The New Book

Have any of you ever wondered how I get through so many books? I have a confession to make. I don't remember the last time I actually finished a book. NO, that's not true, I read "Why Not Women" from start to finish. But typically, I start them, I love them, I quote them on my blog, yet I don't finish them. I've come to grips with the fact that somehow it's in my DNA to not be a book finisher. My theory is that I read it until it's not gripping me any more, and then I put it down. Most books lose their edge by about chapter four for me. My brother and I had a conversation about this - he is a diligent book finisher - yet he admitted that most books say what they are going to say in the first three chapters, but the authors must write more because you can't sell a book of only three chapters.

Regardless of the reasons, I just wanted to confess that several of the books I have quoted to you since this blog began, sit on my shelf, unfinished. I feel good about gleaning what I can, when I can, and no guilt when they start to gather dust. I figure I'll go back to them when the time is right. (Editor's note - let's be clear that I'm not talking about novels here. A novel, if I'm foolish enough to pick one up, I will read in one, maybe two, sittings - neglecting my family, my house and my sleep to finish!)

Most recently, a book entitled, The Rest of God: Restoring your soul by restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan has caught my attention. We were given this book as a gift a few months ago. Who knew how badly I would soon need it?! See, I'm finding that while I've carved out new space in my schedule because I know busy is not good for me, I still don't know how to use my extra time for rest that refuels my soul. I do silly things like surf the internet or play iPod games - and waste my free time doing things that leave me feeling spent and often guilty. It's not that I feel I have to be productive all the time, it's that when I have some free space, I'd like to use it for restful things that refill my tank. I'm finding that I don't know how. So I picked up the gift book about Sabbath and started reading. (I've also decided to rejoin the STEPS program at Salem Alliance - perhaps more on that in a later post.)

The book chapters are all about stopping. Stopping in some particular way to notice the world around us and enter into God's rest. Here are some snippets for you from the first three chapters. If I keep reading I'll share some more.

Chapter One - Work: One Thing Before you Stop. "In order to keep the Sabbath well--to embrace the rest of God--we need a right view of work. What if your work became worship? What if the work of your hands--repairing lawn mowers, scouring pots, paving streets, mending bones, balancing ledgers--was a sacrament of God's presence that you gave and received? Next time you're tempted to complain about your work, praise God for it instead." (from pp. 18 and 27)

Chapter Two - A beautiful Mind: Stopping to Think Anew. "Transformation is the fruit of a changed outlook. First our minds are renewed, and then we are transformed, and then everything is different, even if it stays the same. God is more interested in changing your thinking than in changing your circumstances. Consider your ways. Consider your thoughts and attitudes, the pattern of them, their shape and drift. Are they leading you where you want to go?" (from pp. 33 and 41)

Chapter Three (the one I mentioned in my last post) - The Rest of God: Stopping to Find What's Missing. "Indeed, this is the essence of a Sabbath heart: paying attention. It is being fully present, wholly awake, in each moment. True attentiveness burns away the layers of indifference and ennui and distraction--all those attitudes that blend our days into a monochrome sameness--and reveals what's hidden beneath: the staggering surprise and infinite variety of every last little thing. I suggest you make this a key Sabbath Liturgy, a wide bridge you build to cross from your life now--which, if it bears any resemblance to what mine can be, is marked by frantic busyness and chronic distraction--to a life of restfulness and wonder." (from pp. 50 and 56)