Will You Accept God's Gift of Sabbath Rest?

In our frenzied culture, the possibility of living in balanced rhythms of work and rest often feels elusive. This rings especially true for pastors and leaders who carry the weightof nonstop responsibility. Most know they need rest but might be surprised to find within themselves a deep resistance to letting go and resting in God one day a week, let alone for longer seasons of sabbatical.

The journey to a meaningful sabbath practice is slow and gradual, and it is a journey we need to take in community. Sharing her own story of practicing sabbath for the past twenty years, Ruth Haley Barton offers hard-won wisdom regarding the rhythms of sabbath, exploring both weekly sabbath keeping as well as extended periods of sabbatical time.

In Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest, you'll find:



- Practical steps for embedding sabbath rhythms in churches and organizations, grounding us in God's intentions in giving us the gift of sabbath,

- An opportunity at the end of each chapter to reflect and engage God around your own journey with the material, and

- A conversation guide for small groups and communities to foster transformation on a community-level.

Sabbath is more than a practice—it is a way of life ordered around God's invitation to regular rhythms of work, rest, and replenishment that will sustain us for the long haul of life in leadership.



Ruth Haley Barton (DD, Northern Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors, leaders, and the communities they serve. Trained at the Shalem Institute and the Loyola University Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies, she is a seasoned spiritual director, teacher, and retreat leader who has served on the pastoral staff of several churches. Ruth is the author of numerous books on the spiritual life, including Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Sacred Rhythms, and Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest.



Foreword by Ronald Rolheiser



Part 1: Sabbath

1. A Wake-Up Call

2. Beginning with God

3. Finding Freedom Through Resistance

4. Discovering Sabbath in Community

5. The Power of Unplugging

6.Sabbath as Delight

7. Sabbath and the Seasons of Life

8. Shaping Sabbath



Interlude: On Time



9. Leading a Sabbath Community



Part 2: Sabbatical

10. When Sabbath Is Not Enough

11. More Than a Vacation

12. A Season of Spiritual Opportunity

13. Setting Boundaries



Interlude: A Blessing for Sabbatical Time



Epilogue: Saved by Rest



Gratitude

Appendix A: A Sabbath Worksheet

Appendix B: Preparing for Reentry: Gathering Up the Gifts of Sabbatical

Becoming a Sabbath Community: A Conversation Guide for Groups

Notes

Bibliography