These are a few ideas that are somewhat random, probably would be towards the beginning of the list...

-Gradually begin to consider what the Bible says regarding the Sabbath and observe how that lines up with your own practice on the seventh day.

-One of the first activities you can do by yourself or with a group to begin to make the Sabbath holy in your life is Bible study.

-When you are convinced that a particular activity is one that should not be undertaken on the Sabbath, commit yourself to not doing it anymore on the seventh day.

****

Boaz: Excellent. These are the type of steps we are looking for...keep'em coming.

If I had to peel all the layers back to arrive at how we came to keep Sabbath and all G-d's festivals/commandments, I'd have to say the very first thing is to start to seriously, seek G-d. From my own experience it seems necessary to start from an attitude and mindset that is open to truth with an understanding that what you currently have is not truth. The prayer that led me to a Torah observant lifestyle was this: L-rd, I want to know truth, I want to worship you in Spirit & Truth, please lead me to truth." It became my mantra and when I found truth, the L-rd answered my heart with Hebrews 11:6 and Is 45:3. His truth was quickened to my heart through the Holy Spirit's power because the Word says that the Holy Spirit knows the mind of G-d and searches our hearts so is able to communicate with us. Praise Hashem!

**Very Nice. So let's assume that everyone that is receiving this resource has come to the understanding that they need to honor the Sabbath. What are some tangible steps that we can share with others to bring the reality of the Sabbath into their lives? Boaz

Not sure exactly what you are looking for. Once we realized that Yeshua really didn't abolish the 7th day Sabbath or any of the other commandments we had ignored, we imediately started a campaign to learn everything which of course took time. It felt like a "crash course." The first resource we used for some practical applications was "G-d's Appointed Times" by Barney Kasdan. We were moved by the beauty of Sabbath and eagerly and reverently prepared each week. Every Fri night became a holiday to look forward to. We got dressed up for dinner, set the table with the best stuff, served special dishes, sang songs of joy, and spoke blessings over each family member. The other main thing we did was to study & read the Torah portion every Sabbath. We still continue to learn, grow, and discover special ways to make the Sabbath a delight.

***We are looking for practical, bulleted steps. Using your text from above:

1.) Get dressed up for yoru sabbath meal
2.) Make Friday night the best meal of the week.
3.) Sing songs, pray for one another, give testimonies of the week
4.) Study & read the Torah portion every Sabbath
5.) Continue to learn, grow, and discover special ways to make the Sabbath a delight.
6.) ...
7.) ...
etc.

I don't know if this will be very helpful but here is where we are at as new Torah observers. This is something we are still struggling with. One thing that has really helped us is that we started by first having dinner together (not an easy thing for us on Friday nights). I set the table, put our Shabbath candles out and we prepare to enjoy our meal together. We say the prayer in english and make attempts to pray the Hebrew.
It's a new adventure for us. We have been trying to add to our dinner everyother week or so. I don't always make it home in time buy the bread, but we realize with each step it will become easier. Our job requires that we work on Saturday. But we've been asking the Lord to make the day go peaceful and we take our breaks and read, pray and listen to teaching that I can find online, as we continue to ask the Lord for new schedules.

To add to my earlier comment. Honestly, I'd have to say that the biggest reason why we even began to attempt Shabbath observance is the promise of blessings. We heard over and over about what we should be doing, but when we read about the blessings that were promised.... that did it. So here we are beginning the journey =)

A.)Choose a preparation day for the sabbath, (i.e. Friday, or any other day that is most convinient) to set things in order for the shabbat,....so that when sabbath comes one can relax in a clean home, and have prepared food ready to enjoy.

Make this preparation day a family event, and try to make it fun,

(i.e. Incorporate all family members in preparation, and play Music While House Hold Cleaning, and Cooking....think of innovative ways to make it fun, like household games, etc.)

