We try to put out our store newsletter, BookNotes, every week or so. I say “or so” because week-ish isn’t a word, but you get my drift. We like to keep reviewing important books for you, or at least announce them. And invite pre-orders. And make lists about a topic. Or celebrate brand new releases, fiction and non-fiction. I could do one almost every day if I didn’t have a store to run. And if I didn’t get the occasional writer’s block; it’s a thing.

We missed this past week entirely although folks are still ordering from that last list of novels and we’re grateful since the bills keep coming in. I bet some of those books might end up at the beach or mountainside, which makes us smile.

While out of town selling books last week with our friends in the CCO at their campus ministry training event in Western Pennsylvania, we heard one guest speaker tell of being fired from her job while on a work-related trip overseas; it was shocking and tacky and, frankly, stupid, as her position is badly needed and she is well-loved. She was angry, of course, but God seemed to speak to her, she said, in part through reading a book she had bought from us, the lovely Birds in the Sky, Fish in the Sea: Attending to Creation with Delight and Wonder by writer and outdoorsman Matthew Dickerson and woodcut artist extraordinary, Matthew Clark (Square Halo Books; $25.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $20.79.) The Lord seemed to give her a few Biblical texts about being still. Maybe not exactly “don’t worry” but something better: wake up, pay attention, take delight in the wonder of God’s good world and trust the Creator’s sovereign care. Be still and know.

Another person (who had not heard the first talk) later said something similar: take delight, praise God in the ordinary, be aware of the glories around us. You can know God through delight. Oh my.

I thought of the mysterious, allusive 2003 song “Don’t Forget About Delight” by Bruce Cockburn.

On Sunday at my own church a former Presbyterian camp director gave a fabulous sermon about play, recreation, exploration, allowing the Holy Spirit to enliven our imaginations, especially in the great outdoors. I wondered if I was getting a Divine hint.

This is more than taking time for quietude and even something more than reclaiming rest, although I think that’s a good start. I write a lot about a Christian view of work, here, and invite us to think about Christian discipleship in ways that help create a better common good. In these harsh days where policies are hurting the poor and vulnerable, there is much good to be done. We simply must be active in serving our needy neighbors and showing up in ways that can help reform the direction of our culture. Faith without works, the brother of Jesus said, is dead. It’s urgent.

But yet, can’t we play in the Kingdom? Made in God’s image we at least can be (must be?) creative, no? Like God, we speak and make; we play and work and create and rest. With Walt Brueggemann (in Sabbath as Resistance) we recall that keeping sabbath means saying no to the ethos of the world’s economics and the idols of never-ending productivity.

So here’s a good summertime list, random items that just seemed about right — titles that are (mostly) fun reads to help us live into this aspect of life that includes rest, but more: playfulness, leisure, recreation.  Much more could be said, and other titles could be offered. We’ve got big sections on sports and art, for instance; we’ve got Christian studies of entertainment, even books about thinking well about video games. There are a number of books about joy, including books about awe and wonder. Here are a couple to get you going — resting, playing, delighting, enjoying. If the trees can clap their hands, as the Psalmist puts it, surely we can let loose a little, too, eh?

I feel a need to offer this disclaimer, if you will. Some of us have got to work extra hours just to make ends meet. It represents a certain privilege to talk about the difficulties and dysfunctions of a workaholic, ambitious culture, and while many BookNotes readers need to be reminded of the freedom to rest, the goodness of play, some of us battle terrible chronic pain or carry huge social worries; some of us do not have the economic means to take vacations or buy expensive recreational gear. We get that, believe me. Still, a good book about playfulness and a reminder of the Godly call to rest and joy can be helpful for all of us, no matter our life’s station. We really believe God offers rainbows for a fallen world. If this seems a bit bougie, we hear you.

Sabbath Dan Allender (Thomas Nelson) $19.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

This is a great book, a key title for anyone reading about sabbath rest and I’ll tell you why I led off this list with this one. It is part of a tremendous series that we promoted when it first came out. Curated and edited by the late, great Phyllis Tickle, this “Ancient Practices” set of books offers each individual one about a particular spiritual practice shared by Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The series includes lovely books on tithing, going on pilgrimage, fixed hour prayer, keeping the liturgical calendar, and the like. The first in the series (which I very much liked) was by Brian McLaren and is called Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices.

Allender’s Sabbath is simple to explain. Here’s the thing: unlike any other book on sabbath practices (and there are many good ones) Allender links the practice less to strict and legalistic rules about rest and more to the notion of recreation. Re-creation. Although not exactly a full theology of play, it comes close and invites us to enjoy the goodness of creation, to be replenished in body and spirit in part through the healing power of recreation and celebration. As we weekly live into and embody some glimpse of the hope of heaven — which is to say, new creation! — we (with others) take time to delight. Sabbath can be rejuvenating because that’s the nature of real playfulness. This is a fabulous read, challenging for curmudgeons or workaholics or pietists. Enjoy!

