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Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives
by
Wayne Muller
In today's world, with its relentless emphasis on success and productivity, we have lost the necessary rhythm of life, the balance between work and rest. Constantly striving, we feel exhausted and deprived in the midst of great abundance. We long for time with friends and family, we long for a moment to ourselves.
Millennia ago, the tradition of Sabbath created an oasis ...more
Millennia ago, the tradition of Sabbath created an oasis ...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
April 29th 2003
by Bantam
(first published April 6th 1999)
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Summary
Wayne Muller’s thesis is that Sabbath is good. He explores the fundamental need for rest, its origin in creation and its placement in major world religions. There is a fundamental rhythmicity to nature, Muller contends, and that is no accident. We are created to need rest; therefore Sabbath is created for us. As this is a natural truth, Muller finds much support from other faith traditions, with similar rest practices.
Believe
Muller rests heavily on the creation account for his assertion...more
Wayne Muller’s thesis is that Sabbath is good. He explores the fundamental need for rest, its origin in creation and its placement in major world religions. There is a fundamental rhythmicity to nature, Muller contends, and that is no accident. We are created to need rest; therefore Sabbath is created for us. As this is a natural truth, Muller finds much support from other faith traditions, with similar rest practices.
Believe
Muller rests heavily on the creation account for his assertion...more
I love this book. So eye-opening on the importance of intentional rest in our lives. Sadly, this does not include watching my favorite TV show, but the author does provide at least 60 different ideas that cost nothing but give you real "rest." He draws on many different spiritual practices from around the world as well as examples from the lives of people he has met. It ranges from having a meal with our families and being fully present at that meal to not buying the latest doo-dad...more
The book is filled with delicate teaching on the Biblical and Spiritual principle of Sabbath. My understanding of Sabbath has exploded. I knew so little... i appreciated it so little.
Wayne Muller has done a masterful job - through extensive study, the use of personal reflection and stories to give more than an overview of Sabbath. Muller gives everything. There are so many practical examples on how to live out a regular time of Sabbath, including ideas for how to start and how ...more
Wayne Muller has done a masterful job - through extensive study, the use of personal reflection and stories to give more than an overview of Sabbath. Muller gives everything. There are so many practical examples on how to live out a regular time of Sabbath, including ideas for how to start and how ...more
It was all right, and some of the illustrations and practical suggestions were excellent. The author's tone seemed to present Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Native American religious ideas as equally valid. This is apparently not his personal conviction, but that's how the language came off to me. I would have preferred a more specifically Judeo-Christian perspective rooted in Biblical thought. Muller does include some lovely poems between chapters, which I liked.
I read this ...more
I read this ...more
Though I'm not religious, the idea of Sabbath really resonates with me. I may not set aside regular time 'off' (not just talking about weekends here), but I certainly enjoy my down time. On one hand, I may feel as if I'm just being lazy--I should be doing 'something', but this book was a lovely reminder that this down time is a necessity. To reboot, relax, unplug, play (with others, music, in nature...), to let it be.
Though the book is written by a minister and discusses spiritual...more
Though the book is written by a minister and discusses spiritual...more
A fantasic book on the idea that Sabbath is not ONLY a lack of work but it is "the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing, or true." Muller offers a great dialogue on what it means to take a Sabbath and how that can look different than the traditional view of 'a 24-hour period of time without work'. He offers a new perspective on Sabbath moments, breaths, meals, walks, or even longer periods of time ...more
Rating: C+
Worth the read. Helps me to realize that to "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8) requires intentionality. The demands of our lives create our forgetfulness. A time and a way of resting from the world and toward our Creator is not only a commandment, but needed for the restoration and renewal of our soul.
"Henri Nouwen was a dear friend of mine, a brother, priest, and mentor. He was also a fiercely asture observer of our wo...more
Worth the read. Helps me to realize that to "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8) requires intentionality. The demands of our lives create our forgetfulness. A time and a way of resting from the world and toward our Creator is not only a commandment, but needed for the restoration and renewal of our soul.
"Henri Nouwen was a dear friend of mine, a brother, priest, and mentor. He was also a fiercely asture observer of our wo...more
I really enjoyed this―and not just because it was a quick read. With chapters on reasons to honor the Sabbath, ranging from the importance of slowing down, honoring natural rhythms, and imitating Jesus’s practice of retreating to rest and pray, Muller’s book also offers a variety of ways to have a Sabbath time: being quiet, being alone, meditating, yes, but also just unplugging from the things we do normally. A sweet book.
while typically thought of in a religious sense, this book advocated for taking time in each week for rest, reflection, and quiet - all of which seem to be lost in today's busy times. i particularly liked how the author made it clear that what each person does to incorporate this in their own life is a personal decision, and there's no "one right approach".
