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The Sacred Slow by Alicia Britt Chole ~ a book review ~







I received the book The Sacred Slow to review from Thomas Nelson Publishers, and I thought I had a pretty good idea what this book was about. I was completely wrong.

The book seems, at first glance, very similar to a personal devotional. There is a brief reading, Scripture references, and some thoughts to personalize and think about. But upon further study, I found that "personalizing & thinking about" each day's topic was just the tip of the iceberg. There is oh-so-much more going on beneath the surface.

Let me say two things about The Sacred Slow:

          #1 ~ The concept of slowing down & taking an actual Sabbath rest is missing almost entirely among Westernized Christians and this book deals with that lack directly and effectively. There is actual application contained herein.

          #2 ~ The was this author draws out of you what is deep inside your inner man - and deeply impacts the way you relate to God. This "drawing out" involves a series of hands-on activities done at a leisurely (read that: Sabbath restful) pace with intimate communication with the Lord.

Did you derive from the above points that undertaking this book is NOT for the faint of heart? Did you also derive that it will have PROFOUND repercussions in your life that are for your betterment.

I have not completed this book; it is simply so full of important spiritual work, I decided not to rush through it for the sake of the review. I am in the midst of some very intense health problems (heart failure, in a nutshell) which makes this book timely for me, but also difficult to complete in short order when I am in the midst of travel to/from my home in Wichita to the Cleveland Heart Clinic for treatment. But I do intend to keep this book nearby, and I may actually bring it with me to Cleveland for my "spiritual homework" during the lengthy post-op recovery time (if I end up having one particular procedure done).

Overall, I am pleased with this book ~ even with the parts that are hard to think through and process. The upside is that I am not processing on my own; the author continually reminds the reader to take this journey with Jesus. And that is always, always good news - even in the midst of bad news.

Lord bless you as you consider reading this book.

Day 369 done :)
Jan L. Burt

On my "Page Turner Scale" of 1 to 5, I gave these books a 5.

Disclaimer ~ I received this book free of charge for review purposes from Handlebar. All opinions shared here are solely my own. 

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