Genesis 2:15 –  “Then Yahweh God took the man and  caused him to rest  in the garden of Eden to  cultivate  it and  keep  it”  (LSB, emphasis added).   From the beginning, rest has included good work. How can we experience rest while cultivating and keeping goodness in this pasture of Safe Place member care?   The American Psychological Association has provided examples of seven types of rest, indicating that “a multi-faced approach to rest is key to restoring energy levels and improving your...

Our family dog, a beagle, specializes in smelling. I enjoy watching her walk around with her nose to the ground, completely focused on tracking a scent. I remember taking her on a walk, and she was tracking some deer who had crossed the path. Eventually we came upon a group of deer standing beside us, but our beagle did not see them because she would not lift her head, keeping her nose to the ground.   Here are a few lines from Denise Levertov’s poem, Overland to the Islands , describing a...

My wife, Kristin, and I recently met a new friend who shared with us her and her husband’s story, beginning from the brink of separation decades ago. But then they met Jesus, here in our Hershey area at a conference in the hotel where he worked. All these years later, their story tells of God’s faithfulness to and through them as He sent them to serve Him in distant lands. They had returned, and he has now entered the Lord’s presence after illness. She was by his side the whole way. After...