Podcast Summary:

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast – Episode 659: "We Were Always Meant to Start from Rest"
Guest: Eryn Lynum, author of The Nature of Rest
Release Date: December 24, 2025
Host: Ginny Yurich (That Sounds Fun Network)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the interplay of rest, nature, and spiritual practice with guest Eryn Lynum, focusing on her new book, The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living. The conversation weaves together biblical teaching, childhood development, rhythms observed in the natural world, and practical tips for fostering rest (including Sabbath-keeping) in modern family life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Eryn Lynum’s Work: From Books to Podcasting

• Eryn shares her journey from writing parenting books to launching the Nat Theo podcast, a nature-based, Bible-infused show for families.
• Nat Theo is short for "natural theology," and combines science lessons with biblically inspired teaching.
  • New lessons release weekly, with monthly guest episodes featuring scientists.
  • Notable Listener Involvement: Kids can call in with questions that inspire episode topics.
    • [02:45] “We release every Tuesday... we are usually planned out two to three months on episodes... kids can call into our website and record a nature question, and then we play their question.” (Eryn)

Nature as Spiritual Teacher

• Both host and guest reflect on how creation is full of metaphors and lessons intended to reveal God’s wisdom and design.
  • Example: How trellises in gardening can symbolize building supportive habits and spiritual frameworks.
  • [05:16] “Nothing has grown my faith more than looking at nature and these designs we see all around us.” (Eryn)

The Nature of Rest: Insights from the Animal Kingdom

• Eryn highlights the extraordinary variety and design in nature, and how rest is woven into creation.
• Hummingbird as Parable:
  • Hummingbirds must visit 1,000–2,000 flowers daily, with heartbeats up to 1,400 times per minute and wings beating 4,200 times/minute.
  • Despite near-constant motion, they must enter torpor (deep, rhythmic rest) to survive.
  • [08:14] “What sustains their constant fruitful activity is this beautiful rest strategy called torpor... What a beautiful picture that we are created for work... but it is always meant to be sustained by intentional, regular, rhythmic rest.” (Eryn)
• Nature’s Rhythms:
  • Animals and plants instinctively build in periods of rest and preparation for rest, e.g., hibernation, changing leaf chemistry, and more.
  • Debunking myths: Bears do not truly hibernate—they experience “denning,” while true hibernators like woodchucks undergo extreme physiological change.
    • [12:32] “The bear... does not have dramatic enough changes to be considered a true hibernator. So what they do is called carnivore lethargy, or denning.” (Eryn)

Trees as Restful Models

• Deciduous trees actively shed their leaves—a restful preparation involving a cascade of biological changes—rather than passively dropping them.
• Even conifers prepare for winter, producing waxy coatings like antifreeze.

Human Rest: Sabbath as Pattern and Gift

• Echoing creation, Eryn discusses how people need intentional, prepared rest—daily (circadian rhythm, selah pauses) and weekly (Sabbath).
• Biblical reversal: Adam’s first full day was the day of rest—thus, we’re intended to “start from rest, not work to rest.”
  • [16:07] “We were always meant to start from rest. And when we start viewing it that way... it fuels everything we do.” (Eryn)
• “Selah” moments during the day—brief, intentional pauses—help recalibrate and reconnect.
  • [19:10] “Selah pauses—just five minutes by myself quietly. Sometimes I’ll pray, sometimes I’ll just sit. It seems so simple, but it’s powerful.” (Eryn)

Sabbath Practice in Real Life

• Eryn shares her family’s evolution of Sabbath-keeping:
  • Begins Friday evening, ending Saturday evening; flexibility is key.
  • Pre-Sabbath routine: Tidy up, shop ahead, prep simple meals, set digital boundaries (auto email replies).
  • Sabbath activities: Reading, naps, board games, walks, delight in small joys.
  • Value audiobooks and screen-free entertainment for children; paperware used for ease.
  • [25:25] “Our family Sabbath, usually from Friday evening to Saturday evening... Start smaller... Nothing shorter than four hours; protect that time fiercely... On Friday afternoon, there’s this physical anticipation, like Sabbath is coming.” (Eryn)
  • [28:40] “Audiobooks and podcasts... it’s screen free, but they’re still entertained.” (Eryn)
• Not always idyllic, especially with young kids, but worth striving for.
• Practice, flexibility, and willingness to be “countercultural” are essential.

Children’s Acceptance & Family Impact

• Kids may initially resist Sabbath (especially screen-free), but rhythms become restorative and even requested by children after difficult times.
  • [32:56] “A year and a half into our Sabbath practice... our oldest was 11 at the time. We experienced a loss... and he said, ‘Mom, Dad, can we please Sabbath this weekend?’ He felt it deep... because we were made for this.” (Eryn)
• Sabbath helps families resist societal busyness, preserving connection and pace of life.

Scriptural and Health Parallels

• Biblical illustrations (“look at the sparrow,” “mount up on wings like eagles,” Psalm 23) are deepened by close observation of nature.
  • Example: Sparrows must gather thousands of caterpillars for their chicks, revealing powerful provision.
    • [37:36] “It will require 3,000 to 4,000 insects to raise their chicks from hatching to fledging.” (Eryn)
• Modern studies (e.g., Blue Zones research by Dan Buettner) confirm the health benefits of Sabbath rest, beyond spiritual reasons.

