Sabbath Is A Time to Be Silent and Listen to God
If we are going to take sabbaticals, let them be real sabbaticals: a willed passivity in order to be restored to alert receptivity to spirit-prayer, silence, solitude, worship…The original intent of sabbath is a time to be silent and listen to God, not attend lectures; a time to be in solitude and be with God, not “interact” with fatigued peers. If help is to be given to the pastor in midcourse, it is not going to come by infusion of intellect but by renewal of spirit.
Eugene Peterson
The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction
Quote - Answered Prayers
There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers.
- Saint Teresa of Avila
Revival is the Work of God's Spirit
Revival is the work of God’s Spirit, and He works on each individual according to his or her station and need. It is important that the minister understand the objectives and work of the Holy Spirit, as well as the situation and spiritual condition of the members of his congregation (Prov. 27:23). His preaching and other ministries will be more likely to be used of God in moving the vessel of the church along the channels of reviving grace if he is both firmly grounded amid the needs and fears and longings of his “crew,” and if he is able to discern the direction and strength of the Spirit’s breezes, and hoist the sails of his preaching accordingly.
T.M. Moore