He said he doesn't believe the day was meant to be miserable but rather a time to refresh both spiritually and physically. He addressed the issue during a sermon last Saturday.

"If you can't find true rest and peace beyond the observance of the do's and don'ts, you're missing the point," he told his congregation, adding that Sabbath observance has tremendous personal benefits.

"It is permission to rest that the world will never give you, but God gives it to us to disconnect, to seek restoration and to actually involve ourselves in a restorative process. The world wants and expects us to be plugged in 24/7 — achieving, striving and accumulating.

"The Sabbath has been set aside for me so that I can do those other things at extremely high level the rest of the week. ... We do become drained and the reality is if we're going to be effective servants and stewards, we have to take that step back and get replenished."

Secular culture is missing such understanding, he said, and it shows in impatience, road rage, trash talk and a coarsening of public discourse.

"We're nicer, more loving and gentler people when we have rest."

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com