June 19, 2025 • 43 mins
As a pre-teen, Eryn Lynum was diagnosed with Addison's Disease. As an adult, she became a naturalist. Both taught her that rest isn't a luxury—it's a vital, God-given activity designed to fuel everything else you do.
Scriptures referenced:
- 2 Timothy 2:15
- Romans 1:20
- Matthew 11:28-30
- Isaiah 40:28
- John 10:10
- Exodus 16
Dive deeper: The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living
More from Eryn: Website | Podcast | Family Values Guide
Eryn's favorites: NASB 1995 | ESV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible | Fine-Tip Sharpie Pens | Gel Pens | Blue Letter Bible | Logos Bible Software
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ellen Krause (00:04):
At the Coffee and Bible Time podcast.
Our goal is to help you delightin God's Word and thrive in
Christian living.
Each week, we talk to subjectmatter experts who broaden your
biblical understanding,encourage you in hard times and
provide life-building tips toenhance your Christian walk.
We are so glad you have joinedus.
(00:25):
Welcome back to the Coffee andBible Time podcast.
I'm Ellen, your host, and I'mso glad that you have joined us
today.
Does resting sound like justone more thing that you don't
have time for?
If you've been trying to keepup with a never-ending to-do
(00:47):
list and running on emptywithout a chance to recharge,
this conversation is for you.
Today we're talking with AaronLynham, a biblical studies
scholar who is also a certifiedmaster, naturalist, educator and
national speaker.
Erin's story is so powerfulbecause it's rooted in rich
(01:09):
theology and personal experience.
As a homeschooling mom of fourwho also has a chronic illness,
Erin knows how to live out, whatit means to find rest in the
middle of a very full life.
In today's conversation, we'regoing to explore how rest was
always meant to be a rhythm.
(01:30):
We'll discuss what God teachesabout the seasons of stillness
and effort, both through hisword and through creation, and
you'll learn how to discern whatactivities in your life truly
matter most and why honoringyour limits will actually
enhance your life's work.
So grab your coffee and let'sdive in.
(01:54):
Erin, welcome to our podcast.
I'm so excited that you arejoining us today.
Eryn Lynum (02:01):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited for ourconversation today.
Ellen Krause (02:04):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited for ourconversation.
Well, you have just such anincredibly interesting and
fascinating background.
After learning about your story, I understand that this topic
has had a profound impact onyour life.
So tell us about when you firstrealized the importance of rest
(02:26):
.
Eryn Lynum (02:28):
You know, my family and I, a few years ago we just
came up against a wall, and Ithink a lot of us get to that
point where we just realize restis no longer optional and we
realize it's critical, that thisis something we need.
And that's where we were at, myhusband and I.
We homeschool our four kids andwe run three businesses.
(02:49):
But the truth is, no matterwhat our circumstances, no
matter where we're at in life,we all face this very human
condition of fatigue andoverwhelm and burnout.
And so that's where we were andwe realized that we couldn't
keep going at the pace that wewere trying to keep up with.
And we face all of this outerpressure from society to keep up
(03:14):
with a certain pace, to stayahead, to keep producing, to
keep hustling, and we justdidn't feel like that was
fruitful or healthy anymore.
And so that's when we decidedto start celebrating Sabbath
about three and a half years ago, when we realized this is
life-giving, this is somethingthat we need for our family, for
our work, for our faith.
(03:34):
But really I can look back andsee how that was our first big
step towards a restful life, butit was years before that that I
can see that God was trulyleading me into this deeply
restful life.
I think he's so gracious likethat to be bringing us along on
this journey that sometimes wecan't see until retrospect,
until looking back and saying,oh, oh, that's what God was up
(03:57):
to, that's what he was leadingme toward.
Ellen Krause (03:59):
Yes, oh, absolutely, and really it's kind
of just this hustle and bustleAmerican way that we need to
sort of pull ourself aside from.
What has been your relationshipwith rest since being diagnosed
with Addison's disease, andwhat has chronic illness taught
(04:21):
you about your limits and how tolive within them?
Eryn Lynum (04:30):
You know, looking back, I can see that that was
really the first thing that Godused to bring me into a restful
life, although I wouldn't seethat until two decades later.
And so, when I was 14 years old, I was preparing to go overseas
for the first time, and I hadnever before even stepped foot
on a plane, never been up in theair, and I was going to fly now
to the bush of Africa and spendtwo months in Malawi, africa.
(04:51):
And so, you know, first flightwas from Florida to Ethiopia,
which is not a short flight.
So this was like a big deal.
And I'm 14 years old, andbefore you do something like
this, you need to go to thedoctor and get a general checkup
and travel vaccinerecommendations.
And so my parents took me in.
This was a few months beforethe trip, and we had no reason
(05:13):
to believe that anything waswrong.
I had no strange health history, and so we just think I'm going
to go in and have a checkup andcontinue with my trip
preparations.
When the nurse took my bloodpressure that day, it was 56
over 48.
That's extremely low, and soyou know, when you have a vital
sign off like that, it's thisbig red flag that something is
(05:34):
wrong.
And so I undergo further testingand my dad, he's a researcher
and he just starts researching,like what this could be, and
we're looking at.
You know I had been lethargicand a little dizzy at the time,
but you know I was 14.
I'm going through all thesechanges and we kind of chalk it
up to that.
And so my dad's researchingeverything going on and he comes
across something calledAddison's disease or adrenal
(05:57):
insufficiency, and he bringsthis to my doctor and, I kid you
not, my doctor laughed at him.
He says no, that's extremelyuncommon, especially for
adolescents.
That's not what she has.
And he's testing me for thingslike anemia and I don't know a
whole host of different things.
But he sends me to a specialistfor this testing.
He says it won't hurt and aweek later we get a confirmed
(06:21):
diagnosis of Addison's disease.
And so it was what my fatherhad found.
And so I was diagnosed with avery, very autoimmune condition
where my adrenal glands havezero function and they have not
worked for over 20 years now and, barring a miracle, they won't
work until I have a new body andthe new creation.
But your adrenal glands, ofcourse they produce adrenaline.
(06:41):
They also produce key hormones,including cortisol, and that's
our stress hormone.
Because God knew that we weregoing to live in a world cursed
by sin, full of stress, and sohe gave us this incredible
system in our adrenal glands andwith that cortisol hormone, to
cope with stress, whether it bephysical, mental, emotional,
whatever kind of stress we face.
(07:02):
Only my body is broken and itcannot do that naturally.
And so, at age 14, stress becamefatal to me, because in extreme
cases, stress will lead to acoma and then, if untreated, it
is fatal.
And so I had to learn and myparents were so, so helpful in
all of this to really coach methrough biblical stress
(07:22):
management and identifyingstress and sensing you know when
your shoulders start going upand you can feel the stress
physically in your body andknowing how to step back.
And so all of this God wasreally leading me into what it
looks like to depend on him, tocast all my anxieties, all my
cares upon him and, ultimately,to live and thrive through his
(07:45):
gift of rest.
Ellen Krause (07:47):
Oh, my goodness, that's so incredible to hear
your story and just how thedeficit you have and then how
God is completely using that tocommunicate this.
It's just amazing how it showsthe power right that God has to
(08:11):
work through our weakest point.
And I imagine, as you wentthrough this, that nature,
because you're a naturalist, nowyou love nature and your book
is just filled with beautiful,incredible stories about God's
nature.
Tell us how that startedshaping your perspective on rest
(08:36):
.
Eryn Lynum (08:38):
So I work as a master naturalist and that
basically means nature teacher.
So I went through this trainingand certification here in my
city to really understand thelocal flora and fauna and
ecosystems, and the reason thatI pursued that training.
My passion and my degree are inbiblical theology and upholding
the word of truth from 2Timothy 2.15.
(08:59):
And so I saw that in thescriptures.
And so I saw that in thescriptures God and Jesus use
nature constantly to teachbiblical truth.
We see this in the gospels whenJesus is teaching, especially
with parables, that he's usingthings like olive branches and
wildflowers and sparrows.
And then we get all these richnature narratives strung
(09:20):
throughout scripture, not justin Genesis, but strung from
cover to cover.
And so I thought, okay, if Godand Jesus use nature to teach
biblical truth, then surely wecan also and this is what
theologians did for hundreds ofyears.
It's called natural theology,coming from Romans 1.20, that
God's invisible attributes, hiseternal power and divine nature
(09:44):
are clearly perceived throughwhat has been created, so that
we are without excuse.
And so that was what really ledme into this work as a
naturalist, and so I'm workingin this realm.
