Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity Paperback – December 28, 2008

by Keri Wyatt Kent

Keri Wyatt Kent invites readers to rediscover the ancient practice of Sabbath in this practical and accessible book. Kent’s experiences as a retreat leader and a journalist collide as she offers true, interview-based stories along with scripturally based advice and guidance on how to live in a rhythm of work and rest she calls “Sabbath simplicity.” Based on what Jesus taught about Sabbath and how he practiced it, Kent explores six aspects of Sabbath as Christian spiritual resting, reconnecting, revising, pausing, playing, and praying. These are the antidote to our restlessness, isolation, and our hurried lives, workaholism, and self-absorption. Living a nonlegalistic, sanely paced, God-focused life leads us to freedom and grace, joy and connection. A group study guide is included, making this book an excellent choice for small groups.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian Living, Christian Non Fiction, Christianity, Self Help

Paperback

First published December 5, 2008

About the author

Keri Wyatt Kent is the coauthor with Michael Hingson of Live Like a Guide Dog. She is the author of GodSpace: Embracing the Inconvenient Adventure of Intimacy with God, and eleven other books, and the co-author of a dozen other books. She's the founder of A Powerful Story, a writing, editing and publishing company. She and her husband Scot have two grown children. Learn more about Keri at www.keriwyattkent.com.

Reviews

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of Sabbath has interested me for a LONG time, but i haven't found a niche in it, and honestly, i've let it get away from me. This author has taken an EXPERIENTIAL approach and is sharing her wisdom.

I started this book, and felt a soul shift coming on. I have ordered it from Amazon and returned my inter-library loan copy. I think i shall need some meditation upon it's ideas to even begin to absorb what she is talking about. I'm looking forward to the journey.

The above was written after reading the introduction. Full review following after reading the book.
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I hate this book. It was highly recommended to me by a friend who doesn’t throw out “this book was life-changing for me” lightly. Don’t get me wrong the information presented was good, and for the author’s efforts to bring together many different ideas and concepts about Sabbath practice, I am grateful. In that regard, I hope this is ‘life-changing’ for me too.

My problem with the book is the writing. Reading it was like enduring a low grade form of torture. If only it weren’t written in this way! I found the ‘voice’ of the author to be a self-glorifying, shallow example of ‘happy-happy-clap-clap’ Christianity, full of contradictions to her own statements, condescension (the heart is a muscle. Thanks), and inept humor. Not to mention the pathetic complaining. Did you know that of all the Christians and Jews who have ever lived on this planet, we have it the hardest in our culture today? And women, MOMS, wow. We have it SO MUCH worse! Trite stories full of needless repetition introduce each chapter. What do I mean by needless repetition? She somehow manages to work 4 facts into EVERY chapter: 1) She is a professional writer and speaker; 2) her husband is a busy and successful realtor; 3) she has two wonderful children (a girl and a boy! Isn’t it perfect!); 4) all her neighbors love her and her family. Every story in which the author is featured is either an account of her triumph or some sort of look-at-me-I’m-normal attempts at self-deprecation that fall annoyingly flat (it’s just my wealthy-friends-who-live-near-me-but-writing and speaking career for myself and busy realtor aside I-am-not-them-I’m-a-soccer-mom-like-you!). The stories that don’t feature the author are from important, successful workaholic types that she met as a writer and speaker who have chosen to practice Sabbath. While their stories are intriguing, her self-referential presentation is not.

Further distracting from her thesis of taking manageable steps toward Sabbath Simplicity and not imposing our legalistic standards on others, is her irritating criticism of all things innovated after 1960 as abhorrent to Sabbath practice. She can site an example in which a father likes to watch sports on tv with his children lying beside him on the couch in one paragraph, but criticize all things “screen” as unrestful, non-restorative and essentially of the devil, including pointing out that her hours of watching “Wide World of Sports” as a child were probably because her mom was trying to occupy her (self-absorbed woman!). Of particular evil are Facebook, YouTube and videogame systems – expressly forbidden in her household, and I assure you they are all better for it, in fact, it’s one of the reasons everyone likes them. Meanwhile gardening and working on your yard are ALWAYS spiritually restorative, definitely a Sabbath practice everyone should embrace (have I ever mentioned I’m allergic to pollen, trees and grass?). Thank God people read books from ancient times, (and I can do that!) because reading is also acceptable Sabbath practice according to this book. Other gems of wisdom are that you should try not to spend money on Sabbath (an ancient Jewish principle), but that provision doesn’t apply to ordering take-out so that you the overworked woman do not have to cook.

