Kristin Saatzer - Purposeful Encouragement

A Time to Rest and Refuel

March 21, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer Leave a Comment

Lent looks different for me each year, but I always find my way to rest. Rest from the pressures of life, from social media, sugar, rest from my to-do list.

Sabbath. A beautiful word in the Jewish/Christian tradition from the Hebrew word Shabbat, which means to stop.

The Lenten season points us to the cross, a time to bring more of God into our hearts and minds. A season for our souls to pause for breath and catch up with our bodies. A beautiful break to refuel for the future.

It sounds lovely, doesn’t it? But of course, it will only come about if we put the brakes on our schedules, take some things off the calendar, say no to commitments, and intentionally make space for it to happen.

Purposeful rest requires purposeful action and intention.

After taking things off the plate, we can ask what fills my soul? For me, it is getting outside with a book, walking in nature, and laughing with my family. A Sunday afternoon with nothing scheduled. A morning without the alarm ringing. Beautiful moments in life to savor and cherish.

A Time to Reset and Refocus

March 13, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer 4 Comments

I didn’t notice until I did.

At some point, I had jumped back on the pre-pandemic hamster wheel. I tried to jump off but couldn’t keep up with the demands and commitments that got the wheel going to begin with. So, I’m back on again but working to slow it down.

It has been a wild three years, hasn’t it? So many of us have leaped into life as we knew it without intentionally thinking about how we want our life to go. There were valuable lessons in the time of the Corona crazies when life was slow, and we had no choice but to stop. The lessons I learned then are ones I don’t want to sacrifice at the altar of the busy world and its demands.

So, I am taking time to reset and refocus this year and this Lenten season. One way to do this is through quiet and solitude.

When we read the gospels, we notice Jesus often took time alone to pray and get quiet. A time to reset away from the crowds and the noise. A break from the bustle that came with His ministry and the criticisms of those who set out to cause Him to stumble.Continue Reading

Four for March!

March 1, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer 2 Comments

Happy March!

It has been a WET winter in my neck of the woods. Here are a few fun rainy-day things I’ve been enjoying lately:

One. https://www.justwatch.com/ Just Watch app. This app is handy for finding where a TV show or movie is streaming.

Two. https://amzn.to/3Z0tsbC Get Your Life Back by John Eldridge. I loved it, as did my book club—an excellent book to read early in the year (or anytime).

Three. https://amzn.to/3m3oH2i Kiel’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. It’s been saving my hands in the cold weather, and It is fragrance-free and not too thick.

Four. Baking on a rainy day is one of my favorite things. My son and I have many food issues, and this recipe is yummy and free of ingredients we can’t eat.

Blessing friends,

Kristin

The Gift of Lent

February 20, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer 6 Comments

“I have calmed and quieted myself.”

Psalm 131:2

“What are you giving up for Lint?”

I remember hearing some Catholic kids in my elementary school ask one another this question sporting what I thought was dirt smudged on their foreheads. Come to find out, it wasn’t spelled “Lint” (nor was it the same thing as the lint in the dryer).

And it turns out it wasn’t dirt on their foreheads; it was ash from an Ash Wednesday ceremony at their church.

The church of my youth was non-denominational and did not observe this practice (obviously!), and neither have the churches I’ve attended as an adult. But in recent years, I have embraced Lent and am learning more about the liturgical church calendar. There is a lovely rhythm and beautiful meaning to each season and holy day, even the period called Ordinary Time.Continue Reading