I'm guiding hikes and teachingon our podcast and writing books
using nature, and then, at thesame time, this is when my
(10:04):
family just came up against thiswall and realized how essential
, how critical rest is and whata gift God's rest and Sabbath
are.
And so I started looking at thescriptures and seeing okay,
where do we see rest inscripture?
Because it's not just hinted athere and there.
The roots of rest run deep andwide throughout scripture.
So I'm looking into scriptureand then I'm looking at God's
(10:27):
other revelation, called naturalrevelation or general
revelation of nature.
Okay, where do we see rest Increation?
And it was the same.
It's not just hinted at hereand there.
It's not just hibernatinganimals.
Everything that God fashionedin creation thrives through
rhythms of rest.
This is his original design,and when we step back into those
(10:48):
rhythms, into those practices,then we also can thrive by his
design.
Ellen Krause (10:53):
I love that God has designed us that way and
that it's such a gift.
I just want to tell you a realquick example.
This past Memorial Day weekendwe were up in Door County,
wisconsin, which is I love DoorCounty.
Eryn Lynum (11:09):
I grew up going to Door County.
Yes, very special place to me.
Yeah, I grew up in Wisconsinand that was my family's retreat
.
Ellen Krause (11:19):
All right, so then you'll understand this.
We were up in Ellison Bay, myson is named Ellison, after
Ellison Bay.
Eryn Lynum (11:27):
Oh my goodness.
Okay, go on, go on.
So you're in Ellison Bay.
Ellen Krause (11:32):
We're in Ellison Bay and we're at this place
called the Clearing, and theClearing was founded by a
landscape architect, Jens Jensen.
And we get to this place and weall just kind of knew, you know
, we wanted to just kind of goon a hike, that was going to be
it.
Well, this is.
This place truly is just God'ssanctuary of beautiful, just the
(12:00):
natural nature little cutoutsof woods that overlook the water
, and these trails where you cansmell the pine needles.
It's just, it feels likeincense all around you and you
can hear the birds.
And I'm telling you, everysingle one of us, when we got
done with that, we all felt soreplenished, we all felt so
(12:25):
replenished, so full.
Eryn Lynum (12:28):
It was incredible.
I can picture it and I cansmell the pine as you're
speaking, especially havingspent so many of my childhood.
Memories are right there, andit's true.
It's so incredible.
God designed it this way for usto be replenished and refreshed
in the midst of his creation.
Ellen Krause (12:47):
Yes, well, you mentioned some examples.
Tell us a little bit more abouthow God's creation can teach us
about healthy rhythms.
Eryn Lynum (12:59):
You know, there's so many examples all throughout
nature and it's hard for me tofocus on just one or two, but
we'll try.
So let's talk about bees,because right now it is
springtime and all of myperennials, my native pollinator
garden, is in bloom and so wehave bees.
And yesterday my kids and Iwere out in the garden and we're
watching all these bees goquite literally all the way into
(13:21):
our penstemon flowers.
They fit perfectly, they justlike nestle in there and get the
sweet nectar, and of coursethey're getting rubbed all over
with pollen that they're goingto go and spread so that God's
design of plants producing moreof their kind could keep doing
their thing.
It's just incredible, but whenyou think about a bee they seem
like they're always busy.
We get the term busy bee, butbees also need rest, and we see
(13:45):
that in the forager bees, andtheir job, of course, is to go
out and forage, to go find thesweet nectar and the pollen, and
when they go back to the hivethey have to somehow communicate
to their hive members, theother bees, where this nectar is
, and so they perform thisincredibly intricate movement.
It's called the waggle dance,isn't that just fun to say?
Ellen Krause (14:06):
the waggle dance.
Eryn Lynum (14:08):
And it's this figure eight flight pattern, and
scientists believe that itcommunicates three things to the
other bees First, whatdirection the flower patch is in
.
Second, how far away the flowerpatch is.
And third, they even believethat it communicates to some
extent the quality of the nectarthat has been found.
(14:28):
And so to communicate thosedetails, this flight pattern has
to be incredibly detailed andintricate, and a bee cannot
perform the waggle danceproperly unless it's getting its
daily rhythms of rest, unlessit is stopping to rest.
So even busy bees need theseregular rhythms of rest to be
(14:50):
able to communicate, to be ableto do their work, their fruitful
work.
That God created them for and Ithink that's something we have
to wrap our minds around is thatrest is not just stopping.
Sometimes, in extreme cases, itneeds to be, but what we see is
that God created rest to reallycomplement and fuel all of the
work that we do, because hecreated us for fruitful
(15:13):
endeavors, and so rest is reallywhat upholds that and brings
more life, more fruit, moreeffectiveness and power to
everything we do.
Ellen Krause (15:23):
That's so true.
Power to everything we dothat's so true.
Another example that I'mthinking of is art.
Just, I know, because I love todo art, and for me as well,
that's like you're doing, butit's just, it's so.
It is that type of rest thatactually fills you, fills you up
Absolutely.
(15:49):
Well.
That's awesome example fromnature.
How would you describe God'srhythm of rest in the scriptures
, and what might it look likefor us to step into that today?
Eryn Lynum (15:58):
What we see in the scriptures again is that rest is
not just hinted at.
Often our minds go to Matthew 11, where Jesus says come unto me
all who are weary and heavyladen, and I will give you rest,
rest for your souls.
But what we see is that restwas hinted at during creation,
established in the wildernessand then modeled in the life of
(16:20):
Christ and fulfilled on Calvary.
And so let's look at hinted atduring creation.
This is one of my favoriteexamples, because we can look at
creation and of course we knowokay, God worked for six days
creating everything from nothing, and then he rested.
But of course God didn't needto rest.
Isaiah says God does not growweary or tired.
(16:41):
So we have to ask ourselvesokay, why did God rest?
And I believe one of thereasons that he rested was to
stop and delight.
The word Sabbath comes from theHebrew word Shabbat, which can
mean to stop and delight.
And so think about God justfashioned everything from
nothing.
Ex nihilo is a theological termfor it.
(17:01):
He created everything fromnothing.
So he's not just building allof the plans, he's not just like
he's speaking it into place,but, as he does, he's inventing
the colors and the shapes andthe textures and the aromas.
And then I believe that hewanted to stop and simply take
it all in, Like I can picturehim strolling through creation
(17:22):
and just listening to the birdsand the melody of the river's
waters and taking in thefragrances and the colors.
And this is such a strongexample for us, such a beautiful
model for us, because how proneare we to just finish a task or
a responsibility and rush righton to the next thing?
We don't often stop tocelebrate.
(17:45):
And so this hint of Sabbath atcreation, I believe it's God
inviting us into this pattern,and it truly is a pattern,
because think about this Godworked for six days and then
rested.
But he created Adam, the firsthuman, on the sixth day.
So Adam's first full day, theseventh day, was a day devoted
(18:07):
and set aside to rest.
And what we see in this is thatGod works and then rests.
But we were always meant tobegin from rest, not to work,
work, work and hustle, hustle,hustle and say, okay, maybe I'll
rest on the weekend, or maybeI'll rest on vacation or in
retirement or when the kids aregrown no, that's getting it
backwards.
Or when the kids are grown no,that's getting it backwards.
God gives us this model ofstarting from a position of his
(18:31):
rest, in his presence, and thenwe can go forward and do the
fruitful work that he has calledus to.
Ellen Krause (18:42):
You know that was something that I highlighted
here in the book because I'venever thought of it that way
that God worked, then rested,and but man rested then worked.
And I love to how you pointedout just taking that time first
thing in the morning to is a wayof you know spending time in
God's Word, resting before youbegin each day.
(19:02):
I love that.
I want to read a passage fromyour book, the Nature of Rest,
that I think our audience willjust kind of relish, because I
want you to.
For those of you that arelistening to hear the beauty of
how Erin describes things.
(19:23):
She says picture a perennialsuch as an iris, peony or
lavender sending up fresh,tender shoots as the ground
thaws.
In gardening, the best time toplant a perennial is in fall or
early spring.
This allows the plant time torestfully establish roots before
(19:45):
the active growing seasoncommences.
Similarly, god calls us tobegin with rest before we work.
The Hebrew calendar reflectsthis beautifully.
Tell us a little bit more.
You know, as you were goingthrough the process of writing
(20:05):
this and using all of theseexamples from nature, did you
just feel like, overwhelmed,like there's so many, and how
did you go about that?
Like?
I'm seeing you as like having ajournal and looking back at all
your journals of things and Idon't know.