B.) Mentally prepare throughout the week for the coming sabbath. The sabbath is a gift for us! Every Mon-Fri worker, anticipates the end of the work week...when first pursuing a understanding of preparing for shabbat, recognize, that "my time of rest is coming, so this week will be over and I will be free of my cares to the hussle and bussle of this world"....anticipation, brings forth joy and appreciaton for God's gift to us...

c.) Greet the sabbath with meditatin and praise.

-Establish traditions for the Sabbath, and don't be afraid to try something new. Traditions help us to set one day apart from another, for example you probably grew up with all sorts of holiday traditions that reminded you of the day that was coming. Your Sabbath traditions will always remind you of what the day is about.

-Don't know where to begin? Start with traditional Friday night blessings for your family, lighting candles before sunset, the elements of bread and wine and their blessings, and read scriptures that talk about the Sabbath.

-Consider that since ancient times, Moses (the Torah) has been taught in synagogues and assemblies around the world (Acts 15:21). Join in and begin to read the Torah portion each week. Find resources that assist you in learning more about the words that Moses penned, that our Messiah said were about Him (Lk 24:27, Jn 5:46).

I consider myself still new to Torah observance and my celebration of Shabbat is very simple.

*Began to realize God's call to guard the seventh day (important to me was an understanding of the root word for shabbat and seven).

*Changed my job applications (temp. worker) to say I would not work on Saturday but I would on Sunday.

*Decided to devote much of the Shabbat to Bible study and praise.

*Eventually I realized that the "guarding of Shabbat" needed to begin before Shabbat started. The practice of preparing to rest has been the most difficult to incorporate into my life and the most exciting part of the
Sabbath experience.

*Failed miserably at first to have my home clean, errands run, and food prepared. If Sabbath arrived and I was not ready I would either -leave it undone until Sunday, especially things like dishes or laundry
-finish up and start Sabbath late or the next morning (Sat. morning instead of Friday evening)

The most recent addition to my Shabbat observance is the lighting of candles at the beginning and end of the Sabbath. I require no special candles, any will do. So far I don't have a copy of the prayers and blessings I know are usually said, so I wing it. My prayers are usually to: *thank God for the gift of Shabbat,
*bless whoever is with me at the time (my mother or nephews),
*and recognize the need to separate the sacred from the ordinary.
My purpose is to use the candles and prayers as bookends to the day so that it is set apart sufficiently in my mind and heart. It all usually takes 2 minutes.

Make the Friday night a night set apart. Have a fancy meal. If you have nice dishes, use them. Make the focus not on yourself. If you have a family, make them your focus by earnestly serving them. Be that husband, wife, or children, offer to refill glasses or to serve them seconds. If you are a husband, read aloud Proverbs 31:10-31 to your wife. If you have children, read it aloud before them and have them stand up at verse 28a, "Her children rise up and bless her;". After dinner, make it fun. Play WITH your family, not just play individually with everyone in a room together. Play a made up game, or a board game, or if you have a young family, read a family book together. You can have the children "play act" the parts as you read it. For those people that have families, you want to instill that sense of family as you kick off the Shabbat on Friday night. It can be one of your most important lessons that you pass on to your children; further observance will come later . .

When the idea of guarding Sabbath was first laid on my heart, I resisted it with all kinds of excuses, then I realized it was His Spirit nudging and conficting me...the very first thing I did was repent and then ask how to honor and invite Him in on Shabbat...then the learning began!! And Oh, what a family blessing it has been over the last few years.
Sim Shalom,
Darnell Rogers

Some helpful hints we have found for guarding the edges of the Sabbath hours.

1 It is helpful to organize our time so that we do all of our major house cleaning, laundry, yard work and other larger projects before Friday, the preparation day. This gives us a chance to spend Friday doing last minute pick up work and preparing for the Sabbath in a less hurried way.

2 We try to have everything done a while before sundown so we can start the Sabbath hours more relaxed. This takes much of the stress out of being prepared both physically and spiritually for spending the Sabbath hours with our Maker and King.