So, what to do! I decided to take notes on the book, because, Lord knows, I have NO desire to ever go through it again, at least not apart from the perfection of heaven (for both myself – who is appalling ungracious toward the insecure author – and the author as well). I desire to read more on this topic, and as I took notes, I noticed most of the compelling ideas were taken from other sources, leading me to build a bibliography for future reading. If you would like to avoid the pain of reading this narration or the expense of the book, I can assure you that all you need to know beyond my notes is that the author’s a writer and speaker. Her husband is a busy and successful realtor. She has two amazing children, a girl and a boy! Every who knows her loves her! Her life is full of challenges because she is a professional writer and speaker, and a mom, and her husband is often out in the evening and on weekends, being a realtor and all, and she has two kids who amp up the stress, too. But in the end, she is struggling through life just-like-you!

Chapter 1: shaking things up
Horrible exegesis. If I wasn’t already committed to the idea of Sabbath, I would stop reading now. My Bible trained friends, feel free to skip this chapter. You won’t learn anything, and you might be discouraged at the low standards for Christian publishing.

Chapter 2: resting, a Release from our Restlessness
Sabbath: A day apart, separate, different from the rest of the week
Randy Frazee “The Hebrew Day Planner”
6:00pm to 10:00pm Relationship Time (4 hours)
10:00pm to 6:00am Sleep (8 hours)
6:00am to 6:00pm Work (12 hours)
- Notice relationships comes first, then sleep, and work LAST
- Notice that this order corresponds more closely with our priorities for living
“Henry Nouwen writes a spiritual discipline is simply creating some space in our lives in which God can act.”
Preparation for Sabbath starts days in advance.

Chapter 3: reconnecting, A Rescue from Isolation
God doesn’t love us any less when we are not working, producing, accomplishing. Perhaps the best way to discover this is to stop doing all those things, and allow yourself to rest and experience the LORD’s loving acceptance.

Difference in Exodus 20 explanation for Sabbath: Resting as God rested after 6 days of creation, “remember” (zachor)
Deuteronomy explanation: Remember you were slaves, “observe” (shamor)

Tracey R. Rich, “We are commanded to remember Shabbat, but remembering means much more than merely not forgetting to observe Shabbat. Is also means to remember the significance of Shabbat, both as a commemoration of creation and as a commemoration of our freedom from slavery in Egypt.”

“In the Jewish tradition, the loaves of bread on a Shabbat table are a reminder of the manna God provided in the wilderness. God rained down manna, the bread from heaven, six days a week. He offered food to the Israelites, who wandered, grumbling, in the desert, a no-man’s land between slavery and a home in the Promised Land. On the sixth day of the week, the Israelites were commanded to gather a double portion of this mysterious food, which the Bible says, “tasted like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31), because on the Sabbath, God would rest and not provide manna.” Pg. 71

“Each day, they were to gather “enough” for their household. Not as much as they could, but simply enough. God’s Word links the concept of “enough” with Sabbath. It is a day to cease striving, affirming our belief in God’s providence, defying the gods of consumerism that say we can never have enough. “ pg. 71

See Exodus 16:29 “Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days.”

Tracey Rich, “In modern America we take the five-day work-week so much for granted that we forget what a radical concept a day of rest was in the ancient times. The weekly day of rest has no parallel in any other ancient civilization. In ancient times, leisure was for the wealthy and the ruling classes only, never for the serving or laboring classes. In addition, the very idea of rest each week was unimaginable. The Greeks thought the Jews were lazy because we insisted on having a ‘holiday’ every seventh day!.”