Eryn Lynum (20:27):
tell us what that was like that's such a fun
question.
The process is, you know, it'ssuch a fun part of it.
So thank you for asking.
You know, I wouldn't say I wasoverwhelmed.
I would say I felt suchaffirmation, realizing that this
truly is what God designed usfor, because when you see it
(20:48):
everywhere, that says something.
And so, as I started seeingthese threads, like the
perennial was one of the firstones, and I saw it because this
is what my family wasexperiencing.
We had just moved into our newhome and, as a naturalist, one
thing I love doing is restoringnatural native habitat.
And so we took out just I thinkit was 10 truckloads of juniper
(21:12):
that had been planted with thehome in like the 70s.
And so we go through thismassive project and finally we
clear out all the juniper and Istart putting in perennial
plants that will come back yearafter year, and native plants,
those pollinating species, toreally just take part in that
restoration of God's creation.
And when we received theseplants, because I ordered these
(21:33):
little garden in a box kitswhere you get the baby plants to
put in the ground and we go andwe pick them up, and I had all
of these major doubts becausethese things looked like weeds.
They're just these littleclumps of leaves here and there.
I actually just ordered twomore gardens and they came.
And this time I knew, this timeI held on to hope because I
knew I'd been through thisbefore.
(21:54):
So I'm like, are these going toeven grow?
Are these going to turn intoanything?
But we faithfully put them inthe ground and watered them and
by the end of that season theywere not only alive, but they
had grown and some of them evenhad a few blossoms on them.
And then the weather turns coldand they start to dwindle and
they look like they're dying.
(22:15):
And so I'm thinking okay, arethese things going to make it
through the winter?
Will they come back?
And sure enough, in the spring,little green shoots pop up and
they come back.
And they come back bigger andmore beautiful and more vibrant
and more fruitful.
And now those plants that thiswill be, I believe, their third
summer.
They are bursting with blossomsand filling the garden with
(22:38):
life and swarming insects andaromas, and the secret to a
perennial and their longevityare those seasonal pauses of
rest where they pull in alltheir energy, their resources
and focus on their roots.
So that was one of the firstones that I saw and I started
pulling on that thread okay,where else do we see rest?
(22:59):
And another early one that Isaw was at the time my family
and I were really getting intobirdwatching.
That's a big hobby of ours thatwe do together, my husband and
me.
And really getting into birdwatching, that's a big hobby of
ours that we do together, myhusband and me and our four kids
.
And so I'm learning about allthese different kinds of birds.
And I discovered something veryinteresting about a hummingbird
and that's why the hummingbirdis actually on the cover of the
(23:21):
book.
And it's an opening analogy ofthe book, because when you think
about hummingbirds you oftendon't equate them with rest.
Like, what do you picture whenyou picture a hummingbird?
Ellen Krause (23:30):
A little, teeny, tiny bird that's moving so fast,
you can't hardly even see it.
Yeah, you can't.
Eryn Lynum (23:37):
It's a blur of motion and the little
hummingbird.
They have to visit 1,000 to2,000 flowers every day to get
the nectar that they need, andso their wings will flap up to
70 times every second and theirtiny little hearts will beat
around 1200 times a minute.
They are constantly in motion,but what sustains them is a
(23:58):
strategy called torpor, andtorpor is this deeply restful
state.
You can liken it to a dailyhibernation, where the little
bird is going to lower its bodytemperature by about 50 degrees,
conserve all of its energy, andit becomes unresponsive, to the
point where people have foundhummingbirds in torpor and
(24:18):
thought they were dead.
Or sometimes, if they'reclinging to a feeder or a branch
, if they fall upside down,they'll actually still be
clinging, but they're so deep atrest they have no idea they're
hanging upside down.
So they're completelyunresponsive, and it's this
strategy that allows them to goabout their fruitful work.
So, again, god designed themfor this work of gardening, of
(24:40):
pollinating the plants so theycan reduce more of their own
kind.
But it depends on rest, and sothis was the process of just
studying the scriptures andstudying creation together and
seeing all of these overlaps andreally coming to this
conclusion of rest and work arenot separate.
They are meant to complementeach other.
Ellen Krause (25:02):
Absolutely.
And that rest I think of yourexample that you had in there
about birds that travelincredible distances across the
ocean, migrating.
It's mind blowing.
But just the importance of theahead of time, the building, the
extra weight and all of that.
(25:25):
It's just incredible how thatrest prepares for good things to
come after that rest right Tobe fruitful.
Well, let's get into somepractical advice for our
listeners here.
Something that you mentionedquite a bit is vital activity.
Can you share a little bitabout what you mean by that and
(25:47):
why it matters?
Eryn Lynum (25:49):
When we think about that word vital, being
pertaining to life, somethinglife-giving, something that
supports life, we need to reallydecide in our lives.
We need to take a good, hardlook at the activities that we
are allowing into our days, intoour lives, and ask are they
vital?
Are they supporting what Godhas called us to?
(26:10):
Are they giving life to ourfaith, to our families, to our
communities?
And I believe that rest is avital activity, that it's
essential, that it's critical,and we see this again in animals
.
Animals are consumed all daylong with survival.
They are just focusing onfinding food and reproducing
(26:30):
because that's what God calledthem to and finding shelter, and
so you watch them and they'realways busy with these things.
But they also count rest as avital activity.
These creatures, they have torest in order to be able to do
all the work.
And so we have to change ourminds about rest.
We have to see it no longer aslazy work or idle or ineffective
(26:54):
, because that's what societywill tell us it is, or make us
feel like it is.
Like, if we stop to rest, ohwell, you're going to get behind
or you're not contributingenough, you're not producing
enough, like society and culturejust tell us hustle, hustle,
hurry, hurry.
But we have to change our mindsaround this and see rest as a
(27:16):
vital activity that not onlygives life but supports life.
And so what's the alternative?
If we're not resting andbuilding in these rhythms and
practices of rest, well, it'sgoing to rob us.
We read in John 10, 10, thatJesus came to give us life and
life abundantly.
The enemy came to steal and rob, and I believe that he does
(27:37):
that through this lie of hustleand that as we rebuke that lie
and step back into God's rest,that's when we can more fully
experience Jesus's abundant life.
Ellen Krause (27:52):
So true, and I think, when I think of those
vital activities and I love howyou said that something that's
vital isn't necessarilysomething that has to be done
for somebody else to meet somedeadline or something like that.
Instead, it's more things thatare life giving and that
(28:14):
incredible need to set aside allof that and trust God that he
will allow the work that needsto be done in the other six days
of the week and that we cantake that day of rest.
What might it look like forsomeone to do assessment of
(28:37):
their activities and determinewhat's most important?
Eryn Lynum (28:42):
This really begins with figuring out our values and
what is important, what we feelGod has called us to.
And if your listeners would liketo really deep dive into this,
my husband and I created afamily values guide and it's
free on my website, erinlynumcomslash values, and they can get
that full guide that reallyhelps you walk through.
(29:03):
But what it does and what yourlisteners can do is really ask
themselves, you know, take stockof, look at your calendar, look
at your commitments, look atyour responsibilities, even
coming up in the next couple ofmonths, and ask yourself do
these reflect what we deeplyvalue?
So of course, you have tofigure out first what you do
deeply value, but then lookingat your activities and really
deciding okay, does this reflectour values, does this uphold
(29:27):
our values or is this extrafluff?
If it's extra fluff, this isreally hard, but it might be
time to trim that, and a lot ofthis is just building margin
back into our lives so that wehave the space in our minds, in
our hearts, in our agendas, torest.
And so it's that hard initialwork of asking yourself do my
(29:51):
activities, does my agenda,reflect what God is calling me
to?
Ellen Krause (29:59):
Are they those vital activities that are
bringing life and supportinglife and that's such an
incredible, deep,soul-fulfilling way of looking
at it.
Because I was thinking about inthe business world how they
have you put in quadrants likeurgent but not important, and
(30:19):
you're trying to define youractivities that way.
But I love here that we'reasking ourselves, we're taking
the time to say what do I trulyvalue and is how I'm spending my
time.
Reflective of that, there mightbe someone listening who's
struggling with this idea ofSabbath and taking a whole day
(30:46):
to rest.
Where would you encourage themto start?
Eryn Lynum (30:52):
I recognize that the whole day concept can be a big
challenge and a big barrier even, and so you know, I think that
is the ideal.
That's a God's original designthat we see he established in
Exodus 16 with the Israelites.
But if that is overwhelming,don't let it stop.
You Start smaller.
