Seeking Sabbath

David Shepherd is married with two children and is now the Principal of Belfast Bible College, previously lecturing and living in Canada.

His weekly calendar is a rewarding, yet relentless, routine. In the midst of it all, he found that something had gone missing.

This six-month diary follows a very personal journey to rediscover sabbath and establish a more sustainable rhythm of life. His reflections are a breath of fresh air, inspiring and contemplative without losing sight of the pressures and realities of everyday life.

Here are six months in the life of one man, attempting to rediscover a day, one week at a time.

Dr David Shepherd is the Principal of Belfast Bible College and a member of the Institute of Theology at Queen's University, Belfast. Having ministered in Scotland and taught at a theological college in Canada, David now lives in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, with his wife and two daughters.

From the Methodist Recorder - Thursday 12 June 2008

As workloads spill over into the evening and weekend and the pace of modern life demands more and more of us, the idea of reclaiming something of a less stressful lifestyle is more than appealing. Seeking Sabbath - a personal journey by David Shepherd is one man's search for the peace of the Sundays he remember as a child. Principal of Belfast Bible College and a member of the institute of Theology at Queen's College, Belfast and having previously taught at a theological college in Canada and ministered in Scotland, David Shepherd was challenge to rediscover what was so special and necessary about a day of rest. With the Jewish concept of Sabbath in mind, he shares in this personal account of how he tried to find a pattern of life that incorporates God's purposes for rest and recreation. Drawing on the wisdom of both Jewish and Christian writings, he fuelled his search while still acknowledging the demands that our working lives present. His diary honestly describes the joys and pitfalls of incorporating a Sabbath experience into the week and invites the reader into a fresh or deeper Shabbat Shalom. A book with obvious attractions.

Reviewed by Avril Bottoms

An Invitation To Rest

As Principle of Belfast Bible College and married with two young daughters, Shepherd knows what it is to be busy. Over the course of six months, he also discovered what it is to take a rest from that busyness. Presented as a series of short reflections, Seeking Sabbath charts the journey of trying to keep one day in seven free from the pressures and demands of the week. Shepherd encourages his readers to join him on that journey: a timely invitation as the pace of life seems to become even faster. Shepherd ends with a warning: the greatest threat to the Sabbath does not come from outside: it is our 'own relentless refusal to rest'. When did you last have a day off?

Reviewed by Jo Lefroy.

From: Woman Alive - July 07

The problem of busyness affects all of us. Realising that his life had got out of balance, David Shepherd sought to rediscover the Sabbaths he'd known as a child.

Drawing on both Christian and Jewish writings, and based on his diary over six months, he shares his personal journey to find a pattern of life that incorporates God's purpose for rest and recreation.

A book to read prayerfully and to inspire change.

From:Northsound Radio - August 2007

What do you usually do on Sundays? Have a long lie or go jogging? Wash the car or catch up with the housework? Cook a roast with all the trimmings or go out for lunch? Perhaps you have a day out somewhere, at the beach or in the country with - or without - the family, weather permitting. Sometimes a drier option might be to read the Sunday papers or watch telly. Maybe it's your day to do a big shop at a supermarket. Or you just might go to church.

What you probably won't do is to rest. Funnily enough that's what Sunday was given to us for according to the Bible. Having created the world in six days, on the seventh day God rested, and said we should too. But we don't. Which is why David Shepherd wrote his super little book in the hope that we might rethink.

He gives one short chapter a week for six months to work our way through all the angles. So ditch all your old ideas and get ready to laugh at some of his word pictures, but don't miss their vital underlying messages.

Reviewed by Betty Mckay

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