In 2003, a public library in Savannah, Missouri, decided to open its doors to patrons on Sundays. As a result, Connie Rehm, a librarian for 12 years, found herself squeezed between honoring the Sabbath and keeping a job she considered to be "a gift from God." Rehm ultimately chose to worship on Sundays, and was terminated by the library.

But the story did not end there. Rehm decided to file a lawsuit ...

In the daily round of life, dust and cobwebs accumulate in our souls. The hidden corners of our hearts become encrusted with grime or filled with forgotten debris. During the weeks of Lent, God's Spirit is given opportunity to clear away the clutter, sweep away the dust and wash us clean. We are invited to prepare ourselves—heart, soul, mind, and body—for the new life of Easter.

Maybe Lent is a good time to stop doing and try being. … Relinquishment lies at the heart of the Christian gospel and is a countercultural choice that hones our discipleship. If I let go of the assumption that my hard work will bring me all that I desire, I begin to look at the present moment, receive it with gratitude, and know what it asks of me. I learn when it is time to rest, time to plan, ...

Larry McMurtry, known for his [book] Lonesome Dove, wrote another book about roads—the many roads he had driven on and the hundreds of miles he had explored across America. At last, returning in memory to the place where he grew up in east Texas, he recalls that his father had seldom gone much farther than the dusty roads near his dirt farm. Comparing his own travels to his father's localized ...

I had accepted the call as senior pastor of a large congregation that had recently erected a huge, state-of-the-art building resulting in major debt. Feeling the pressures of my new responsibility—and with a strong desire to impress my parishioners—I hit the ground running. I was in the office early every day, and almost every evening I was out shepherding the flock or reaching out to ...

We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services, but few conversions; much machinery, but few results.

—R. A. Torrey, American evangelist (1856–1928)

Elliot Huck, a 14-year-old from Bloomington, Indiana, decided to skip a preliminary to the National Spelling Bee. Though he placed 45th out of more than 250 spellers in last year's competition and was a favored to go again, he felt convicted to stay home this time around. More precisely, he felt convicted to stay in church. The 2007 Bloomington Herald-Times championship was held on March 4, 2007—a ...

Rest and relaxation doesn't seem to come as easily or naturally to Americans as it does to those in other nations. According to the 2006 World Almanac and Book of Facts:

• a worker in Italy averages 42 vacation days per year.

• a worker in France: 37 days

• a worker in Germany: 35 days

• a worker in Brazil: 34 days

• a worker in the United Kingdom: 28 days

• a worker in ...

"If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan."

—Physician, missionary Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965)

Percentage of adults who participated in the following leisure activities at least once in the previous 12 months:

Dining out: 48.3 percent

Entertaining friends or relatives at home: 37.5 percent

Reading books: 35.4 percent

Barbequing: 34.3 percent

Surfing the net: 27.9 percent

Playing cards: 25.1 percent

Going to the beach: 22.4 percent

Going to bars/nightclubs: 18.6 percent

Also of note:

19.9 percent of ...