Find four hours during the week, and it might be a Wednesday
(31:13):
afternoon, that's fine.
You're also not committing tothat day and time forever.
It's your starting point.
Just get started and see whatGod does with it.
When we think back to that firstestablishment of the Sabbath in
Exodus 16, god gave theIsraelites this command, but
they didn't have much contextfor it Because up until this
(31:33):
point there wasn't a Sabbath.
This is the first mention ofSabbath, and so this was a call
to faith, and I believe thatSabbath and rest are always a
step of faith.
They feel risky, they'recounter-cultural, like nothing
in culture is setting us up tosucceed at this, and so we have
to depend on God, we have totake that first step.
(31:54):
So find a day and a time andprotect it fiercely, and a way
that you can do that is writetwo lists and think back to that
concept we talked about, aboutSabbath being to stop and
delight.
So your first list is your stoplist.
Write down things that feelheavy, things that send you into
hurry and hustle.
(32:15):
Probably any kind of regularwork.
Probably anything to do withscreens, notifications, social
media, email.
It might be spending money, itmight be driving in traffic.
These are those regular things,a lot of them necessary, some
of them not, but those thingsthat we are going to step away
from and set aside and stop forour Sabbath, for your time of
(32:35):
rest, and then write a list ofthings you delight in.
This might be hard at first,because a lot of us simply have
forgotten or don't know what wedelight in, but these are those
things that are refreshing andinspiring and turn our thoughts
to Christ.
It might be journaling by hand,painting, doing art, gardening.
It might be going on a walk increation or a hike.
(32:58):
It might be cooking a freshmeal.
And people ask me isn't cookingand gardening work?
Well, you have to really thinkwhat is refreshing, because what
my husband and I have found isa lot of our work is spent on
the computer.
So both of us run businessesand a lot of our work is behind
a computer.
So on Sabbath, we love nothingmore than to be out in the yard
(33:20):
and gardening, and I love likegetting my hands dirty and being
surrounded by the butterfliesand the bees and the flowers and
feeling that restorative work.
So, yes, I might call it work,but it doesn't feel like it.
And the moment it starts tofeel like work, that's when I
step away from it and I'll gopick up a book or lay in the
hammock.
So now you have, okay, your dayor your time that you're
(33:42):
protecting fiercely.
I go so far as to set an awaymessage on my email that tells
people hey, I'm Sabbathing, I'mresting with my family, I'll get
back to you next week, so theyknow I'm not going to see or
respond to their message.
I tuck my laptop in the closet,I put my phone on focus mode so
the only calls I can receiveare from my mom in case of
emergency, and so it's reallyjust protecting that time.
(34:04):
And now you have your list ofregular activities you're going
to stop and set aside and thingsthat are going to bring you
back into delight.
Ellen Krause (34:13):
You know, Erin, I started doing that a few years
ago as well, and I'm telling youit's astounding how life-giving
taking that time really is.
And for those of you that arethinking, oh, I don't have that
much time, I'll tell you whateven like 30 minutes of doing an
(34:38):
art project or playing tennisor gardening or whatever your
thing is, that small amount canreally, really rejuvenate you
for sure.
Eryn Lynum (34:51):
Yeah, it absolutely can.
We talk about that in the bookas Selah pauses, because, yes,
we have the Sabbath, but we alsoneed to work restful rhythms
into our everyday lives to besustaining our work throughout
the week.
And so these regular pauses,yes, whether it's a half hour in
the garden or walking down thestreet or along a riverside or
(35:11):
sitting for a cup of tea, likefive minutes is powerful and it
can punctuate our days withthese restorative moments that
really just give us so much.
They just give us so much senseof God's presence, and his
presence is restful, and so Iwholeheartedly agree that don't
think, oh, I don't have time,try five minutes.
Ellen Krause (35:37):
As we start to wrap things up here, erin
there's.
You mentioned a little bitabout Addison's disease and tell
us, for those that arelistening, who might be
struggling with some type of achronic or invisible illness.
What would you encourage them?
(35:58):
What would you want them tohear today?
Eryn Lynum (36:05):
That God sees your invisible illness and that he
wants to meet you there and thatone way he wants to meet you
there is through his gift ofrest.
Like we know that, like evenfrom science and medicine, rest
is good for us in every singleway physical, spiritual, mental
(36:26):
and that's because God designedit that way.
In the book I pose the question.
I'm talking about that rest isGod's provision for us, that he
provides for us to rest, butalso he provides for us through
rest.
And I pose the question what isthat thing that you have been
asking God for?
What have you been praying for?
(36:48):
Could rest be his response tothat prayer?
You know, sometimes we're soprone to just rush right by it,
and that's his provision allalong.
It's where he wants to meet us,and so I would just encourage
listeners, specifically thosewith chronic illness, with
invisible illness take a risk onrest.
(37:09):
God's going to bless that.
This is his design.
His word does not return voidand his word says that rest is
good for us.
And so take that risk and seewhat he does with it and see how
he provides for you in that.
Ellen Krause (37:25):
Amen, amen to that .
Well, how can people find outmore information about you and
the book and all that you'redoing?
Eryn Lynum (37:37):
Thank you.
So the Nature of Rest, what theBible and Creation Teaches Us
About Sabbath Living, isavailable wherever you buy books
, including, of course, amazon,but also on my website.
My website is my name, which isspelled a little funny it's
E-R-Y-N-L-Y-N-U-Mcom.
We also have a lot of freeresources on there.
(37:58):
I mentioned the Family ValuesGuide, but we do have a full
Family Sabbath Guide to walk youthrough step-by-step making
those lists, that stop list,that delight list.
It has a Sabbath shopping list,troubleshooting questions for
when Sabbath gets hard.
So if you're really askingyourself, you feel in your soul
that this is what God has foryou, but you don't know.
The next step go download thatguide.
(38:18):
It's at erinleinemcom.
Slash family Sabbath.
And also on my website is ourpodcast for kids and families.
It's called Nat Theo NatureLessons Rooted in the Bible and
we teach real science, butalways bringing in biblical
theology so that we arenurturing the faith of our
families while we're learningabout God's creation.
(38:39):
And you can listen wherever youenjoy podcasts Apple, spotify,
youtube, as long as right on mywebsite.
Ellen Krause (38:45):
Fantastic.
Well, we will make sure toinclude links to all of those
things in our show notes, Erin.
Before I let you go, though, Ihave to ask you a few of our
favorite questions what Bible isyour go-to Bible and what
translation is it?
Eryn Lynum (39:02):
I love this question .
I have my Bible that I usedduring Bible college where I met
my husband, and it's a NASB1995, actually.
And it was really sweet becauseright before I left for college
I was 17 years old, and rightbefore I left my father gifted
me this Bible and it wasactually from his college days
(39:23):
and so that's one that I alwayskeep with me and it has all my
notes from Bible college.
But I have since moved to theESV.
I find it a little moreaccurate word for word.
I love Greek and Hebrew studiesand that's why we brought so
much Greek and Hebrew into theNature of Rest.
Every single day has a deepdive into Greek or Hebrew,
because I love looking at theoriginal language and getting a
(39:45):
bigger context of what God wassaying.
So I use the Thompson ChainReference Bible and it's the
translation ESV.
Ellen Krause (39:54):
Awesome, okay, do you have any favorite Bible
journaling supplies that youlike to use?
Eryn Lynum (40:01):
I am real simple.
I'm a journaler at heart and soI just have my Bible and then I
have my journal and then I havefine point.
Sharpie pens is my go-to forwriting, but not in the Bible,
because they bleed and so I usegel pens in natural colors I'm
not the real bright color, Ilike the earth tones and the
green but gel pens in the Bible,sharpie in the journal.
Ellen Krause (40:24):
Okay, awesome.
Last question what is yourfavorite app or website for
Bible study?
Eryn Lynum (40:30):
tools I use a couple of different ones, especially
when I'm writing our podcastepisodes, because I also love
taking the kids into the Greekand the Hebrew, and so I will
use Blue Letter Bible to do theGreek and Hebrew studies because
they have the Strong'sreferences.
But then for a lot of them I'lldive deeper using the Logos
Bible software.
Ellen Krause (40:49):
Yes, we love Logos also.
All right, awesome, we will putlinks to all of her favorites
in the show notes as well.
Erin, thank you so much forjoining us today, for sharing
your heart and your story andjust the wisdom that you offer
in this area of rest.
Eryn Lynum (41:10):
Thank you.
Ellen Krause (41:10):
Thank you so much for having me and for the
conversation, right.
