12:15 – A PICTURE OF THE NEW NORMAL FOR THE STUDENTS

• Most of the students are still in an adjustment period because it is their first time to be in an online set-up. They are stressed because it’s a new set-up.
• What causes students to have stress and anxiety is the set-up of blended learning. Some subjects have teachers discuss lessons to students via Zoom and Google Meet (time based) while some require students to submit work (output based). 
• Although it is a flexible schedule set-up, the effect of this to students is they have to be online from time to time because, anytime, the teacher can post work for students online. 
• There’s no more “uwian na” for students when they can take a break from being students. The feeling of having to think of school work always even while at home causes them to have stress and anxiety.

21:44 – HOW DO WE FIND THE BALANCE BETWEEN WORK/STUDY AND REST?

JOICE: You really need to be intentional. You really have to set a schedule. For me, I take screen breaks. I am not really good with that, but by God’s grace, I am asking help to do time management. I also embrace the truth that God is in control so it is okay if I take a break because the ministry will still continue even if I rest.

NOTCH: Rest is a fuel for your body so you can do your thing again. It is really important to schedule our rest so we can refuel our body. As for soul keeping, we need to take care of the soul because if we don’t, everything else in our lives disintegrates. Taking care of your soul is different from taking care of your body and mind in a sense that if you rest your soul, you are resting in God and gaining something from God.

26:58 – WHAT FUELS OUR DESIRE OR DRIVE TO SHUN AWAY REST EVEN IF WE WANT TO REST?

• In this world, we equate busy-ness with self-worth. The busier we are, we feel more important than others. (From Church in the Wild podcast, The Art of Rest by Adam Mabry)
• In ancient times, the status symbol of important people was just to sit around and be served by others; the less you work, the more important you are. Today, in order to prove your worth, we take pride in being busy. Maybe this is one of the reasons why people who can rest don’t rest.
• In observation, some people want to rest but can’t rest because of their responsibilities, while some can rest, but don’t want to rest.

29:31- JELLO’S FIVE MALPRACTICES ON WORK AND REST:

• I have no margin. My schedule is always jam-packed with meetings because I am thinking that I should be a good steward of my time so there should not be any idle time. This causes me to always rush around.
• I have no rhythm. Because I have no margin, I also have no rhythm. If ever an idea pops up, I will work on it immediately. This is very unhealthy.
• I don’t know how to stop. I will work until I can’t so I ended up being burnt out.
• I have no boundaries. My laptop and ipad for work is also for entertainment. My notes for work are also in my room. If I keep this up, I won’t last long in this calling.
• Improper rest. Social media and mobile games have become a form of rest for us. However, this is not resting because our mind is still running while doing these. This is just flesh break and not meaningful rest.
• The best gift you can give to the movement or to other people is a healthy you.

34:10

• Rest is given to you to remember your identity, to remember who you are and whose you are. It is a reminder that we are not in control and God rules our life.
• We are in this time that our badge is our productivity, one of the things here is that we don’t see the worth of work and rest. Work is not something you do or finish to do but this is what God has entrusted us this season, so we have to be faithful. It is a divine task na pinagawa ni Lord.

38:00

• God gave us a rhythm to do work and rest. He granted us the Sabbath. He gave us meaningful work but He also granted rest so we can work. If the purpose for work is gone, then rest becomes flesh break.
• We are in this time that God is allowing our identity to be shaken. Where do we base our identity? Does it come from work? Or does it come from God?
• I am the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). He reminds us that we don’t have to strive. Jesus came so we can rest from our performance and self-righteousness, and to simply trust in Him. This applies not just to salvation, but also to work and rest.
• Sabbath is counter-cultural. Unlike other nations, Israel is set apart because they have a time to rest for one day, yet they are still blessed. Resting as a Christian is one of our testimonies to the people around us. It’s being able to work hard, and rest well because we know that God is in control.

40:44 – ON FLESH BREAK AND “ME TIME”

• In the Old Testament, God has set apart His people. He was reminding His people that He is a God who is in control.
• Keep the Sabbath time holy (Deuteronomy 5:12-14). Rest is a holy time with God, not a “Me Time.” It is a holy time to know Him more and find rest in Him.
• We may feel like rest is a flesh break, or a form of entitlement. This is not God’s idea of resting in Him. We must keep it holy by connecting to our Maker. With this, we realize that what we need is more than physical rest, but soul care.
• Question to ask: Does my lifestyle show that God is in control? 
• Our way of living must reflect the God that we serve.This shows in the way we juggle work and rest.

44:50

• God ordained work to give man purpose, but God gave rest to to accomplish the purpose He set for man.
• God ordained work so that man can cultivate the land and creation, but God ordained rest so we can enjoy the fruit of our labor.
• Work is an expression of our God-given purpose, but rest is a validation of our identity, not as slaves, but as children of God.

47:38

²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. – Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

• Rest is a state of the heart. Even though we are doing things, we can be at rest and enjoy our time with God.
• For the achievers, we can still rest. It’s not bad to take a pause. Rest is a necessity, it’s not just for the tired, but it’s for everyone. We do not get our worth from our work; it’s already defined by God. We need not prove anything to anyone, since God has proven our worth.
• For those who cannot rest because of their load and the things to do: We hope you will find time to experience meaningful rest and the unforced rhythms of grace. He gives power to the weak and strength to the weary. We can rest in His presence.
• Rest is a declaration of our faith in God. We can choose to trust within the boundaries of our humanity.