“Author Karen Mains points out that the two terms observe and remember are a part of living in Sabbath rhythm in the Jewish tradition. The three days prior to Sabbath, Jews would observe the Sabbath by preparing and anticipating. For the three days after, they would remember the beauty and rest of the day, and then the cycle would begin again. “Three days to look forward to Sabbath, then the high point, the day itself, then for observant Jews, because it was so special, they took three days to reflect back on its wonder.” Pg 89

Chapter 4: revising, a shift from Rut to Rhythm
This chapter was shocking in it’s vulnerability. It made me think there is more to ‘happy-happy-clap-clap’ Christian than the above mentioned 4 facts. Rather than discuss with her hard working realtor husband that she wanted to start practicing Sabbath, she just does it and hopes he notices (not the best marriage advice for those of you keeping score at home). When he goes on about business-as-usual, she is “put in a difficult place”. I found the entire chapter… strange.

Nonetheless, I suppose if you had discussed it with your hubby and kids (PLEASE do that first!) and they weren’t onboard and you still wanted to practice Sabbath for your own soul to recharge once a week, her ideas about changing yourself and inviting others to join you might be helpful if you can stand her telling of it.

Chapter 5: pausing, a retreat from our 24/7 world
Dr. Chuck Weber, respiratory physiologist
“As we breathe in, we inspire and are inspired – filled with the presence of God. When we expire, we die, unless we can take another breath. At each breath, we take only as much as we need for that moment. We breathe in and breathe out, remembering that God is as close as the air we breathe. But then, we pause. The pause, in a typical breathing pattern, is about as long as the inhalation and exhalation combined… Dr. Weber notes that the way to vary your breathing, to slow it down, is not by inhaling or exhaling faster or slower but by changing the length of the pause… Here is my take on the breath prayer: breathe in (God’s Spirit), breathe out (God’s praise), pause (listen quietly for God’s direction)… So often we forget to pause. So often we forget to listen. We think we are so busy we cannot take time to pause. But consider this: even your heart, which beats continually, rests. It pauses. When? Right after each beat… that’s how the heart… can continue day and night. Because it pauses, or rests, every second… it can go on for a lifetime. The key to endurance and strength is resting—not just once a week, but on a regular basis.” Pg 138-139

Marva Dawn
“Ceasing is different from resting. Ceasing is pausing, choosing not to do what could be done. When we cease our work, we make space for God and His love, and for sharing that with others… Dawn outlines various things that Sabbath calls us to cease from—not only work, productivity, and accomplishment but also anxiety and worry. Sabbath is a spiritual practice, and as part of that discipline, we must decide to cease from worry and anxiety.” Pg 143

Unnamed man at prayer retreat
“he had set his alarm one day, planning to awaken early enough to pray before he went to work. When the alarm awoke him, though, he struggled to get up. He considered rolling over and simply blowing off his prayer time… I realized at that moment, he said, that God loved me the same whether I got up and prayed or went back to sleep. That realization—knowing He loved me that much—made me want to get up and spend time with Him.” Pg 149

Chapter 6: playing, an escape from workaholism
Rabbi Abraham Heschel – Chronos and Kairos
“The ancient Greek distinguished between two types of time. Chronos, or kronos… is linear time, chronological, measured and logical. How apt a picture of our driven society – our playfulness swallowed up and destroyed by our busyness… and though we seem to control it by measuring its minutes, hours, and days, it does seem to threaten to swallow us up, to keep us running in fear and anxiety. But a second word, kairos, has to do with those moments when we lose awareness of the ticking clock. It’s when we are in the moment, when time passes and we are unaware of it. It means “at this moment” but also “the fullness of time”. Like Sabbath time, it is sacred time…. Have you ever engaged in something that you so enjoyed that you lost track of time?... something [that made you] forget about yourself and your to-do list? In other words, did you ever just play? In the losing track of chromos time, we touch kairos time.” Pg. 163-164

Tkach & Earle
“Kairos refers to the specially selected periods of divine determination. It operates within profane human time but mainly as the focus of the fulfillment of God’s ultimate purposes… See Mark 1:15, 2 Corinthians 1:20 and Titus 1:1-3… God created time, and in his sovereign kairos time He interacts and enters into chronos time according to His perfect will.” Pg 164

Chapter 7: praying, An Antidote for Self-Absorption
Sabbath commands interspersed with the idea of God’s tabernacle dwelling among men in Exodus 31 and Exodus 35… Sabbath is a tabernacle of time.
“As much as the Jews have kept Shabbos, Shabbos has kept the Jews.”
Fasting (Isaiah 58) and compassionate ministry to the needs of others