If you're listening today andresonated with this message, I
encourage you to check outErin's book the Nature of Rest
and her kids podcast, nat Theo.
And, as always, if you enjoyedthis episode, would you take a
second to leave a review orshare this with a friend?
We would be so grateful.
(41:32):
Until next time, keep seekingJesus one quiet moment at a time
.
Have a blessed day.
At the Coffee and Bible Time podcast.
Our goal is to help you delightin God's Word and thrive in
Christian living.
Each week, we talk to subjectmatter experts who broaden your
biblical understanding,encourage you in hard times and
provide life-building tips toenhance your Christian walk.
We are so glad you have joinedus.
(00:25):
Welcome back to the Coffee andBible Time podcast.
I'm Ellen, your host, and I'mso glad that you have joined us
today.
Does resting sound like justone more thing that you don't
have time for?
If you've been trying to keepup with a never-ending to-do
(00:47):
list and running on emptywithout a chance to recharge,
this conversation is for you.
Today we're talking with AaronLynham, a biblical studies
scholar who is also a certifiedmaster, naturalist, educator and
national speaker.
Erin's story is so powerfulbecause it's rooted in rich
(01:09):
theology and personal experience.
As a homeschooling mom of fourwho also has a chronic illness,
Erin knows how to live out, whatit means to find rest in the
middle of a very full life.
In today's conversation, we'regoing to explore how rest was
always meant to be a rhythm.
(01:30):
We'll discuss what God teachesabout the seasons of stillness
and effort, both through hisword and through creation, and
you'll learn how to discern whatactivities in your life truly
matter most and why honoringyour limits will actually
enhance your life's work.
So grab your coffee and let'sdive in.
(01:54):
Erin, welcome to our podcast.
I'm so excited that you arejoining us today.
Eryn Lynum (02:01):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited for ourconversation today.
Ellen Krause (02:04):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited for ourconversation.
Well, you have just such anincredibly interesting and
fascinating background.
After learning about your story, I understand that this topic
has had a profound impact onyour life.
So tell us about when you firstrealized the importance of rest
(02:26):
.
Eryn Lynum (02:28):
You know, my family and I, a few years ago we just
came up against a wall, and Ithink a lot of us get to that
point where we just realize restis no longer optional and we
realize it's critical, that thisis something we need.
And that's where we were at, myhusband and I.
We homeschool our four kids andwe run three businesses.
(02:49):
But the truth is, no matterwhat our circumstances, no
matter where we're at in life,we all face this very human
condition of fatigue andoverwhelm and burnout.
And so that's where we were andwe realized that we couldn't
keep going at the pace that wewere trying to keep up with.
And we face all of this outerpressure from society to keep up
(03:14):
with a certain pace, to stayahead, to keep producing, to
keep hustling, and we justdidn't feel like that was
fruitful or healthy anymore.
And so that's when we decidedto start celebrating Sabbath
about three and a half years ago, when we realized this is
life-giving, this is somethingthat we need for our family, for
our work, for our faith.
(03:34):
But really I can look back andsee how that was our first big
step towards a restful life, butit was years before that that I
can see that God was trulyleading me into this deeply
restful life.
I think he's so gracious likethat to be bringing us along on
this journey that sometimes wecan't see until retrospect,
until looking back and saying,oh, oh, that's what God was up
(03:57):
to, that's what he was leadingme toward.
Ellen Krause (03:59):
Yes, oh, absolutely, and really it's kind
of just this hustle and bustleAmerican way that we need to
sort of pull ourself aside from.
What has been your relationshipwith rest since being diagnosed
with Addison's disease, andwhat has chronic illness taught
(04:21):
you about your limits and how tolive within them?
Eryn Lynum (04:30):
You know, looking back, I can see that that was
really the first thing that Godused to bring me into a restful
life, although I wouldn't seethat until two decades later.
And so, when I was 14 years old, I was preparing to go overseas
for the first time, and I hadnever before even stepped foot
on a plane, never been up in theair, and I was going to fly now
to the bush of Africa and spendtwo months in Malawi, africa.
(04:51):
And so, you know, first flightwas from Florida to Ethiopia,
which is not a short flight.
So this was like a big deal.
And I'm 14 years old, andbefore you do something like
this, you need to go to thedoctor and get a general checkup
and travel vaccinerecommendations.
And so my parents took me in.
This was a few months beforethe trip, and we had no reason
(05:13):
to believe that anything waswrong.
I had no strange health history, and so we just think I'm going
to go in and have a checkup andcontinue with my trip
preparations.
When the nurse took my bloodpressure that day, it was 56
over 48.
That's extremely low, and soyou know, when you have a vital
sign off like that, it's thisbig red flag that something is
(05:34):
wrong.
And so I undergo further testingand my dad, he's a researcher
and he just starts researching,like what this could be, and
we're looking at.
You know I had been lethargicand a little dizzy at the time,
but you know I was 14.
I'm going through all thesechanges and we kind of chalk it
up to that.
And so my dad's researchingeverything going on and he comes
across something calledAddison's disease or adrenal
(05:57):
insufficiency, and he bringsthis to my doctor and, I kid you
not, my doctor laughed at him.
He says no, that's extremelyuncommon, especially for
adolescents.
That's not what she has.
And he's testing me for thingslike anemia and I don't know a
whole host of different things.
But he sends me to a specialistfor this testing.
He says it won't hurt and aweek later we get a confirmed
(06:21):
diagnosis of Addison's disease.
And so it was what my fatherhad found.
And so I was diagnosed with avery, very autoimmune condition
where my adrenal glands havezero function and they have not
worked for over 20 years now and, barring a miracle, they won't
work until I have a new body andthe new creation.
But your adrenal glands, ofcourse they produce adrenaline.
(06:41):
They also produce key hormones,including cortisol, and that's
our stress hormone.
Because God knew that we weregoing to live in a world cursed
by sin, full of stress, and sohe gave us this incredible
system in our adrenal glands andwith that cortisol hormone, to
cope with stress, whether it bephysical, mental, emotional,
whatever kind of stress we face.
(07:02):
Only my body is broken and itcannot do that naturally.
And so, at age 14, stress becamefatal to me, because in extreme
cases, stress will lead to acoma and then, if untreated, it
is fatal.
And so I had to learn and myparents were so, so helpful in
all of this to really coach methrough biblical stress
(07:22):
management and identifyingstress and sensing you know when
your shoulders start going upand you can feel the stress
physically in your body andknowing how to step back.
And so all of this God wasreally leading me into what it
looks like to depend on him, tocast all my anxieties, all my
cares upon him and, ultimately,to live and thrive through his
(07:45):
gift of rest.
Ellen Krause (07:47):
Oh, my goodness, that's so incredible to hear
your story and just how thedeficit you have and then how
God is completely using that tocommunicate this.
It's just amazing how it showsthe power right that God has to
(08:11):
work through our weakest point.
And I imagine, as you wentthrough this, that nature,
because you're a naturalist, nowyou love nature and your book
is just filled with beautiful,incredible stories about God's
nature.
Tell us how that startedshaping your perspective on rest
(08:36):
.
Eryn Lynum (08:38):
So I work as a master naturalist and that
basically means nature teacher.
So I went through this trainingand certification here in my
city to really understand thelocal flora and fauna and
ecosystems, and the reason thatI pursued that training.
My passion and my degree are inbiblical theology and upholding
the word of truth from 2Timothy 2.15.
(08:59):
And so I saw that in thescriptures.
And so I saw that in thescriptures God and Jesus use
nature constantly to teachbiblical truth.
We see this in the gospels whenJesus is teaching, especially
with parables, that he's usingthings like olive branches and
wildflowers and sparrows.
And then we get all these richnature narratives strung
(09:20):
throughout scripture, not justin Genesis, but strung from
cover to cover.
And so I thought, okay, if Godand Jesus use nature to teach
biblical truth, then surely wecan also and this is what
theologians did for hundreds ofyears.
It's called natural theology,coming from Romans 1.20, that
God's invisible attributes, hiseternal power and divine nature
(09:44):
are clearly perceived throughwhat has been created, so that
we are without excuse.
And so that was what really ledme into this work as a
naturalist, and so I'm workingin this realm.
I'm guiding hikes and teachingon our podcast and writing books
using nature, and then, at thesame time, this is when my
(10:04):
family just came up against thiswall and realized how essential
, how critical rest is and whata gift God's rest and Sabbath
are.
And so I started looking at thescriptures and seeing okay,
where do we see rest inscripture?
