When I first saw the words on the cover, "a holy departure from fast faith", I was intrigued to say the least. Honestly, I expected some advice about meditating and putting down smartphones. However, what I learned was so much more. The book is divided into twelve chunks with mini-chapters. Each bit goes over a lesson and then has activities / homework. Readers learn about the importance of resting from the biblical Sabbath year. They also learn how the Israelites were reprimanded for not resting. Then Chole goes into detail on the impacts on people for not resting in the twenty-first century, as well as tips for how to slow down. Faith is not a fast-food commodity that can be bought or gobbled down in 5 minutes. Rather, it must be cultivated. Chole talks in great detail about the silence of God and how people need to stop measuring their spirituality in terms of what they did. People need to measure their spirituality in terms of how they are in relationship with God. There are even practical sections on comparing negative thoughts and on viewing oneself as the beautiful child of God that we are. With brutal honesty, the author also prompts the reader to journal about how one views God, both positively and negatively. There are copious references to Jesus and the New Testament, so there are Christian undertones. There is a great discussion guide in the back and even tips for how to lead retreats, which makes this book excellent not only for personal study but also for leading groups.
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