Practical Steps that Resonated with Me:
Classical music for Sabbath
Special Toys for young children that are only accessible on Sabbath
Simple welcome Sabbath meal of bread and fruit (not sure the menfolk could handle this, but the simple meal concept is good).
Rituals can give life a sense of structure and meaning. Take time to discuss and communicate meaning with your children – watch out for legalism!
Avoid multi-tasking, be fully engaged in one thing and teach your kids this too.
Engage the family around spiritual discussion during Sabbath meal and/or devotional.
- 1 Samuel 7: How has God helped you thus far?
- “Each person had to bring something (to family worship) – it could be an object, a Bible verse, a song, a story about how they’d seen God that week—anything they could think of to share with the family and that would help all of them worship together. “ pg 199 (Sibyl’s Story)

Themes:
Make a start, even if it’s imperfect
Allow Sabbath to change/ grow with the needs of you and your family.
Reduce it all to two themes: Love God and love others (close to you, in your community, others such as family and church family)
“Enough” can you rest on Sabbath, and embrace the idea that you have “enough” food, time, strength, family, whatever-would-distract-you-from-resting-stopping-enjoying-all that God has given you?

Bibliography:
Wayne Muller, “Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest”
Randy Frazee, “Making Room for Life”
*Abraham Joshua Heschel, “The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man”
*Mark Buchanan, “The Rest of God”
*Tracey R. Rich website: www.jewfaq.org
Craig Harline, “Sunday: A History of the First Day from Babylonia to the Super Bowl”
* Karen Mains, “Making Sunday Special”
* Marva Dawn, “Keeping the Sabbath Wholly”
*These titles were of most interest to me

[Gideon Yutzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry to rate this so low, but she herself said she was writing with a deadline and it sort of showed to be honest. I suspect she was also writing to fulfill a word count as there seems to be a fair amount of verbal padding.

She writes on a crucial subject here, yes--granted. But somehow she comes across as trying to find rest AND keep her cushy, suburbanite Christian mega-church lifestyle. So the what she describes as rest really comes across as luxuriating amid a life of luxury. Maybe that's sour grapes, I don't know. This is a review from someone who earns less than 40k per year. But yeah, she said some good things and it's worth a skim read. Just don't expect profoundness.

[Angela Baughman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keri gives practical ways to create space to connect with God and refill. Her words are challenging but much needed in my life that too often believes the lie that if I don't keep working, the world will fall apart. Thank you for the gentle reminder that honoring God means trusting Him with my time.

[Tara Lane marineau · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a bit to read it but was thankful for that since my mind got to sit there for a bit and soak it in. Lots of good practical advice on implementation and celebration of the sabbath.

[Maryalene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book , but it fell flat for me. I almost abandoned it after the first two chapters, but it did get better as it went along. It read very much like a research paper written on the evolution of keeping the Sabbath with personal stories interspersed. I found some of the theology a bit shaky and many of the chapters felt repetitive. I was hoping for inspiration but this left me wanting.

[Nancy DeValve · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we start a new term on the mission field and aim to be intentional in not spreading ourselves too thin, this book was a great one to start off with. Mrs. Kent has many practical suggestions for how to spend the Sabbath. The main point she makes for Sabbath keeping is to not be legalistic about it. The point of the day is to do things that are restful and restoring to you. She strongly encourages church attendance, but after that, do what is enjoyable to you. If cooking stresses you, then prepare your meal the day before and warm it up or just eat peanut butter sandwiches. If cooking is how you relax, then go ahead and cook a big meal.

Mrs. Kent really stresses that the Sabbath should be about freeing up time in one day of the week to spend in relationship. First, to focus on your relationship with God, but also to just be able to spend relaxed time with the people in your life. It's also a time to be alone, especially if you are an introvert.

She strongly encourages turning off all media devices. She also says if you are used to non-stop activity all your waking hours, you may need to start Sabbath practices slowly. Maybe one quiet hour on Sunday and then build up to the entire day. She also said how the Sabbath is kept looks different for each family depending on what season they are in. A mom of preschoolers can never get a complete break, but she can enforce a quiet time on Sunday afternoons. A family involved in sports may find it hard to have Sunday completely off, but even in that schedule they can look for ways to minimize the work revolving around the activity.

