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Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives

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This book is a exploration into the concept of "Sabbath" and its importance in world religions. Muller describes Sabbath rituals in the Jewish faith and discusses scriptural references to the Sabbath (from Christian and Buddhist, as well as Jewish texts), especially those concerning why it is celebrated at all. He argues that we all need time set aside as a Sabbath for rest, happiness, and consecration. He embellishes the text with poems and stories about the Sabbath practices of friends. Many of the chapters close with a "Practice" section, in which Muller describes actions you can take to put the ideas from the chapter into practice.

In an early chapter, Muller declares that all religions have some form of Sabbath. This didn't quite sound correct to me-while Muslims often gather in a mosque together for Friday noon prayers, the day is otherwise unlike a Judeo-Christian Sabbath, since there is no feeling that worshipers should refrain from work or commerce on that day. And Buddhists and Hindus certainly don't have a regular day set aside each week for religious observance and rest. But Muller goes on to explain that he is taking the term "Sabbath" to mean a time set aside from ordinary worldly pursuits, and that in a more general sense "Sabbath" need not refer to an entire day, but could be just a few minutes in which the mind is engaged in meditation, prayer or devotion. By this measure, the five daily Muslim prayers, Buddhist meditation, and Hindu pujas would all qualify as Sabbath time. Muller argues that such time is necessary to appreciate fully our capabilities as caring people.

Reading this book has opened my eyes to new ways of celebrating the Sabbath. Muller argues that the most vital activity to engage in on the Sabbath is not necessarily attending church, but rather, pausing all ordinary activities to contemplate the Divine or Life itself. He notes that feeding, dressing, and escorting family members to a church service, then struggling to keep them quiet during the service is not necessarily in keeping with the intention of rest and meditation. And he describes ministers who, since they must work on Sundays, keep their own Sabbath on a different day of the week. He explains how important it is to have time alone, when one doesn't need to provide or others or even interact with them, so that one can better concentrate on devotional matters. Regardless of your faith, practicing the ideas described in this book can you help form a much stronger connection to the center of your being.

Finding rest renewal and delight in our busy lives. This is a wonderful little volume that now starts my day off in a very peaceful and contemplative way.

I took my time with this book. I savored each morning as I read only one of the "meditations" to start my day and then tried to remember and think about the meditation during the day some time. The Sabbath practices are doable in our every day lives and picking one or two will definitely add a new dimension to your day. And in light of the recent tragedies on our country, we could all use a little peace and Sabbath in our lives.

This easy-to-read book contains short chapters of a devotional nature, each ending with an "exercise" to help find or restore a sense of "Sabbath rest." Rather than a legalistic view to observing the Sabbath, he presents a convincing argument for applying the principles of rest into our daily lives. At times Muller seems a bit pluralistic, equating Buddhist teachings with Biblical teachings, but overall he writes in a clear, helpful style that inspires one to develop a "Sabbath sense" to one's daily week.

Ghandi said, long before computers, that there is more to life than speeding through it. That is also the theme of Muller's book, a reminder that most world religions mandate a regular time of rest, to be observed religiously. As he says in the book, the only organism that survives without taking time to rest is cancer!

The book is arranged as a workbook, with practical sabbath exercises at the end of each chapter.

I read this early in the year, savoring the author's beautiful writing style, and I am re-reading it now, in preparation for my own sabbatical next year!

I don't know anyone who is too poor to afford the basic necessities, like food and clothes, but I do know many who are starved for downtime -- time for rest, reflection, and quiet. Once the Sabbath was viewed as a restriction -- now it sounds like an incredible, even unreachable, luxury. What happened? How did we come to confuse busyness with importance or significance? Wayne Muller's words (I have the audio edition) challenge and encourage. Make time for Sabbath! Life's too short to hurry through.

This book is marvelous! As a psychologist, I've read a lot of wellness-oriented books, but this one truly makes one stop and look at life and what's important. It's just the message we all need in these difficult times, when it's so tough to find the balance everyone needs. After reading it, I wanted to give it to my family, friends, coworkers and patients. Each chapter has valuable insights. Muller also reaches across religious and secular sources to craft a spiritual book that does not necessarily reflect the views of any particular faith, but embraces them all. This book is truly a gift for yourself or others.

I first read this book shortly after it was published and have used its gentle wisdom many times since. This year in my church we have encouraged members of our congregation to read it and the results have been very good. Most people find that it gives them a deep sense of the meaning of Sabbath and a resolve to make some changes in their own experience of Sabbath as a day of est and renewal. I highly recommend it for personal reading or for a book club.

This book arrived yesterday, and I stayed up late reading it last night and this morning. I could hardly put it down. Many of the thoughts hit me as so profound, that I had to pause to think before I could continue reading.

"In the relentless busyness of modern life, we have lost the rhythm between work and rest. All life requires a rhythm of rest." (p. 1) "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." (p. 69)

The book highlights the benefits of rest for our spirit, our bodies, our relationships -- as well as gives reasons why people don't rest. We feel that more work is better, we are afraid of what we will hear in the silences if we pause, we think we have more to give if we toil on without rest (when the opposite is often true, that rest breaks leave us with more to contribute). The book is also full of simple stories of people who have found themselves after rest, and simple thought-provoking poems. Muller also devotes some thoughts to simple play; and yes, even adults should play.

This book left me thinking of all that being an adult professional can cost the human spirit. Some of my own happiest memories are of being a child, sprawled on the grass on a hot summer afternoon, and staring up at the white clouds against a blue sky and finding shapes in the clouds. When do we ever do this, as a modern society? Simply pause, and spend a day doing nothing but play and rest?

Muller gives us some strong reasons to pause, to resort our values, to treasure our relationships and our bodies and spirits, and to go out again with more to offer our world.

I really enjoyed the ideas for celebrating a Sabbath time. They were so inspiring that our next women's retreat at church is using this book as a model for activities. The best part about the writing in this book is that it gives open-ended ways to approach observing a Sabbath time in our lives without the rules that usually are associated with it. It helps people find joy in resting and renewal in such a way that Sabbath becomes something to look forward to weekly.

This book is one of the best that I have read in a long time! It is full of wonderful insights and helpful suggestions regarding our need for time to BE. I have had in my possession 2 of these books and ended up giving them away to friends for their benefit. Now, I need another copy for me!