Because it's not just hinted athere and there.
The roots of rest run deep andwide throughout scripture.
So I'm looking into scriptureand then I'm looking at God's
(10:27):
other revelation, called naturalrevelation or general
revelation of nature.
Okay, where do we see rest Increation?
And it was the same.
It's not just hinted at hereand there.
It's not just hibernatinganimals.
Everything that God fashionedin creation thrives through
rhythms of rest.
This is his original design,and when we step back into those
(10:48):
rhythms, into those practices,then we also can thrive by his
design.
Ellen Krause (10:53):
I love that God has designed us that way and
that it's such a gift.
I just want to tell you a realquick example.
This past Memorial Day weekendwe were up in Door County,
wisconsin, which is I love DoorCounty.
Eryn Lynum (11:09):
I grew up going to Door County.
Yes, very special place to me.
Yeah, I grew up in Wisconsinand that was my family's retreat
.
Ellen Krause (11:19):
All right, so then you'll understand this.
We were up in Ellison Bay, myson is named Ellison, after
Ellison Bay.
Eryn Lynum (11:27):
Oh my goodness.
Okay, go on, go on.
So you're in Ellison Bay.
Ellen Krause (11:32):
We're in Ellison Bay and we're at this place
called the Clearing, and theClearing was founded by a
landscape architect, Jens Jensen.
And we get to this place and weall just kind of knew, you know
, we wanted to just kind of goon a hike, that was going to be
it.
Well, this is.
This place truly is just God'ssanctuary of beautiful, just the
(12:00):
natural nature little cutoutsof woods that overlook the water
, and these trails where you cansmell the pine needles.
It's just, it feels likeincense all around you and you
can hear the birds.
And I'm telling you, everysingle one of us, when we got
done with that, we all felt soreplenished, we all felt so
(12:25):
replenished, so full.
Eryn Lynum (12:28):
It was incredible.
I can picture it and I cansmell the pine as you're
speaking, especially havingspent so many of my childhood.
Memories are right there, andit's true.
It's so incredible.
God designed it this way for usto be replenished and refreshed
in the midst of his creation.
Ellen Krause (12:47):
Yes, well, you mentioned some examples.
Tell us a little bit more abouthow God's creation can teach us
about healthy rhythms.
Eryn Lynum (12:59):
You know, there's so many examples all throughout
nature and it's hard for me tofocus on just one or two, but
we'll try.
So let's talk about bees,because right now it is
springtime and all of myperennials, my native pollinator
garden, is in bloom and so wehave bees.
And yesterday my kids and Iwere out in the garden and we're
watching all these bees goquite literally all the way into
(13:21):
our penstemon flowers.
They fit perfectly, they justlike nestle in there and get the
sweet nectar, and of coursethey're getting rubbed all over
with pollen that they're goingto go and spread so that God's
design of plants producing moreof their kind could keep doing
their thing.
It's just incredible, but whenyou think about a bee they seem
like they're always busy.
We get the term busy bee, butbees also need rest, and we see
(13:45):
that in the forager bees, andtheir job, of course, is to go
out and forage, to go find thesweet nectar and the pollen, and
when they go back to the hivethey have to somehow communicate
to their hive members, theother bees, where this nectar is
, and so they perform thisincredibly intricate movement.
It's called the waggle dance,isn't that just fun to say?
Ellen Krause (14:06):
the waggle dance.
Eryn Lynum (14:08):
And it's this figure eight flight pattern, and
scientists believe that itcommunicates three things to the
other bees First, whatdirection the flower patch is in
.
Second, how far away the flowerpatch is.
And third, they even believethat it communicates to some
extent the quality of the nectarthat has been found.
(14:28):
And so to communicate thosedetails, this flight pattern has
to be incredibly detailed andintricate, and a bee cannot
perform the waggle danceproperly unless it's getting its
daily rhythms of rest, unlessit is stopping to rest.
So even busy bees need theseregular rhythms of rest to be
(14:50):
able to communicate, to be ableto do their work, their fruitful
work.
That God created them for and Ithink that's something we have
to wrap our minds around is thatrest is not just stopping.
Sometimes, in extreme cases, itneeds to be, but what we see is
that God created rest to reallycomplement and fuel all of the
work that we do, because hecreated us for fruitful
(15:13):
endeavors, and so rest is reallywhat upholds that and brings
more life, more fruit, moreeffectiveness and power to
everything we do.
Ellen Krause (15:23):
That's so true.
Power to everything we dothat's so true.
Another example that I'mthinking of is art.
Just, I know, because I love todo art, and for me as well,
that's like you're doing, butit's just, it's so.
It is that type of rest thatactually fills you, fills you up
Absolutely.
(15:49):
Well.
That's awesome example fromnature.
How would you describe God'srhythm of rest in the scriptures
, and what might it look likefor us to step into that today?
Eryn Lynum (15:58):
What we see in the scriptures again is that rest is
not just hinted at.
Often our minds go to Matthew 11, where Jesus says come unto me
all who are weary and heavyladen, and I will give you rest,
rest for your souls.
But what we see is that restwas hinted at during creation,
established in the wildernessand then modeled in the life of
(16:20):
Christ and fulfilled on Calvary.
And so let's look at hinted atduring creation.
This is one of my favoriteexamples, because we can look at
creation and of course we knowokay, God worked for six days
creating everything from nothing, and then he rested.
But of course God didn't needto rest.
Isaiah says God does not growweary or tired.
(16:41):
So we have to ask ourselvesokay, why did God rest?
And I believe one of thereasons that he rested was to
stop and delight.
The word Sabbath comes from theHebrew word Shabbat, which can
mean to stop and delight.
And so think about God justfashioned everything from
nothing.
Ex nihilo is a theological termfor it.
(17:01):
He created everything fromnothing.
So he's not just building allof the plans, he's not just like
he's speaking it into place,but, as he does, he's inventing
the colors and the shapes andthe textures and the aromas.
And then I believe that hewanted to stop and simply take
it all in, Like I can picturehim strolling through creation
(17:22):
and just listening to the birdsand the melody of the river's
waters and taking in thefragrances and the colors.
And this is such a strongexample for us, such a beautiful
model for us, because how proneare we to just finish a task or
a responsibility and rush righton to the next thing?
We don't often stop tocelebrate.
(17:45):
And so this hint of Sabbath atcreation, I believe it's God
inviting us into this pattern,and it truly is a pattern,
because think about this Godworked for six days and then
rested.
But he created Adam, the firsthuman, on the sixth day.
So Adam's first full day, theseventh day, was a day devoted
(18:07):
and set aside to rest.
And what we see in this is thatGod works and then rests.
But we were always meant tobegin from rest, not to work,
work, work and hustle, hustle,hustle and say, okay, maybe I'll
rest on the weekend, or maybeI'll rest on vacation or in
retirement or when the kids aregrown no, that's getting it
backwards.
Or when the kids are grown no,that's getting it backwards.
God gives us this model ofstarting from a position of his
(18:31):
rest, in his presence, and thenwe can go forward and do the
fruitful work that he has calledus to.
Ellen Krause (18:42):
You know that was something that I highlighted
here in the book because I'venever thought of it that way
that God worked, then rested,and but man rested then worked.
And I love to how you pointedout just taking that time first
thing in the morning to is a wayof you know spending time in
God's Word, resting before youbegin each day.
(19:02):
I love that.
I want to read a passage fromyour book, the Nature of Rest,
that I think our audience willjust kind of relish, because I
want you to.
For those of you that arelistening to hear the beauty of
how Erin describes things.
(19:23):
She says picture a perennialsuch as an iris, peony or
lavender sending up fresh,tender shoots as the ground
thaws.
In gardening, the best time toplant a perennial is in fall or
early spring.
This allows the plant time torestfully establish roots before
(19:45):
the active growing seasoncommences.
Similarly, god calls us tobegin with rest before we work.
The Hebrew calendar reflectsthis beautifully.
Tell us a little bit more.
You know, as you were goingthrough the process of writing
(20:05):
this and using all of theseexamples from nature, did you
just feel like, overwhelmed,like there's so many, and how
did you go about that?
Like?
I'm seeing you as like having ajournal and looking back at all
your journals of things and Idon't know.
Eryn Lynum (20:27):
tell us what that was like that's such a fun
question.
The process is, you know, it'ssuch a fun part of it.
So thank you for asking.
You know, I wouldn't say I wasoverwhelmed.
I would say I felt suchaffirmation, realizing that this
truly is what God designed usfor, because when you see it
(20:48):
everywhere, that says something.
