David Rahn & Ebonie Davis Lecture: Gritty Sabbath Rest

This lecture, entitled, "Gritty Sabbath Rest: Shaping a Keystone Habit for Adolescent Faith & Joy," was delivered by Dr. David Rahn and Ebonie Davis on January 4, 2017 as part of the Joy and Adolescent Faith & Flourishing free monthly Lunch & Lecture Series.

Lecture Abstract:
When our experience of joy is tethered to an identity-centering relationship with Jesus Christ its promise is assured by Christ’s resurrection. Learning how to live more fully in the presence of Jesus helps us to experience resilient joy, inextinguishable in the face of untimely or chronic adversity. As Brother Lawrence taught in the 17th century, joy from the ever present Christ is accessible even amidst life’s tedious tasks, like washing dishes. Today’s fast-paced lifestyles may exacerbate the natural challenge of capacity limitations but they need not hijack the promised joy of Christ’s indwelling presence in our lives. Learning to live with Jesus is joyfully transformational, but it takes deliberate practice. Gritty Sabbath rest, shaped as a keystone habit that works for spiritually unsophisticated adolescents, may be just what we need to learn how to flourish with Jesus in joy.

Dr. David Rahn is the Senior Vice President and Chief Ministry Officer for Youth for Christ USA, an organization he has served since 1972. He also teaches in and directs the Graduate Program in Youth Ministry Leadership at Huntington University. Recent book publications include Evangelism Remixed: Empowering Students for Courageous and Contagious Faith and Symmetry: Fixing Broken Patterns for Kids in Crisis.

Ebonie Davis is a native of the Washington Metropolitan area and a prominent voice in discussions of ethnic diversity and Christian youth work. Ebonie conducted the most recent national multi-city study of church ministries known for best practices of racially diverse ministry. Ebonie was a co-researcher in the national Indigenous Urban Ministry Leadership study conducted by YFC/USA’s City Life division. She is the author of several articles and is a contributing writer on the NLT “Three Story” Bible published by Tyndale and Youth for Christ/USA. Ebonie consults on topics related to youth ministry, spiritual formation, and multicultural ministry. She has served as the Associate Pastor of Youth at Trinity Baptist Church in Waldorf, MD for ten years. Ebonie holds a Master’s degree from Huntington University in Youth Ministry Leadership.

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This lecture is now available on Livestream for playback: http://livestream.com/yaledivinityschool/YMI