Let's BSAK Together

Normally on Fridays I write a “Dose of Sunshine” post. These posts are intended to bring a smile or even a chuckle to your day. Today’s post is a little different, although I still hope it will result in a smile – maybe a smile from your heart.
As I have been absorbing all the news from the last few weeks – watching in horror as people are gunned down, listening to heated arguments between men and women who hope to lead our country through these difficult days; answering questions from my scared and confused children; dealing with a kidney stone that refuses to vacate the premises; and in general just feeling the effects of a world cloaked in sin and darkness – I keep longing for peace, hope and comfort.
My soul is so overwhelmed, and my heart breaks at the world my kids are growing up in. It came to a boiling point for me last night when the doorbell rang at 6:30 and my kids freaked out because they thought it was a terrorist. It made me realize just how far reaching fear is. I try to shield my kids from the news as much as I can, but let’s be honest – in this day and age kids are going to hear about evil, see acts of evil, talk about effects of evil, or God forbid even experience evil.
Are you feeling the sunshine yet? Sorry….I’m getting there 🙂
With a heavy heart I opened my Bible this morning, begging God to give me a word, a glimpse, a shimmer of light. And He did.
He did! Not because I deserve it, not because He owes it to me, but because He is full of grace and mercy. Because He delights in His children seeking His face through His Word. Because even though the NY Times accuses Him of not fixing the problem our blatant sin has caused, He still loves us and wants us to experience true healing. Not a genie in a bottle / Santa Claus answer to our problems; not a band-aid fix for sheer evil – but a total and complete heart change resulting in peace that transcends circumstance, problems and acts of terror.
God is SO much greater than the box humans try to put Him in. He is our Creator. He is the Sustainer. He is on His rightful throne surrounded by a calm see of peace. And what our limited view sees as chaos, is in fact the master plan of a purposeful Creator bringing all things into order. The Bible is so clear about the fact that history will continue its crescendo toward evil until the day Jesus reappears and drives every knee to the ground in worship of the One True God.
Whew! I feel better…thanks! So with all of that said, here’s my idea for achieving a real dose of sunshine in these dark days: Let’s have a day each week to BSAK. No, I didn’t misspell bask. I want us to BSAK: Be Still And Know.

What if we as God’s children, set aside one night a week to be still and know that He is God? How might that transform our hearts and our children’s hearts? To turn off the news, to keep our devices in a separate room and just be still as a family, and as individuals before the LORD. To focus on our King instead of the chaos. To choose to see the Light of the world instead of the darkness in the world.
So here’s my plan for tonight in case you want to join my family:
*Important rules: no news, no phones, no grumpiness, no lecturing (that last one’s for me;)

1. Make a dinner everyone likes (ie pizza night!)
2. Answer silly questions during dinner (see below for some questions)
3. After dinner, read a Psalm together (We will read Psalm 34 because it is my Psalm for the day.) Choose one verse to focus on and draw a lesson and personal application from.
4. Engage in a family activity that focuses on God as the Great I AM. (see below for ideas)
5. Write Psalm 46:10 (Be still and know that I AM God) and display it in kitchen so family can memorize it together.
6. Close in prayer; asking each family member to praise God for a characteristic of who He is.
7. End evening with a family game or Christmas movie.

This is just a prototype. I’m sure things will change and morph as we go. But I am done focusing on the bad. I need a night to sit with my family at the precious feet of my Savior and ask Him to fill us with peace.
Witty sunshiny stories are awesome and helpful, but I today I need more.
Today I just need Jesus.
Wanna join me and BSAK too?
Much love,
Jen
Ideas for silly questions:
*If you could go for a ride on any animal, which animal would you ride and where would you go?
*If you could travel back in time for a day, which day would you relive?
*If you could meet a person from the Bible (other than Jesus) who would you want to meet?
*If God would answer one question, what would you ask Him?
Ideas for Family Activities that focus on God as Almighty King:
*Go outside, lay down and look up at the stars. Talk about God making each one and knowing them by name. Sing “Awesome God.”
*Write names and descriptions of God on strips of paper and turn it into a paper chain. See how long you can make your chain. Can you reach from one end of a room to another if you put all your chains together?
*Go on a creation scavenger hunt. Make a list of things from creation (ie: stick, pebble, grass, flower, feather etc) and see who can find all the items first. Discuss how God created this world and is in control of it.
*Watch a God focused movie such as the “Jesus Story”
*Snuggle up and read from the “Jesus Storybook Bible”
*Invite kids to ask questions about God; have a Q&A time.