Lessons of Waiting in Nature—Fairy Shrimp

• Fairy shrimp eggs (and similar "sea monkeys") in vernal pools can remain dormant for decades, waiting for proper conditions—an image of waiting on God’s timing.
  • [45:28] “The females, when they lay eggs, these pools dry out part of the year and the eggs go dormant... some scientists think over a hundred years, until the conditions are right.” (Eryn)

Variety in God’s Design: Slow & Fast, Dependent & Independent

• Contrast between baby sloths (cling to mothers for six months) and bighorn sheep (can traverse dangerous ledges hours after birth).
• Both dependence and independence in nature offer lessons about pacing, protection, and trust.
  • [52:22] “These bighorn lambs, very quickly after birth... start following the mama across these precarious edges... and the mamas, they lead the lambs to a safe, restful place.” (Eryn)

Rest as Perfection of Motion

• Quoting Oswald Chambers: “Rest is the perfection of motion,” not idleness but a balanced harmony of work and rest.
  • [54:23] “Rest is the perfection of motion... It is aligning our lives with God’s pace and his agenda.” (Eryn)
• Are we “living half dead, while alive”? Rest can revive a weary soul and is essential for health, joy, and creativity.

Notable Quotes

• On the biblical pattern of rest:
  "We were always meant to start from rest. And when we start viewing it that way... it fuels everything we do." – Eryn, [16:07]
• On children internalizing Sabbath:
  "He felt it deep within the marrow of his bones because we were made for this." – Eryn, [32:56]
• On nature’s design:
  "Nothing has grown my faith more than looking at nature and these designs that we see all around us." – Eryn, [05:16]
• On motherhood and Sabbath:
  "We get to set the pace at which our children are living. We get to set the pace of their childhood. That is powerful." – Eryn, [33:36]
• On rest and productivity:
  "Sabbath has actually made us more productive. That's because when you put those boundaries around your work, your work time becomes a lot more productive, knowing that rest is coming." – Eryn, [25:25]
• On starting small:
  "Start smaller... Nothing shorter than four hours; protect that time fiercely.... Start small and work toward and pray toward that full day." – Eryn, [25:44]
• On trust and provision:
  "Think about God back at creation, planning the plants and the ecosystems and the insects and the berries and everything that would go into feeding a sparrow. And then think about that scripture, how more does the father care for us..." – Eryn, [39:22]
• On waiting and preparation:
  "We can view our seasons of waiting, like the fairy shrimp, like Paul, as preparation. What might God be preparing us for?" – Eryn, [47:35]
• On rest as a vital priority:
  "That’s how we have to view rest, as one of those big rocks, as something vital, as something we start with... Because if we start with all the distractions and think, oh, I'll rest if I have time. You won't have time. You have to start with it." – Eryn, [41:06]
• Oswald Chambers (via Eryn):
  "Rest is the perfection of motion... I will get you out of languor and exhaustion. I will so imbue you with the spirit of life." – [54:23]

Practical Tips & Encouragement

• Rest (especially Sabbath) isn’t a reward for finishing work; it’s a starting point for fruitfulness and joy.
• Start with short Sabbath intervals if a full day feels overwhelming.
• Involve children—let them anticipate restful routines.
• Prepare for rest intentionally (food, environment, digital boundaries).
• Use nature and science learning as family faith-building opportunities.
• Let go of the need for perfection; Sabbath can flex with seasons of life.
• Trust, as both scripture and science show, that consistent rest nurtures mind, body, spirit, and family connection.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:03] – Eryn introduces her Nat Theo podcast
• [05:16] – The role of nature in spiritual growth
• [08:14] – Hummingbirds: busyness and need for torpor/rest
• [10:54] – Bears, woodchucks, and misconceptions about hibernation
• [14:06] – Trees and restful preparation for winter
• [16:07] – The biblical rationale for Sabbath: starting from rest
• [19:10] – Daily rhythms and selah pauses
• [25:25] – Modern, practical Sabbath-keeping
• [32:56] – Children’s acceptance of Sabbath, family impact
• [37:36] – God’s provision: the sparrow, nature, and scriptural parallels
• [45:28] – The lesson of waiting from fairy shrimp
• [52:22] – Contrasts in animal development: slow (sloth) vs. fast (bighorn lambs)
• [54:23] – Oswald Chambers: Rest as perfection of motion

Final Thoughts

This episode challenges listeners to reclaim rest by drawing from both creation and Creator: practical, rhythmic rest modeled by nature and commanded in scripture. It is a timely reminder, especially for families, that rest is not idleness but a vital, joyful, life-giving practice in a world that prizes productivity over peace.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Nature of Rest by Eryn Lynum
• Nat Theo Podcast
• Blue Zones research by Dan Buettner
• "Rooted in Wonder" by Eryn Lynum
• "The Body Teaches the Soul" by Justin Whitmel Earley
• "Slow Birding" by Joan E. Strassmann
• Douglas Tallamy’s work on birds and caterpillars

Connect with Eryn:

• Nat Theo Podcast (family-friendly nature + Bible)
• Her books, especially The Nature of Rest for a step-by-step look at building restful rhythms in your family

Summary prepared for listeners who want the substance and spirit of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Episode 659, without missing the delightful details or practical wisdom.