We imagine Sabbath as rest, but Scripture frames it as remembrance. One day each week we set our tools down, loosen our grip, and remember that we are creatures—not masters—and that God provides even when we cease.

I used to dread repentance—not the idea of it, but the repetition. The same sins, the same prayers, the same quiet shame of coming back again for something I had already brought to God before. It felt like failure. Worse, it felt like something was broken. If repentance worked, why wasn’t I changing? What I eventually discovered is that repentance may not be what we think it is. Not a moment of guilt or relief, but something far more directional: a turning, and a return.

As a Christian, I was always dissatisfied with the common use of the term ‘Amen’. I never felt that I understood what it meant, and the answers I received when I asked about it all fell short. It was never enough for me to know that ‘Amen’ meant ‘I agree’ or ‘I agree that this is true’, and so its use in my prayer or as a response felt contrived or at best, rote. I wanted to know more than just ‘what does this word mean’, but “How do I live with this word in a way that has meaning to me?” This post is a result of my journey to discover ‘Amen’, it covers some of the origins of the word, and its use in both the Old and New Testaments.