3 We also like to bring the Sabbath hours in with soft, spiritual music to set the tone for a more relaxed Sabbath.

4 Get everyone in the family involved with Sabbath preparation so each can feel a part of the preparation and so the burden does not fall on just one or two members of the family.

5 Develop special family traditions -- things that are meaningful for your family -- and it will become more special to each family member.

6 Let the younger members of the family have a special part so they feel a real part of the Sabbath Blessing. They can be taught to set the table, prepare some of the simple foods, make special things for the table, (centerpieces, etc.). Make it fun for the little ones so they will learn to enjoy the Sabbath Rest that God has given us.

7 Let the older children be in charge of fixing some of the Friday Evening Special meals and/or let them lead out in the blessings and/or readings that take place within your family traditions.

8 Keep the Friday Evening meals and traditions special, yet simple, so there is less need for getting uptight in case you have a more hurried day or in case there is an emergency that comes up on Friday that takes up much of your preparation time.

9 Have a certain place to keep all of your Sabbath paraphernalia (Candles, Candlesticks, Special Tablecloths and Napkins, Matches, Dishes, Glasses, Spice Jars, Grape Juice, Song Books, Bibles, etc.) so you don't have to spend time and frustration at the last minute looking for things you will need for your Sundown Worships/Meals, etc.

10 After Sundown on Sabbath, or Sunday morning, make sure everything mentioned above is cleaned, ready for next Sabbath's use and then put away into it's special place so it will be ready for next Sabbath at a moments notice. If you need more Candles, Grape Juice, Matches, Napkins, etc. put that on your shopping list at this time so you will have gotten them well before they are needed again next Sabbath. (Number 9 and 10 would be a good project for one, or more, of the older children in your household. This will teach them responsibility and will also help to make your load much easier. It will also help in getting ready for next Sabbath so it will be less frustrating for everyone.)

11 Do not make appointments and plan unnecessary activities on Friday, if at all possible. Sometimes these things can eat into the Sabbath hours before we know it.

12 Relax -- Remember Sabbath is God's Special Day -- a day to bring you closer to Him, a day to bring your whole family closer to each other and to Him.

One of the things I did in the first days of learning how to set the Shabbat apart was to set the alarm on my watch for sunset. This required a certain amount of concentration and work. I had to make sure I knew when sunset was each week and set my watch accordingly. And I had to remind myself to do it. When the watch would go off I would say a little prayer to the effect that God would continue to allow me to grow in my Shabbat observance. And I have. Baruch HaShem.

I have just recently, within the last year, been unveiled about God's Commandments. At first I observed it on Sunday becuase it was easy. Then The Lord started to make my heart burn for the actual Sabbath. So I started with not working on the sabbath. I am a Realtor so this was not easy. Then gradually He has been making himself more and more real in my life as I have tried to be obedient to Him. I would encourage anyone to begin somewhere. You take the first step and God will take it from there. Once you start to be obedient, He makes it easier and easier for you to do so. Now, the Shabbat is my favorite day of the week because I can rest in Him.

Our transformation probably took us 18 months before we really could say we were consistent and observant and G-d nudged and helped us the whole way.

In the Shabbat commandment, there are three "command" verbs: "Watch, guard, preserve" [Shabbat], "Remember" [that you were slaves and treat your household and others to rest just as you do], and "Sanctify".

We held these as our guides as we started:
(1) Do no commerce. Establish the day as a day different than every other day
(2) Remember why we do this - it is time that G-d sanctified and a gift to us. Also, it is a joyful time, a celebration of the gift of Shabbat so we make it a day to laugh, sing, worship and study as well as EAT! Sometimes, but not always, we get all our food prep done in advance so it is truly a day of rest for everyone. Why didn't we do this years ago?? We love it now!
(3) Guard this day. We found that it organized time for us in many ways.

Shalom,
Karen Worstell