way.)
We encouraged him to study, fast, and pray about it.
It was amazing to watch this boy the next few days as he studied from For the Strength of Youth and Preach My Gospel under the subject of the Sabbath.  He also fasted and prayed.

After primary was over one Sunday, he pulled our bishop aside and counseled with him.
"Bishop Madsen, do you think it's alright for me to watch the Superbowl on Sunday?"
"Well, Chandler that's a really tough question. Some people do and some don't.  What are your thoughts?"
He answered, "I've been praying about it.  I've also studied in For the Strength of Youth and Preach My Gospel."
 "That's great Chandler! Did you get your answer?"
"Yes," he said with the sound of disappointment in his voice. "After all that I've read, I've concluded that I'm just going to have to watch other games."
The bishop was impressed and so were we.  This was not an easy choice for Chandler to make.  But from his own study of doctrine, he came to the conclusion what he felt was right.

Chandler is 14 now and continues to help nourish a spiritual home environment on the Sabbath Day.  Most of the time he returns to our house from church before the rest of us do.  For the last year I have arrived home to the sound of General Conference playing. It has become a habit for him to play it on Sundays and it always gives me something to look forward to when I walk through the door.

Recently it's been said by prophets of God that how and when we wear the temple garment becomes an "outward expression of an inner commitment."  I believe the same test of loyalty and love for God is revealed in how we choose our time on the Sabbath Day.  In fact, Elder Nelson expressed, "I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, 'What sign do I want to give to God?' That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear."

If we live by the Spirit and sincerely desire to show our love to God, the Lord will help us recognize those things that will help us elevate and enrich our Sabbath experience.  As we act upon these promptings, we will be blessed not only with a greater measure of His love in our hearts and homes but we'll be blessed with the ability to call down heaven.  I know this!  Meaningful worship and intentionally seeking Christ is worth more than anything the world has to offer!

-Alicia

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/the-sabbath-is-a-delight?lang=eng