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Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity by Saundra Dalton-Smith
judithdcollins's review
5.0
A "Must Read" for your well-being. SACRED REST is a perfect guide to empower you, and jump-start your New Year! Review to follow.
kilinandi's review
2.0
I'll give it two because the framework is good but the "God is my rest" just felt forced.
fearlessknitter's review
4.0
A friend of mine chose this book for our book club to read over the summer, three of us jumped in. I'm glad I did. Saundra provides concrete action items and a good breakdown of areas in your life that can be improved (or radically overhauled) by getting rest there. I need to re-read the book because of the impact some of the chapters would have, they kept intruding as I moved forward. Each chapter brought out a little "oh!" as I dug in and each section brought a big "OH" - I think I wasn't paying attention in the introduction as to the layout of the book and what was coming, or the concepts are so foreign it didn't mean anything to me at the time.
If you take the rest assessment, don't focus too much on the results. I found my score for social rest was in the middle of the pack and not much cause for concern. I didn't really identify with the symptoms list she provides. But when I got to that chapter it really resonated (and that's the one that kept intruding).
Also, I would not recommend bopping around the chapters based on assessment results. Saundra reveals some deep details of her life and experience on this road to sacred rest and these revelations build trust as you move through the book. That coupled with my experience above would have me go straight through.
If you take the rest assessment, don't focus too much on the results. I found my score for social rest was in the middle of the pack and not much cause for concern. I didn't really identify with the symptoms list she provides. But when I got to that chapter it really resonated (and that's the one that kept intruding).
Also, I would not recommend bopping around the chapters based on assessment results. Saundra reveals some deep details of her life and experience on this road to sacred rest and these revelations build trust as you move through the book. That coupled with my experience above would have me go straight through.
sarah_reading_party's review
3.0
As usual, my five point review:
This book is so practical in our day and age. We are all busy, and in need of rest in so many ways. The author, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, is no different. She set out to write this book as a way for her to address the need for rest in her own life, both from a perspective worthy of her Christian faith as well as her medical background (read: lots of research went into this book!).
The author divided rest into seven categories: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, sensory, and creative. Though I've never thought of rest as needing to be some of those categories (sensory, for example), it makes perfect sense. The wide variety of categories do not really overlap, as I feared they would. As I was reading this book, that lack of overlap allowed me to zero in on areas in my life where I would appreciate (or need) more margin and more rest. That is so helpful!
Since this book aims to target the busy, the burned out, and the frenzied among us, the chapters are short, sweet, and concise. The majority of chapters contain practical advice on how to reset and rest so you can "recover your life, renew your energy, and restore your sanity." This is very compelling! Though I read this book from cover to cover for the purposes of this review, the author encourages savoring the chapters to get the most out of them. Additionally, she gives an option of starting the book partway in (which I thought was very interesting!) so that the desperate can get practical tips, now.
There were two issues I must address with this book. The first is the lack of Christian content. Depending on your side of the coin, you may appreciate this (or you may not). There is some scripture in this book and you can definitely tell the author is a woman of faith. There wasn't as much of a spiritual basis for the author's beliefs and arguments for why we should rest. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and maybe my perspective would be different if I savored the book rather than read it straight through. This leads to my second point to address: part of the book, like most self-care/self-help/psychology based books, definitely had a me me me feel to it... a selfish feel. Maybe that was hard for me to read because, like most women, I want to take care of others, particularly my family. I didn't get a good sense of the author's why for rest besides just a healthy self. I think I was looking for something more here... I may not be articulating it well, and perhaps that isn't even the point of the book. It's just something I want to mention.
All in all, this is a good book. The practical tips for rest are great. Nothing earth shattering, but breaking it down by areas is a unique approach. Additionally, there is a quiz in the book to help us self-diagnose where we need to pursue rest. Though the Christian content is lacking and may not align entirely with my beliefs, there are parts that I still appreciate.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Litfuse. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Litfuse for the chance to read this book!
This book is so practical in our day and age. We are all busy, and in need of rest in so many ways. The author, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, is no different. She set out to write this book as a way for her to address the need for rest in her own life, both from a perspective worthy of her Christian faith as well as her medical background (read: lots of research went into this book!).
The author divided rest into seven categories: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, sensory, and creative. Though I've never thought of rest as needing to be some of those categories (sensory, for example), it makes perfect sense. The wide variety of categories do not really overlap, as I feared they would. As I was reading this book, that lack of overlap allowed me to zero in on areas in my life where I would appreciate (or need) more margin and more rest. That is so helpful!
Since this book aims to target the busy, the burned out, and the frenzied among us, the chapters are short, sweet, and concise. The majority of chapters contain practical advice on how to reset and rest so you can "recover your life, renew your energy, and restore your sanity." This is very compelling! Though I read this book from cover to cover for the purposes of this review, the author encourages savoring the chapters to get the most out of them. Additionally, she gives an option of starting the book partway in (which I thought was very interesting!) so that the desperate can get practical tips, now.
There were two issues I must address with this book. The first is the lack of Christian content. Depending on your side of the coin, you may appreciate this (or you may not). There is some scripture in this book and you can definitely tell the author is a woman of faith. There wasn't as much of a spiritual basis for the author's beliefs and arguments for why we should rest. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and maybe my perspective would be different if I savored the book rather than read it straight through. This leads to my second point to address: part of the book, like most self-care/self-help/psychology based books, definitely had a me me me feel to it... a selfish feel. Maybe that was hard for me to read because, like most women, I want to take care of others, particularly my family. I didn't get a good sense of the author's why for rest besides just a healthy self. I think I was looking for something more here... I may not be articulating it well, and perhaps that isn't even the point of the book. It's just something I want to mention.
All in all, this is a good book. The practical tips for rest are great. Nothing earth shattering, but breaking it down by areas is a unique approach. Additionally, there is a quiz in the book to help us self-diagnose where we need to pursue rest. Though the Christian content is lacking and may not align entirely with my beliefs, there are parts that I still appreciate.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Litfuse. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Litfuse for the chance to read this book!
lspare's review
2.0
I thought the book was too self-focused to really be considered a Christian book. I think there needed to be more emphasis on prayer and leaning on the Holy Spirit in addition to the tips she mentioned. I thought she had some really great ideas, but maybe I just didn't read it in the right season of life. I didn't grab me and I don't plan on reading it again.
coriwiden's review
3.0
The first half of the book was well worth the read. The second half was very Christian/generally religious in nature, which didn’t appeal to me personally — just a matter of personal preference. Anyone seeking to explore rest and rejuvenation would likely benefit from the first half, though.
ashleykind's review
medium-paced
3.5
An excellent guide to how to care for yourself in a busy world - kind of the tip of the iceberg, but a good introduction.