This turned out to be a wonderful book. I loved the theme of employing the Sabbath as a time of rest, renewal, and enjoyment with friends and family. The author was a good friend of Henri Nouwen which I found interesting. Recommend this book to anyone who wonders about how the Sabbath has become just another day to shop, work, etc. and feels something is missing.
Muller is a beautiful writer, and I appreciated the degree to which he drew on various religious traditions to make his point that they all call for making time to be still and create the space for God (or insight, or what have you) to speak to us. His descriptions of the spacious, in-the-flow life that this practice of sabbath affords were like slipping into a nice hot bath. This is one I'll read again--my own copy (not the library's) next time.
Loved this book....such a great look at what Sabbath time means and a great collection of idea for celebrating/incorporating Sabbath into your life. I loved the way he pulled material from so many sources/religions etc. Great read.
From both the Buddhist and Christian perspectives, how becoming ill can force one to rethink their priorities and make time for spirituality as a mandate for a higher quality life.
Essential reading for the overworked, over scheduled, stressed and hurried. My favorite quote:
"There is more to life than merely increasing its speed" Ghandi
"There is more to life than merely increasing its speed" Ghandi
why: Recommended in Slow Time. When I nearly cried reading the table of contents, I recognized a deep longing in myself for the wisdom offered in this book.
Listened to it read by author on cd. Loved it. It is joining my all-time favorites list. Great ideas on why sabbath has been important in many faith traditions, and why we need it, and very practical approaches to creating it in our lives. I enjoyed the author's reading of it as well--it was a wonderful book to listen to on my work commute--very centering.
Have studied this book TWICE in Bible studies....LOVE IT! Thanks to dear friend, Debbie Foster for recommending it....
Perfect for religious/non-religious individuals interested in establishing peace and patience into their lives!
Good read on the importance of getting rest, observing a day God set aside for reflection.
Excellent book for anyone wanting to incorporate a regular sabbath rest.
Stephanie
added it
One of my favorite books by one of the most compassionate guys around.
It is a good reminder to rest.
Monica
is currently reading it
Just started and already blessed...
"There is more to life than simply increasing its speed"--Mahatma Gandhi
This book calls us back to the natural order of all living things: to work and to rest. "Sabbath" is about taking time to recover, to replenish, to enjoy. Muller addresses our individual lives as well as our corporate economic lives. Sabbath isn't about dreary rule-observance. It is about restoration and renewal in heart, mind, soul, and spirit. When we rest, we allow good things to seep in de...more
This book calls us back to the natural order of all living things: to work and to rest. "Sabbath" is about taking time to recover, to replenish, to enjoy. Muller addresses our individual lives as well as our corporate economic lives. Sabbath isn't about dreary rule-observance. It is about restoration and renewal in heart, mind, soul, and spirit. When we rest, we allow good things to seep in de...more
Rod White
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people seeking to know God
Recommended to Rod by:
Gwen via Carol
Shelves:
prayer
This is a good book for reading one chapter a day until you "get it." It is so hard to stop and listen to God, to stop and BE, to stop going along with the ways of the world. The sabbathis a discipline that allows us to get real, to break the habits of the heart that keep us running after the good not given. I could do without the Buddhism laced through this book, but the additions from that philosophy did not detract fromt he gentleness and insight throughout.
This book was a gift to me from Jeanne Randels and it changed my life. I like how it uses world religions to illustrate its concepts, but also wish there was a version that was accessible to non-religious people. I'm of the opinion that most people living in the U.S. would benefit from learning how to truly integrate rest into our lives and learn to better respect the important role it plays in our lives.
I read several chapters of this book every week during Lent last year. There was a discussion group at church, but alas, I didn't always make it to the class. However, it was a good "Sabbath" for me to sit quietly, read the chapters, and reflect on them. Sabbath can mean many things to many people - it's not ALWAYS about sitting in church/synagogue - it's about celebrating God.
A beautiful and thoughtfully written book that will convince you of the value of taking Sabbath time to rest, recharge, and reconnect with the true rhythms of life.
Shows how taking a Sabbath is a gift from God for our benefit. A very peaceful and inspiring read about slowing it down and taking intentional periods of rest. How rest is needed for reflection...and that working 24/7 causes to act more reactively rather than deliberately.
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“When we live without listening to the timing of things, when we live and work in twenty-four-hour shifts without rest – we are on war time, mobilized for battle. Yes, we are strong and capable people, we can work without stopping, faster and faster, electric lights making artificial day so the whole machine can labor without ceasing. But remember: No living thing lives like this. There are greater rhythms, seasons and hormonal cycles and sunsets and moonrises and great movements of seas and stars. We are part of the creation story, subject to all its laws and rhythms.”
—
3 people liked it
“Like a path through the forest, Sabbath creates a marker for ourselves so, if we are lost, we can find our way back to our center."
— Wayne Muller (Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives)”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
— Wayne Muller (Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives)”