And so, as I started seeingthese threads, like the
perennial was one of the firstones, and I saw it because this
is what my family wasexperiencing.
We had just moved into our newhome and, as a naturalist, one
thing I love doing is restoringnatural native habitat.
And so we took out just I thinkit was 10 truckloads of juniper
(21:12):
that had been planted with thehome in like the 70s.
And so we go through thismassive project and finally we
clear out all the juniper and Istart putting in perennial
plants that will come back yearafter year, and native plants,
those pollinating species, toreally just take part in that
restoration of God's creation.
And when we received theseplants, because I ordered these
(21:33):
little garden in a box kitswhere you get the baby plants to
put in the ground and we go andwe pick them up, and I had all
of these major doubts becausethese things looked like weeds.
They're just these littleclumps of leaves here and there.
I actually just ordered twomore gardens and they came.
And this time I knew, this timeI held on to hope because I
knew I'd been through thisbefore.
(21:54):
So I'm like, are these going toeven grow?
Are these going to turn intoanything?
But we faithfully put them inthe ground and watered them and
by the end of that season theywere not only alive, but they
had grown and some of them evenhad a few blossoms on them.
And then the weather turns coldand they start to dwindle and
they look like they're dying.
(22:15):
And so I'm thinking okay, arethese things going to make it
through the winter?
Will they come back?
And sure enough, in the spring,little green shoots pop up and
they come back.
And they come back bigger andmore beautiful and more vibrant
and more fruitful.
And now those plants that thiswill be, I believe, their third
summer.
They are bursting with blossomsand filling the garden with
(22:38):
life and swarming insects andaromas, and the secret to a
perennial and their longevityare those seasonal pauses of
rest where they pull in alltheir energy, their resources
and focus on their roots.
So that was one of the firstones that I saw and I started
pulling on that thread okay,where else do we see rest?
(22:59):
And another early one that Isaw was at the time my family
and I were really getting intobirdwatching.
That's a big hobby of ours thatwe do together, my husband and
me.
And really getting into birdwatching, that's a big hobby of
ours that we do together, myhusband and me and our four kids
.
And so I'm learning about allthese different kinds of birds.
And I discovered something veryinteresting about a hummingbird
and that's why the hummingbirdis actually on the cover of the
(23:21):
book.
And it's an opening analogy ofthe book, because when you think
about hummingbirds you oftendon't equate them with rest.
Like, what do you picture whenyou picture a hummingbird?
Ellen Krause (23:30):
A little, teeny, tiny bird that's moving so fast,
you can't hardly even see it.
Yeah, you can't.
Eryn Lynum (23:37):
It's a blur of motion and the little
hummingbird.
They have to visit 1,000 to2,000 flowers every day to get
the nectar that they need, andso their wings will flap up to
70 times every second and theirtiny little hearts will beat
around 1200 times a minute.
They are constantly in motion,but what sustains them is a
(23:58):
strategy called torpor, andtorpor is this deeply restful
state.
You can liken it to a dailyhibernation, where the little
bird is going to lower its bodytemperature by about 50 degrees,
conserve all of its energy, andit becomes unresponsive, to the
point where people have foundhummingbirds in torpor and
(24:18):
thought they were dead.
Or sometimes, if they'reclinging to a feeder or a branch
, if they fall upside down,they'll actually still be
clinging, but they're so deep atrest they have no idea they're
hanging upside down.
So they're completelyunresponsive, and it's this
strategy that allows them to goabout their fruitful work.
So, again, god designed themfor this work of gardening, of
(24:40):
pollinating the plants so theycan reduce more of their own
kind.
But it depends on rest, and sothis was the process of just
studying the scriptures andstudying creation together and
seeing all of these overlaps andreally coming to this
conclusion of rest and work arenot separate.
They are meant to complementeach other.
Ellen Krause (25:02):
Absolutely.
And that rest I think of yourexample that you had in there
about birds that travelincredible distances across the
ocean, migrating.
It's mind blowing.
But just the importance of theahead of time, the building, the
extra weight and all of that.
(25:25):
It's just incredible how thatrest prepares for good things to
come after that rest right Tobe fruitful.
Well, let's get into somepractical advice for our
listeners here.
Something that you mentionedquite a bit is vital activity.
Can you share a little bitabout what you mean by that and
(25:47):
why it matters?
Eryn Lynum (25:49):
When we think about that word vital, being
pertaining to life, somethinglife-giving, something that
supports life, we need to reallydecide in our lives.
We need to take a good, hardlook at the activities that we
are allowing into our days, intoour lives, and ask are they
vital?
Are they supporting what Godhas called us to?
(26:10):
Are they giving life to ourfaith, to our families, to our
communities?
And I believe that rest is avital activity, that it's
essential, that it's critical,and we see this again in animals
.
Animals are consumed all daylong with survival.
They are just focusing onfinding food and reproducing
(26:30):
because that's what God calledthem to and finding shelter, and
so you watch them and they'realways busy with these things.
But they also count rest as avital activity.
These creatures, they have torest in order to be able to do
all the work.
And so we have to change ourminds about rest.
We have to see it no longer aslazy work or idle or ineffective
(26:54):
, because that's what societywill tell us it is, or make us
feel like it is.
Like, if we stop to rest, ohwell, you're going to get behind
or you're not contributingenough, you're not producing
enough, like society and culturejust tell us hustle, hustle,
hurry, hurry.
But we have to change our mindsaround this and see rest as a
(27:16):
vital activity that not onlygives life but supports life.
And so what's the alternative?
If we're not resting andbuilding in these rhythms and
practices of rest, well, it'sgoing to rob us.
We read in John 10, 10, thatJesus came to give us life and
life abundantly.
The enemy came to steal and rob, and I believe that he does
(27:37):
that through this lie of hustleand that as we rebuke that lie
and step back into God's rest,that's when we can more fully
experience Jesus's abundant life.
Ellen Krause (27:52):
So true, and I think, when I think of those
vital activities and I love howyou said that something that's
vital isn't necessarilysomething that has to be done
for somebody else to meet somedeadline or something like that.
Instead, it's more things thatare life giving and that
(28:14):
incredible need to set aside allof that and trust God that he
will allow the work that needsto be done in the other six days
of the week and that we cantake that day of rest.
What might it look like forsomeone to do assessment of
(28:37):
their activities and determinewhat's most important?
Eryn Lynum (28:42):
This really begins with figuring out our values and
what is important, what we feelGod has called us to.
And if your listeners would liketo really deep dive into this,
my husband and I created afamily values guide and it's
free on my website, erinlynumcomslash values, and they can get
that full guide that reallyhelps you walk through.
(29:03):
But what it does and what yourlisteners can do is really ask
themselves, you know, take stockof, look at your calendar, look
at your commitments, look atyour responsibilities, even
coming up in the next couple ofmonths, and ask yourself do
these reflect what we deeplyvalue?
So of course, you have tofigure out first what you do
deeply value, but then lookingat your activities and really
deciding okay, does this reflectour values, does this uphold
(29:27):
our values or is this extrafluff?
If it's extra fluff, this isreally hard, but it might be
time to trim that, and a lot ofthis is just building margin
back into our lives so that wehave the space in our minds, in
our hearts, in our agendas, torest.
And so it's that hard initialwork of asking yourself do my
(29:51):
activities, does my agenda,reflect what God is calling me
to?
Ellen Krause (29:59):
Are they those vital activities that are
bringing life and supportinglife and that's such an
incredible, deep,soul-fulfilling way of looking
at it.
Because I was thinking about inthe business world how they
have you put in quadrants likeurgent but not important, and
(30:19):
you're trying to define youractivities that way.
But I love here that we'reasking ourselves, we're taking
the time to say what do I trulyvalue and is how I'm spending my
time.
Reflective of that, there mightbe someone listening who's
struggling with this idea ofSabbath and taking a whole day
(30:46):
to rest.
Where would you encourage themto start?
Eryn Lynum (30:52):
I recognize that the whole day concept can be a big
challenge and a big barrier even, and so you know, I think that
is the ideal.
That's a God's original designthat we see he established in
Exodus 16 with the Israelites.
But if that is overwhelming,don't let it stop.
You Start smaller.
Find four hours during the week, and it might be a Wednesday
(31:13):
afternoon, that's fine.
You're also not committing tothat day and time forever.
It's your starting point.
Just get started and see whatGod does with it.
When we think back to that firstestablishment of the Sabbath in
Exodus 16, god gave theIsraelites this command, but
they didn't have much contextfor it Because up until this
(31:33):
point there wasn't a Sabbath.