As we learn to keep the Sabbath (which, by the way, doesn't have to be on a Sunday, especially if you are heavily involved in church-related ministries) the peace and calm we enjoy on that day will spill over into the rest of the week. The relationships we encourage will be strengthened and we will find ourselves slowing down in general to continue to build those relationships during the week.

[Danielle W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book amidst numerous other books on Sabbath rest. Overall I thought it was an excellent, practical book with plenty of examples and suggestions. The main thing I appreciated was just the idea to start. Start with 1 hour of Sabbath rest each week, or 1 evening screen free. Then build it up to more. I also appreciated the emphasis on relationships.

As a mom with small kids, I especially appreciated all the practical ways to observe Sabbath either by yourself if your family won’t join, or with the kids. Much of the book was presented in a “take it or leave it” style; to make Sabbath your own. It also acknowledged different seasons and different years may look different.

I think the last half of the book was better than the first. More practical.

Take away ideas:
* Cook a double batch of dinner Friday or Saturday. Have left overs on Sunday, or other easy to prep food
* Make it relational. Get take out and invite someone over for dinner
* Enjoy church
* Go for a walk
* Do what energizes you - garden, games, sports, etc.
* Read your Bible out loud together
* Practice gratitude
* Take a nap

[Jodie Pine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the author's approach to the topic of Sabbath and her lifestyle mindset of entering God's rest, esp her section on prayer. She writes as one still on the journey, not as one who has "arrived," and the stories of others that she shares are all very relatable. There's a clear sense of God's invitation for us to enjoy His presence, instead of shaming us for not having gotten this commandment right. Sabbath, she says, is not for the purpose of self refreshment but for cultivating awareness and gratitude, and for deepening our connection with God and others.

"In spiritual rest, we recover our lives. We discover the gift of community with people and with our Creator, and the depth, texture, and richness that gift adds to our lives. We get a chance to stop, turn, and really notice the faces of the people running through life beside us and to feel grateful for them. This is no small gift."

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a gently encouraging book that provides reasons to observe the Sabbath and some ideas about doing so. While I liked it, it wasn't really what I wanted it to be. I think I wanted it to be more directive: Do this. Don't do that. Of course, I probably would have rebelled if it had. I think I'd like to read it again in a year or two, to see what progress I've made.
The only actual thing I had against the book was that the chapters seemed very long - so reading it was work instead of being restful.

[Janice_MadamVivi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Britni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The back cover asks the question, "Is it possible to learn how to rest so that we have the energy and focus to live a meaningful and joyful life?" I was hoping the book would provide an answer to the overwhelming nature my life has taken on recently. And it may have. It definitely gave me a lot of great ideas that I'm planning to try out.

The book goes through six different aspects of the practicing the Sabbath, each piece tied into the big picture of just stopping for a moment (or a day) to regain our strength and push through the next week. Each of the six aspects was covered in a chapter with a good explanation of the concept, examples of how other families made it work for them, and best of all, real life suggestions for making it work for you. Some people can't take an entire day off so she suggests just a couple of hours to start. A lot of great examples and suggestions made me feel as a reader that this was something I could do.

I'll admit, Sundays are the Sabbath for me right now but I could do a lot better with making it more of a defined rest day. I don't go shopping, run errands, or workout. Anything that would be forcing someone else to work, I don't do. But there is so much more I could do to make the day more restful and peaceful, a day to rejuvenate for the coming week. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so burnt out by the end of the week.

