Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity

Author Keri Wyatt Kent invites, inspires and encourages us to do the unthinkable in today's culture: REST! Her words have caused me to think (and re-think) how I spend my time. This well-written, easy to read book on the Sabbath, weaves history, story telling and application all into a practical "How To" book on "rest." This should be required reading for...everyone (especially those who don't have time to read it)!

Growing up, I was under the impression that the Sabbath was for the Jewish people but Christians celebrated Sunday as the Lord's Day instead. Sundays therefore were always a rather hodgepodge free-for-all. At one time in my life, Sundays were the busiest day of the week for me, with ministry obligations starting at 5:00 am and not ending until after 9:00 pm., a lifestyle that almost leading to spiritual burnout. Then they morphed into the leftover day - the day to get caught up on housework. But over the past two years, I've been challenged to think about Sabbath a little differently. In Keri Wyatt Kent's newest book, Rest, she invites us to consider Sabbath as a gift that God still intends us to receive today. Kent explains that, prior to the exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel toiled seven days a week, week in and week out. Once in the wilderness, God provided manna for them with these instructions: they were to gather only as much as they needed for that day, with the exception of the sixth day. On that day, they were to gather twice as much as needed, and the following day was to be a day of rest. It was a gift, a luxury they had never been allowed. Not until the giving of the law several chapters later was the Sabbath instituted as a command. As believers, we understand that salvation comes not through the keeping of those commands but through the grace of God alone. But the Sabbath is the keystone between the nine other commands regarding how we relate to God and others, which Jesus succinctly summed up in the gospels, to love God and our neighbors. As Kent points out, Jesus came not only to die for us, but to live for us and show us how to live. "He modeled spiritual practices like solitude, prayer and compassion." And she reminds us, Jesus kept Sabbath. He freed people from the burden that religious people over the years had heaped on the Sabbath when he reminded his followers that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. And in doing so, he "pointed people back to the heart of God." Receiving this gift of rest enables us to stop, to cease from doing and just experience God's love for us that is based solely on his nature. When we stop, we are able to realize the all-sufficiency of God. Keri Wyatt Kent has an uncanny way of making spiritual practices such as Sabbath accessible to today's Christian. She gently strips away all pretense and fluff, and gets right to the heart of the matter. Rather than heap a list of do's and don'ts on readers, she invites us to stop and consider what Sabbath-keeping might look like in our lives, one step at a time. She offers many suggestions and examples from her own life and the lives of others. At a time when many of us are pondering some goals and direction for the coming year, Rest might be just the ticket to help you embrace Sabbath simplicity in your own life.

Prior to reading Keri Wyatt Kent's latest book, my Sabbath day included many must do's...but rest never made the cut. Instead, bickering and panic were part of my Sunday morning routine as I crammed too many activities into the early hours of the day and then rushed to get everyone to church. I also used the Sabbath day as my day to prepare for the coming week...to try to do things to make my life easier for the next six days. Through her tender-hearted and well researched writing, Keri encourages her readers to view the Sabbath as both God's gift to them and as an opportunity to recconnect with the Creator and those we love. She explains not only why it is an important commandment to keep in our fast-paced society, but that it is also one that is not as difficult to respect as we sometimes think it is. I appreciated that this book did not contain a list of do's and don'ts and instead offered helpful suggestions to use the Sabbath as a time to refresh, refuel, and rejuvinate. Rest, was indeed a life-changing read...for me and my family.

I loved this book! Through historical background and scripture, Keri Wyatt Kent, gently encourages the reader to create space during the week to enjoy the tremendous blessing of resting with God. I appreciated seeing what Sabbath practices can look like in different homes. This book is very inviting and interesting. If you are someone who is looking for how to draw near to God, bring that desire to your family, and wants a more balanced life of work and rest, this book will be very edifying for you.

Having enjoyed several of Keri Wyatt Kent's books, I started reading Rest with excitement and interest. I have been trying to figure out what a New Testament Sabbath would look like for years now, and failed to come to grips with it theologically, let alone practically. In the first several chapters of Rest, I found what I had been searching for. Rest offers both an in-depth explanation of how Christians should think about the Sabbath, explaining the Old Testament Sabbath and how Jesus approached the Sabbath. I found it informational as well and formational, and both are important. My questions answered, I felt invited to practice Sabbath in my family in a way that could be warm, attractive, RESTful! I think that if you purchase this book with a heart seeking Sabbath rest, you will certainly find it, or at least find a very clear roadmap to begin the journey. I have read several books on Sabbath keeping, and found this to be the very best for me.