This is the first mention ofSabbath, and so this was a call
to faith, and I believe thatSabbath and rest are always a
step of faith.
They feel risky, they'recounter-cultural, like nothing
in culture is setting us up tosucceed at this, and so we have
to depend on God, we have totake that first step.
(31:54):
So find a day and a time andprotect it fiercely, and a way
that you can do that is writetwo lists and think back to that
concept we talked about, aboutSabbath being to stop and
delight.
So your first list is your stoplist.
Write down things that feelheavy, things that send you into
hurry and hustle.
(32:15):
Probably any kind of regularwork.
Probably anything to do withscreens, notifications, social
media, email.
It might be spending money, itmight be driving in traffic.
These are those regular things,a lot of them necessary, some
of them not, but those thingsthat we are going to step away
from and set aside and stop forour Sabbath, for your time of
(32:35):
rest, and then write a list ofthings you delight in.
This might be hard at first,because a lot of us simply have
forgotten or don't know what wedelight in, but these are those
things that are refreshing andinspiring and turn our thoughts
to Christ.
It might be journaling by hand,painting, doing art, gardening.
It might be going on a walk increation or a hike.
(32:58):
It might be cooking a freshmeal.
And people ask me isn't cookingand gardening work?
Well, you have to really thinkwhat is refreshing, because what
my husband and I have found isa lot of our work is spent on
the computer.
So both of us run businessesand a lot of our work is behind
a computer.
So on Sabbath, we love nothingmore than to be out in the yard
(33:20):
and gardening, and I love likegetting my hands dirty and being
surrounded by the butterfliesand the bees and the flowers and
feeling that restorative work.
So, yes, I might call it work,but it doesn't feel like it.
And the moment it starts tofeel like work, that's when I
step away from it and I'll gopick up a book or lay in the
hammock.
So now you have, okay, your dayor your time that you're
(33:42):
protecting fiercely.
I go so far as to set an awaymessage on my email that tells
people hey, I'm Sabbathing, I'mresting with my family, I'll get
back to you next week, so theyknow I'm not going to see or
respond to their message.
I tuck my laptop in the closet,I put my phone on focus mode so
the only calls I can receiveare from my mom in case of
emergency, and so it's reallyjust protecting that time.
(34:04):
And now you have your list ofregular activities you're going
to stop and set aside and thingsthat are going to bring you
back into delight.
Ellen Krause (34:13):
You know, Erin, I started doing that a few years
ago as well, and I'm telling youit's astounding how life-giving
taking that time really is.
And for those of you that arethinking, oh, I don't have that
much time, I'll tell you whateven like 30 minutes of doing an
(34:38):
art project or playing tennisor gardening or whatever your
thing is, that small amount canreally, really rejuvenate you
for sure.
Eryn Lynum (34:51):
Yeah, it absolutely can.
We talk about that in the bookas Selah pauses, because, yes,
we have the Sabbath, but we alsoneed to work restful rhythms
into our everyday lives to besustaining our work throughout
the week.
And so these regular pauses,yes, whether it's a half hour in
the garden or walking down thestreet or along a riverside or
(35:11):
sitting for a cup of tea, likefive minutes is powerful and it
can punctuate our days withthese restorative moments that
really just give us so much.
They just give us so much senseof God's presence, and his
presence is restful, and so Iwholeheartedly agree that don't
think, oh, I don't have time,try five minutes.
Ellen Krause (35:37):
As we start to wrap things up here, erin
there's.
You mentioned a little bitabout Addison's disease and tell
us, for those that arelistening, who might be
struggling with some type of achronic or invisible illness.
What would you encourage them?
(35:58):
What would you want them tohear today?
Eryn Lynum (36:05):
That God sees your invisible illness and that he
wants to meet you there and thatone way he wants to meet you
there is through his gift ofrest.
Like we know that, like evenfrom science and medicine, rest
is good for us in every singleway physical, spiritual, mental
(36:26):
and that's because God designedit that way.
In the book I pose the question.
I'm talking about that rest isGod's provision for us, that he
provides for us to rest, butalso he provides for us through
rest.
And I pose the question what isthat thing that you have been
asking God for?
What have you been praying for?
(36:48):
Could rest be his response tothat prayer?
You know, sometimes we're soprone to just rush right by it,
and that's his provision allalong.
It's where he wants to meet us,and so I would just encourage
listeners, specifically thosewith chronic illness, with
invisible illness take a risk onrest.
(37:09):
God's going to bless that.
This is his design.
His word does not return voidand his word says that rest is
good for us.
And so take that risk and seewhat he does with it and see how
he provides for you in that.
Ellen Krause (37:25):
Amen, amen to that .
Well, how can people find outmore information about you and
the book and all that you'redoing?
Eryn Lynum (37:37):
Thank you.
So the Nature of Rest, what theBible and Creation Teaches Us
About Sabbath Living, isavailable wherever you buy books
, including, of course, amazon,but also on my website.
My website is my name, which isspelled a little funny it's
E-R-Y-N-L-Y-N-U-Mcom.
We also have a lot of freeresources on there.
(37:58):
I mentioned the Family ValuesGuide, but we do have a full
Family Sabbath Guide to walk youthrough step-by-step making
those lists, that stop list,that delight list.
It has a Sabbath shopping list,troubleshooting questions for
when Sabbath gets hard.
So if you're really askingyourself, you feel in your soul
that this is what God has foryou, but you don't know.
The next step go download thatguide.
(38:18):
It's at erinleinemcom.
Slash family Sabbath.
And also on my website is ourpodcast for kids and families.
It's called Nat Theo NatureLessons Rooted in the Bible and
we teach real science, butalways bringing in biblical
theology so that we arenurturing the faith of our
families while we're learningabout God's creation.
(38:39):
And you can listen wherever youenjoy podcasts Apple, spotify,
youtube, as long as right on mywebsite.
Ellen Krause (38:45):
Fantastic.
Well, we will make sure toinclude links to all of those
things in our show notes, Erin.
Before I let you go, though, Ihave to ask you a few of our
favorite questions what Bible isyour go-to Bible and what
translation is it?
Eryn Lynum (39:02):
I love this question .
I have my Bible that I usedduring Bible college where I met
my husband, and it's a NASB1995, actually.
And it was really sweet becauseright before I left for college
I was 17 years old, and rightbefore I left my father gifted
me this Bible and it wasactually from his college days
(39:23):
and so that's one that I alwayskeep with me and it has all my
notes from Bible college.
But I have since moved to theESV.
I find it a little moreaccurate word for word.
I love Greek and Hebrew studiesand that's why we brought so
much Greek and Hebrew into theNature of Rest.
Every single day has a deepdive into Greek or Hebrew,
because I love looking at theoriginal language and getting a
(39:45):
bigger context of what God wassaying.
So I use the Thompson ChainReference Bible and it's the
translation ESV.
Ellen Krause (39:54):
Awesome, okay, do you have any favorite Bible
journaling supplies that youlike to use?
Eryn Lynum (40:01):
I am real simple.
I'm a journaler at heart and soI just have my Bible and then I
have my journal and then I havefine point.
Sharpie pens is my go-to forwriting, but not in the Bible,
because they bleed and so I usegel pens in natural colors I'm
not the real bright color, Ilike the earth tones and the
green but gel pens in the Bible,sharpie in the journal.
Ellen Krause (40:24):
Okay, awesome.
Last question what is yourfavorite app or website for
Bible study?
Eryn Lynum (40:30):
tools I use a couple of different ones, especially
when I'm writing our podcastepisodes, because I also love
taking the kids into the Greekand the Hebrew, and so I will
use Blue Letter Bible to do theGreek and Hebrew studies because
they have the Strong'sreferences.
But then for a lot of them I'lldive deeper using the Logos
Bible software.
Ellen Krause (40:49):
Yes, we love Logos also.
All right, awesome, we will putlinks to all of her favorites
in the show notes as well.
Erin, thank you so much forjoining us today, for sharing
your heart and your story andjust the wisdom that you offer
in this area of rest.
Eryn Lynum (41:10):
Thank you.
Ellen Krause (41:10):
Thank you so much for having me and for the
conversation, right.
If you're listening today andresonated with this message, I
encourage you to check outErin's book the Nature of Rest
and her kids podcast, nat Theo.
And, as always, if you enjoyedthis episode, would you take a
second to leave a review orshare this with a friend?
We would be so grateful.
(41:32):
Until next time, keep seekingJesus one quiet moment at a time
.
Have a blessed day.
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