The Sabbath Way: Making Room in Your Life for Rest, Connection, and Delight Travis West (Tyndale Refresh) $18.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

This book is so new we don’t even have it in yet — my bad; did I say I was away for a week working off-site? Still, we are on the edges of our seats for this one, eager to see it when it arrives later this week, we hope. Dr. West is an upbeat and beloved Old Testament prof (and the author of a texbook on Biblical Hebrew) at Western Seminary (with a degree from the world-famous Vrije University of Amsterdam.) His colleague Winn Collier, of the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination (and author of the amazing authorized biography of Eugene, A Burning in My Bones that I hope you’ve read.) penned a splendid forward. Winn is a wonderful, imaginative spiritual leader, a good creative thinker and writer and his endorsement means a lot. It has only been out a couple of weeks and it’s already getting a lot of buzz. Hooray.

Here are just a few of the rave reviews that have poured in. Please, don’t miss these lovely blurbs — you’ll enjoy their wisdom:

I hardly have words for this stunning invitation to reimagine, to reorient, to redeem the time we view with such scarcity, and to be restored and refreshed to our depths. I’ll never again view Sabbath as something to do but see it now as an invitation to a new way of being in the world, a new way of inhabiting God’s vision for wholeness in all creation and people. — Chuck DeGroat, professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality; executive director of the clinical mental health counseling program at Western Theological Seminary; author of Healing What’s Within

Reading this book feels like having a dear friend gently lead us into God’s presence. Without downplaying our busyness or our pain, it welcomes us into God’s rest, into the goodness of his life and love. This is so different from what we normally see and experience in the world and the church. We all need this book– I certainly did! — Kelly M. Kapic, author of You’re Only Human and You Were Never Meant to Do It All

I need The Sabbath Way; you need The Sabbath Way. With cultural and economic forces that seem outside our control, we need to hear Travis West’s encouragement and wisdom to slow down, pause, breathe, and re-member our bodies, minds, and souls. This is not a call to enhance performance. It is a call to enhance our humanity. The Sabbath Way is a deeply spiritual and deeply humanizing project, and a timely gift to a culture desperately in pursuit of its next accomplishment.— Emerson B. Powery, PhD, Dean of the School of Arts, Culture, and Society; professor of biblical studies at Messiah University

Travis West’s years of study and practical thought on the subject of shalom come together in The Sabbath Way to create a readable, practical, and beautiful message that we all need now. Phrases in the book such as “Shalom is the wholeness found on the other side of justice” resonated with me, and I will repeat them often in the coming years. In short, your life will be better if you take The Sabbath Way to heart! — Randy Woodley, speaker, activist, and author of Shalom and the Community of Creation, Becoming Rooted, and Journey to Eloheh

An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Work and Rest Alan Fadling (IVP) $18.00 // OUR SALE PRICE = $14.40

I suppose I don’t need to overstate this important book but it was hugely significant when it first came out. It was pirated by Amazon (it was in the news) so they pulled it, reissued it hardcover (harder to be copied by the print pirates Amazon was colluding with) and it continued to be popular in the expanded and revised edition. It’s now out in paperback again, revised and splendid. Falling is an amazing person, admired by those who know him, and invites us to common sense but counter-cultural practices of something beyond balance. The “rhythms of work and rest” are explored and he advises us to live embrace a more unhurried life, a restful demeanor, formation that allows us to recover from what he calls being “a speed addict.”

Of course the great and dynamic John Mark Comer popularized the line by Dallas Willard in his rightfully popular book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry but that good book surely stands alongside this little classic.

Want to truly know others, to be in relationships that matter? To have time to focus on things that matter most? Do you want to slow down in a way that can pave the way for a life of attention to beauty and even play? This is an amazing, reasonable read.

The Radical Pursuit of Rest: Escaping the Productivity Trap John Kessler (IVP) $19.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

Drawing a bit on the classic An Unhurried Life by Alan Fadling, John Koessler playfully goes after our jugular — the idol of productivity, efficiency, speed, finding our worth in what we do. The subtitle here is very important and this is radical stuff, even if playfully written. In keeping with our theme in this BookNotes, I’ll note that we can’t really give ourselves over to rest, let alone play, without surrendering our respected idols that align us with excessive productivity. Busyness and accomplishment and self-worth is central to the identities of most of us — Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters is a must-read study of what too often drives us —so this isn’t easy, I know. Believe me, I know.

But taking up this radical view — admitting our need for rest — and thereby “escaping the productive trap” is one of the answers.

Listen to this gorgeous paragraph from the talented and lovely writer Jen Pollock Michel, whose excellent first book is about ambition and is called Teach Us To Want. She, too, knows something profound about all this. Ms Michel writes:

Here is the extravagant promise of John Koessler’s wise, pastoral book: none of us needs to work harder at rest. Rather, rest is laid at the table of grace, which God himself has prepared. In this way, it is rescue for the weary and hope for the heavy-laden. When we realize that God hasn’t invited us to share his busyness but enter his rest, we reclaim the holy leisure of worship. That’s an invitation I can’t seem to resist, and I’m thankful Koessler has made it so clearly and compellingly.

