A year ago, I was anticipating the launch of my new book, Sacred Pauses: Spiritual Practices for Personal Renewal. Since then, the book has gone into a second printing, I’ve been hearing from groups that have been using the book, and my publisher will soon release a group guide. [Check out my free resources page to download your complimentary copy of the Sacred Pauses Group Guide.]
To celebrate this one-year anniversary, here are a few photos taken in a quiet moment on the day of my book launch, interspersed with quotes from the psalms taken from the book’s chapter headings. May these words of Scripture be a sacred pause for you today.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
Psalm 23:1-3a
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights,
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
Psalm 36:7-9
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
Psalm 104:34
The unfolding of your words gives light.
Psalm 119:130
For God alone, my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;
I shall never be shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2
Be still before the Lord,
and wait patiently for him. . . .
Psalm 37:7
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April Yamasaki 
Congratulations!
Thanks – I’ll be celebrating for the rest of this week, featuring a Sacred Pauses group on Wednesday, and news about a new project for my Friday 5 post, so stay tuned!
April, I just wanted you to know that our group is using “Sacred Pauses” as a study guide, and have just finished the chapter about journaling as a sacred pause. This is something I have done all my life, but is new to most members of our group. We are trying the e-mail exercise, but so far I (as study guide leader) have been the only one who has sent my journal exercise by email. I’m also teaching a writing response class in our Christian Formation component of the Sunday morning worship service. Do you have any experience along this line of worship response? I look forward to your group study guide!
Hi Elfrieda – I’m thrilled to hear about your group, and would love to hear more about how it’s going for you. I’ll share one group’s experience in my next post. And your writing response class intrigues me — I’ve been in churches with sermon response time either as part of worship or sometimes as an adult Sunday school class after the worship time, but those have been discussion not in writing. Is this like a group journaling exercise?
Yes, it is a group journaling exercise. After they have meditated on the scripture passages for that Sunday’s reflection they can share their writing at the end of the class if they choose to.
Elfrieda, that sounds like a wonderful process–and also quite challenging for those who are new to journaling. God’s strength and wisdom to you as a study group leader and adult Sunday school teacher–may your double responsibility be a double delight for you.