Faith and Practice... they belong together

Mudhouse Sabbath: Eight Spiritual Practices I Learned from Judaism

By Lauren F. Winner / Paraclete Press

This book is a pretty quick, easy read... but it could end up taking a big bite out of your current allotment of "free time." That is if you decide that you want to implement any of Winner's suggestions, especially in relation to Sabbath or Lord's Day observances. I admit I am intrigued by her description of Jewish Sabbath practices.

I appreciated her observation on the liturgy:

"Even my friend Meg, who left the too-liturgical Episcopal Church for a praise-song-singing, spontaneous-prayer-praying charismatic church, will, I suspect, discover that she is doing liturgy: After enough time, the rhythm of the praise songs and the (seemingly) spontaneous prayers will become familiar and even routine, a liturgy of its own."

As a Lutheran who is a former "charismatic" I am often amused and sometimes annoyed by people who look down their noses at the liturgy because everything is written down and repeats itself week after week. My own experience has taught me that the free-flowing-move-of-the-Spirit churches can be just as repetitive and more so. After singing the same twelve word praise chorus for the thirteenth consecutive time, I start pulling out my beard.

Thank God for diversity! I have shed buckets of tears in both kinds of services and God has met me and ministered to me in both places. There are positive aspects to each; and there is always danger of spiritual stagnation no matter where you choose to go to church. What you take away from worship will depend in large part by what you take with you going in.

Okay, enough from me... back to the book. I am giving this book four stars. It was enjoyable and it was interesting. It held my attention through its brief pages, but I don't think it changed my life. That is probably more of a statement about where I am spiritually than it is about the content of the book. I agreed with much of Winner's commentary on Christian life and practice and perhaps that's why I held back one star. I pretty much believe what she believes so I wasn't forced to examine my beliefs or practices. We're already on the same page. That doesn't mean that this book couldn't be life changing for someone and I would definitely recommend it.