The six concepts she emphasizes in her book as part of the Sabbath are:


Resting- I loved this quote, "They say insanity is when you keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting the same results. So if running like crazy equals getting nowhere, then it's a little crazy that more running could ever equal getting somewhere." Just stop and take a break from everything.
Reconnecting- taking the day to reconnect with yourself, the people around you, and God.
Revising- Creating a restful Sabbath takes practice. It's not something that you write down on paper once and do it that same way for the next 100 years. You try something out, revise that plan and try something else. Just start and keep adjusting until you've gotten it right. And when that is no longer right, try something else.
Pausing- One of my favorite parts of the book was an analogy between people and breathing. There are three parts of each breath- breathing in, breathing out, pause. Repeat. This is how our lives should work as well. This section also talks about giving up multi-tasking for focusing on each part of our lives for chunks of time. People are more productive that way and are able to give more attention to that specific thing. Back to the whole just stopping thing.
Playing- I'm good at this one. Kent goes through the importance of playing, really just playing for the fun of it (not to win) and how everyone lets down their guard a little bit while playing games. I completely agree with this and loved this section. I've always been a board games type of girl and really think it's the way to connect with new people.
Praying- Kent brings the book full circle in the final section where she explains the importance of using the Sabbath to reconnect and build an intimate relationship with God. Whether it's through prayer for ourselves, for the poor, or for anyone else, prayer is again a way to just stop and enjoy ourselves without getting caught up in the details.

So overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love Kent's style of writing because not only did she provide facts (e.g., there is a pause between each of our breaths), she also provided every day examples of ways to incorporate these ideas into each of our lives. And even if you're not religious at all, I recommend this book to anyone because all of us can benefit from the reminder to just take a step back and take a break so that you can keep moving forward.

[Susy Flory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sabbath as Sacred Space.So much of my life is lived in a rush, but it wasn't always that way. I was raised in a Christian home where my parents rested (read: took a nap) on Sundays and all Sabbath really meant to me back then was that I had to be extra careful not to slam doors on Sunday afternoons or my dad would wake up cranky and yell. Now that I'm the same age he was, I'm beginning to understand the value of a Sunday afternoon nap, and the value of deliberately taking a Sabbath.

In Rest, Keri Wyatt's winsome book on the value of living in Sabbath simplicity, she quotes Kent Kingston, who grew up in a Sabbath-keeping family: "When you've been keeping Sabbath since childhood, something happens in your brain at sunset on Friday when you realize the busyness of the week is over...a sense of calm settles on your mind and the muscle knots begin to unwind. The problems of the everyday are put on hold--bills, school assignments, work deadlines, renovation projects. And because you know you won't be dealing with any of these things for the next 24 hours, you just forget about them. It's the greatest feeling."

I've been choosing to keep a Sabbath for a couple of years now, and Kingston is right. I look forward to it all week. When it arrives, it's like time slows down and my sense of urgency and rushing goes on pause. Everything tastes better, smells better, and I live in the moment, savoring friends, family, my home, my yard, my book. It's a guilt-free day (and who doesn't need more of those? Especially moms?) And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Our God is a Creator-God, a great Intellect, a Founder and Sustainer and Savior...and yet He's personal. He's practical. And He cares about the small things. Like naps.

Thanks, Keri, for a book that reminds us of how good our God is and how the times and seasons He's put in place are for our pleasure and care. Read REST, and create that sacred space in your week.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The central focus of this book is the Biblical imperative that, as Christians, we are called to celebrate a Sabbath. The benefits of the Sabbath as a spiritual practice form the structure of the book, as each chapter emphasizes a different element of Sabbath practice, namely resting, reconnecting, revising, pausing, playing, and praying. The book is partially a layman's theological guide to the Sabbath, without making it obvious that is the goal. Kent does an excellent job driving home the deep importance of Sabbath-keeping as a Biblical command, while constantly tempering this claim with the example of Christ, who challenged the legalism and Pharisaical emphasis on rule-keeping regarding the Sabbath. The ultimate theological takeaway is that you should certainly practice a Sabbath (Jesus did), but the only rule as to how is to not be too rule-oriented about it (As Jesus was not).

In addition to a layman's theology about the Sabbath, the book is full of practical suggestions, largely taken from the practices of various individuals Kent has met. These range across Christian families who have taken to some rigid Jewish practices (using no lights, making challah bread), to families that order takeout and turn Sunday into a game and movie day for the family. It was interesting to see the sheer variety of different practices that nonetheless make the Sabbath sacred and special in its own right.

