Rev Sarah Guinness’s insightful volume on Christian discipleship covers everything from the spirituality of sleep to the theology of play. It reads less like a self-help manual and more like a conversation with a trusted friend, says our reviewer
Looking to grow as a Christian disciple? Here’s a book that offers gentle, friendly advice that may just transform your Christian life without making you feel guilty or inadequate.
Rev Sarah Guinness draws on her experience in church leadership, as a therapeutic coach and occupational therapist to offer helpful guidance for anyone wishing to grow in faith. And she does so with pastoral sensitivity and a deep knowledge of how people grow in emotional and spiritual maturity.
At the outset, Guinness emphasises that the most important disciplines for Christians are prayer, reading the Bible and being part of a church community in which you can participate and grow.
But, she goes on to explain that the aim of this book is ”to supplement what’s already been written” and ”offer a broader perspective on what it means to be a follower of Jesus.”
Boundaries and sleep
She begins by looking at the spirituality of sleep, saying that, far from being wasted hours, time spent sleeping is “an opportunity for God to seal our dreams, and to deposit things and ideas in our hearts and minds.” She backs this up using biblical stories of Adam, David and how Jesus sleeps, and awakes with a renewed focus on his priorities.
This book is like that friend, sitting across from you, sharing your journey and encouraging you to grow in faith
Other chapters look at the importance of boundaries in maintaining our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. She explains how Jesus lived within the boundaries of time and physical limitations, focusing his energies on nurturing a small group of disciples, rather than building a mass following.
“When we read through the Gospels,” she writes, “there’s no hurrying and no urgency. Jesus was a non-anxious presence. The pace of the Gospels is neither fast nor slow. There’s a sense of Jesus working within the timings of his Father.”
Life lessons
This slim volume contains much wisdom, delivered in a style that is not brow-beating or accusatory. Guinness tells stories from her own life to illustrate many of the lessons in this book. She tells, for example, how getting a puppy gave her insights into the importance of play. It’s when she is playing tug-of-war with her border collie Ellie that she smiles the most and her brain switches off, she says.
“When we play, we return to God’s original intention and participate in the re-creation of the world. We push back the voices that tell us we only have value if we’re being productive, and we return to the Garden of Eden to play like children in God’s world.”
Other chapters examine learning to live with times of ‘liminality’, drawing wisdom from seasons when we are in transition. Surrendering outcomes to God, embracing our emotions, and understanding our minds and bodies are three other areas of discipleship addressed in this book.
A final chapter outlines the importance of continuing to grow as Christians and how asking deeper, perhaps more challenging, questions can be a sign of our faith maturing. A church community that can come alongside believers at these times of doubt and challenge is one to be valued.
Guinness grounds each of her chapters in biblical principles and knowledge, and applies wisdom from a wide range of Christian writers and teachers. There are helpful questions at the end of each chapter for small groups or personal study.
Our destination, says Guinness, “is not perfection, good behaviour or some other attainment or even enlightenment. It’s receiving God’s unconditional love into the very core of who we are and allowing that incredible love to transform us.”
It probably says more about me than the author that I would have appreciated a summary chapter that set out some key points. But friends seldom provide a ten-point plan. They come alongside us, are present for us, listen and may gently offer sensitive reflections and advice.
This book is like that friend, sitting across from you, sharing your journey and encouraging you to grow in faith, at your pace, knowing you are deeply loved by God.
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