A Review of Sabbath by Dan Allender

This book is the centre of a series of funny timing in my life.  I requested a review copy of it from Booksneeze.com back in February, and started waiting.  When it had been several months and it still hadn't appeared, I contacted them, and looked into the missing book.  They sent me a new copy, and life happened.  I hardly made any progress on reading this book until this week.

How perfectly exquisite is God's sense of humor that in a week where I have been craving silence, quiet, rest, and space, one of the items on my to do list was to finally tackle Dan Allender's book on Sabbath?

I can say for certain that this book will be the centre of further conversations on my blog.

Allender offers a thoughtful and beautifully written discussion of the idea of practicing Sabbath.  It's a topic I've thought often about in recent years, a topic I've listened to various speakers address, and even a topic I've read about, but I don't believe I've ever heard someone address it in a way that made me long for the sort of Sabbath they were describing.  Allender's book did that for me.

The idea that the Sabbath is to be a time filled with delight is central to his premise, and is an idea striking to me - so contrary from the dry, studious, and perhaps even boring ideas of Sabbath that pepper my conservative Christian background.  A day of delight - a day for hope, to set aside work, and worry, a day to enjoy the best - good food and wine, wonderful relationships, and deep conversations.  That sort of description has me pondering how I can practice Sabbath in my own life and context.

I'd highly recommend this book - it's not prescriptive, but presents instead a beautiful argument for the centrality of sabbath not only to the Christian faith, but to our very ability to live full, rich lives.  It's not a complicated read, but is well written, the words flowing beautifully.

As I said, it was a book that fit wonderfully into a week that found me craving quiet rest, and spoke truths that will carry forward with me into the remainder of my life.

Note:  I was provided a free copy of Sabbath by the Booksneeze.com review team.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated beyond the copy of the book, and was not required to provide a positive review.

Craving Quiet

It's Sunday, just barely afternoon, and I'm home alone.

In a few hours, that will end, as family trickles back from the church "day at the lake" that they're enjoying today.

Lately I find myself craving quiet.  The only noises in my house right now are those flowing through the windows (a bit of traffic, a lawnmower, the occasional airplane overhead, a few birds), and the sound of my keys as I type.

Usually I prefer background noise, but lately, mostly I just want the quiet.  The only music I'm tolerating easily is the sort of stuff you'd hear at a spa... really gentle flowing sounds, mixed with nature - water and birds and wind.

I tried several of the things I normally enjoy on these quiet Sundays - watching a church service online from a church I love in California, turning on the food network in the background as I sit and putter online.  None of them lasted long.  Just quiet today.

I think my soul is craving some stillness.  Some soft ways to soothe pain and restlessness. 

I'm leaning towards a day spent reading and resting.  I have several books that I need to make some progress in.  Some for personal growth, some for pure interest and entertainment, some because I simply made a commitment to read them.

I'm needing to tackle some journaling that has been on hold, and to quietly sit and plan the coming week - making sure to create the time and space necessary for the self-care and quiet that my spirit seems to be craving in greater abundance right now.

So, quiet it is.  For now anyway.

I slept a bit late, and then laid in bed reading, waiting for the house to empty, and giving myself permission to not need to know exactly what was going on, to simply rest and wait for the quiet to descend.

I sat and read a number of reflections that Christianne wrote, that had been collecting in my google reader all week - waiting for me to have the quiet space to absorb them, allowing her words, reminders and reflections to rest and stir in my heart as I sat here in the arm chair, talking quietly to Jesus.

And now I'm going to read, to eat a little, to write and pray, and maybe even nap again.  To embrace quiet until my soul is satisfied, filled up again, and ready to re-emerge.

Picnic...

I am having a solo picnic, sprawled out on the couch.

I'm eating "Laughing Cow" cheese, spread on Breton Crackers and Melba Toast.

I'm sipping a glass of red wine.

I'm eating Italian Salami.

And I'm taking the time to enjoy a quiet evening. To rest and think, and pray. To have my version of Sabbath.

And it's a beautiful thing.

Shifting

This has been the sort of week where I'm very aware of changing relationships.

Of ones that seem to have ended (whether that was what I desired or not).

Of others that have changed dramatically in time and tone and scope.

Where I've been remembering still others, lost in memories and prayers at moments.

Where every thing, every place, every moment seems laden with things that tug at heart strings.

I hit a wall of exhaustion today. A moment in which I simply went, "I need a vacation."

We have a long weekend coming up, but I will be spending it in transit to and from a wedding that will also be rife with memories and oddly shifted or tense relationships.

The weekend following that I've arranged for two days (a Friday and a Monday) off work. I badly need some down time. Time just for me, to rest and recoup. Time that (mostly) isn't planned, organized, or otherwise structured. Time where I can simply ask Jesus what we're doing, and spend the day with Him, being loved. Time to consider, to grieve, to recoup after all of the shifting that has taken place in my life this last while. And time to wait for new direction for the future.

I'm really looking forward to that weekend. But, for the moment, I'll just be glad to make it to the end of the work day tomorrow, and have some down time. This weekend is a bit scheduled and planned, with lots of people things that are sure to be a bit draining. But I'm working to also build in moments of rest. There always need to be moments of rest.

I Should Have Known Better...

I should have known better.

I was in a fantastic mood. I'd gotten up slowly, visited the zoo, the farmer's market, and a great bakery before coming home to have breakfast.

There is a grocery store that I particularly hate. Unfortunately it has the best deals in town, so we shop there regularly. As stores go, it's huge and warehouse like. The floors are rarely clean, and it's even more rare that we don't have to go to another shop afterwards, because this store, despite it's good prices, rarely has everything we need (including staples like milk!) in stock. And, they're chronically short-staffed.

I'm sensitive to places, and this store is life-sucking. But, it saves us significant amounts of money, so we continue to shop there.

But, with all of that, I should have known better than to go grocery shopping there on a day I was in a good mood, and was supposed to be resting.

It was a bad move on my part. Within moments of stepping in the door, my mood had plummeted into crankiness.

Anyway... obviously I still need some work on the whole managing my energy and sabbath thing.

Here's to doing a better job of that next weekend.