My somewhat lower rating stems from the messiness of the book. Perhaps because of the sheer variety of ideas and thoughts on Sabbath-keeping that it covers, the text suffers from a lack of depth in some places (particularly for a lover of systematic theology like myself). It can also become repetitive, and the text suffers from many typos. I have no regrets reading the book, but I think it is best consumed for its practical suggestions, and in small, chapter-sized chunks.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The work emphasizes practical steps to cultivating a Sabbath tradition in your family. There are good sections that deal with biblical texts and the theological underpinnings of the Sabbath discipline, yet it the the ample anecdotal material that stands out most about the book.

Several examples both from the author's experiences and those of her friends are used as potential models for finding a rhythm more conducive to rest and reflection. What I liked most about the book was its emphasis on a family strategy. There are several practical suggestions made that do not require money or a radical change in lifestyle, yet they do move a busy family towards a positive Sabbath tradition.

The tone of the book is more of an invitation to explore the topic. It is not heavily theological nor proscriptive. Rather, the author seeks to make the quest for contemplative faith to appear doable. It is an encouraging book.

[Catherine Gillespie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are caught in an endless cycle of activity and really have no idea where to start on the concept of Sabbath or rest, Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity might be a good gentle introduction when more substantive and deep books might overwhelm you. While not my favorite on the topic, the book contains some good points and reminders.

Kent recommends easing into the countercultural idea of taking rest, and she writes about a variety of ways you can do that. The book avoids prescriptions so you won’t feel judged or bludgeoned into anything. That said, in so doing it also avoids being particularly challenging or in-depth. It’s a short book, and yet I kept feeling like I was re-reading a loop of the same points–I might have suggested tightening up the structure to avoid that problem.

{Read my full review of this book on A Spirited Mind

[Sharon Siepel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy in today’s overscheduled society? Keri Wyatt Kent explores this question in Rest. Kent takes a practical, non-legalistic approach to the 4th commandment. The 7 chapters of Rest talk about why we should set the Sabbath apart and how to do so within our unique life stages.
I found Rest to be an inspiring easy-read that caused me to revisit how I spend my Sundays. The open-ended questions at the back of the book helped me reflect on each chapter.
I think this book would make a perfect Bible study with a small group. If you normally have studies that last more than 7 weeks, take the weeks after you are done with the book and use them to apply what you have learned. The group could then take the study time to hold each other accountable and share what changes they have experienced.

[Kate Peckham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I am not a religious person, but I used to be very dedicated to having a Sabbath practice back when I lived in L.A.

Fast forward 7 years, and now I work for a non-profit organization that would take every last second of my time if I let it.

I realized that I need to bring the Sabbath concept back into my life.

This book has some good ideas, but I found it mostly annoying.

I guess it's kind of dumb for me to be surprised that a book about the Sabbath has so many Jesus references in it, but I was anyway. That bugged me a lot. I found myself skimming and skipping a lot of stuff and looking for pearls of wisdom. There were pearls, and great ideas. But overall it was a little too old-fashioned-house-wifey for me. Add Jesus to that mix, and I'm giving it 2 stars.

[Melanie Caldicott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive book giving a clear, challenging yet simple and realistic exhortation for how to engage in sabbath practice. Overall I found it very helpful with good ideas and practical advice. My only criticisms are that I found the structure hard to follow and it was a little repetitive at times.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It shifted how I think about Sabbath in so many ways and continues to spur me on to make it a day filled with grace instead of rules to follow. A day to truly let go. After borrowing it from the library, I plan to purchase it on my Kindle to have so that I can continue to live into the Sabbath that the Lord has designed all of us to live and love.

[Pam Orr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, in my opinion, Keri's best book. The subject is quite compelling in our busy, frantic paced world. It is well researched, well written and applies to anyone's life, not just the mom's.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

the author gave me a galley that i'm working through...excellent read so far!

[Catherine McNiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic and very convicting book. You can read my whole review at http://lifeaslyricpoetry.blogspot.com/

[Carla Calvert · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this!

[Mishelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

improved my relationship with God and my quality of life by making me consider the sabbath, and rethink my priorities and what's going on behind my compulsive busyness.

[Jenrene]

Absolutely awesome book to help you find sanctuary. Everyone needs it. Selah.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very good reminder. It may have been meant more for the soccer mom than for me, but it was a great reminder. She also made some good practical suggestions and overall it was biblical.