Reclaiming Rest: The Promise of Sabbath, Solitude, and Stillness in a Restless World Kate H. Rademacher (Broadleaf) $16.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $13.59

There are plenty of other books on rest and we’re happy to list a few here. This one is special, allusive, very well written, and surprisingly comprehensive — it looks at activism and silence, sabbath rejoicing and solitude. It is refreshing and upbeat, yet contemplative and invites us to sacred spaces to resist the motion and noise of our busy culture. This has lots of practical ideas about incorporating true rest into our daily routines as well as weekly sabbath stuff.

Listen to the ever-wise and always-eloquent Barbara Brown Taylor:

If you do not recognize yourself in the first few pages of this compelling, sage, and down-to-earth book, trust me: Rademacher is going to call your name before she is through. I cannot think of another book that makes a better case for wedding faithful activism to equally faithful rest. — Barbara Brown Taylor, author of An Altar in the World and Learning to Walk in the Dark

Other thoughtful folks offer rave reviews, including the great Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Real Michael Curry, Patricia Raybon (My First White Friend) A.J. Swoboda, Brian McLaren, Kathy Izard, who wrote The Hundred Story Home.

Lauren Winner writes:

Here, we have prose that snaps, practical suggestions coupled with deep wisdom, spirituality connected to politics, and, finally, not just an invitation to a single practice called Sabbath-keeping, but rather an invitation to a more faithful way of life.

Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight Norman Wirzba (Brazos Press) $24.00 // OUR SALE PRICE = $19.20

As we’ve often noted we have a lot of books on sabbath-keeping and restful practices. From lovely guidance like The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan to the classic by Marva Dawn, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly to the even older classic, Sabbath by Abraham Heschel (and don’t even get my started by the brilliant Sabbath As Resistance by the late Walter Brueggemann) as well as the aforementioned one by Dan Allender, there are plenty. (And, while we’re on it, don’t miss my favorite, Subversive Sabbath by A. J. Swaboda.) I wanted to list this one by agronomist and theologian Norman Wirzba for two reasons. It is less about taking one day a week off and more about embodying a lifestyle of sabbath principles. And he has an astute chapter on the loss of delight in our secularizing, modern culture and how to regain a Godly sense of wonder and delight. It seemed right to mention it here. (And how about that cover, eh?)

For what it’s worth, the second half gets serious in calling us to a lifestyle that shows forth these lively, delightful, restful, and counter-cultural principles in several areas of life. He has a chapter on education, another on home, another on economics. Of course he has an urgent chapter on environmentalism and a wise bit on “Sabbath Worship.” Okay it seems like a lot, challenging us to live with joy amidst pain and suffering and to recover from our lost ways. For many of us, I suspect, this might be transformative and energizing. Can we play our way into this visionary new creation realities? Come on! This could be fun. As Jamie Smith puts in on the back cover, “Living the Sabbath is a cup of cold water for thirsty souls — a cup of rest and delight offered to those of us exhausted and burdened by the frenetic pace of even our ‘Christian’ busy-ness.

In a way that is consistent with Biblical teaching, by the way, I think almost every personal self-help / personal growth book should have a broader, cultural and systemic aspect — we learn new ways of living within a social context, of course, the root of some of our craziness. And, similarly, any big-picture architectonic critique of the structures around us need to be taken up in our own real-world, daily lives. Living the Sabbath brings to this list a broad critique of our late, modern, capitalistic setting within the dominant culture. But, yet, again, it’s a book about living well, day by day, with Godly delight, in our own local places. Yay.

Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto Tricia Hersey (Little Brown Spark) $28.00 // OUR SALE PRICE = $22.40

Okay, maybe it is a tad incongruous to offer “a manifesto” along these lovely guides to a more restful life, but I’m telling you, lots of people I respect swear by this. She calls herself the “Nap Bishop” and says she has a “nap ministry.” I’m not sure the book is exactly oriented around a Christian worldview, but she is on to something. Hersey is serious about this call to undo some of the patterns of exploitation and racism that plague our society. Who knew that taking a nap could be a (counter-intuitive) form of nay-saying to the idols of the age? That our rest might disrupt white supremacy? (And if this really baffles you, check out one I highlighted a month ago — The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money Is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward by Malcolm Foley, a Black historian and pastor.)

Allow me to quote from the publisher’s pitch about Tricia Hersey’s manifesto:

“Rest Is Resistance is rooted in spiritual energy and centered in Black liberation, womanism, somatics, and Afro-futurism. With captivating storytelling and practical advice, all delivered in Hersey’s lyrical voice and informed by her deep experience in theology, activism, and performance art, Rest Is Resistance is a call to action, a battle cry, a field guide, and a manifesto for all of us who are sleep deprived, searching for justice, and longing to be liberated from the oppressive grip of Grind Culture.”

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction Justin Whitmel Earley (IVP) $23.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $19.19

This has been a best-seller for us for five years now, and we can’t stop telling folks about how helpful it has been for so many — especially (but not only) younger folks, Gen Xers and Millennials, and Gen Z etc. It started on line when Earley came to realize he was exhausted and drinking way too much so he created an online graphic and set of tools to help himself take up better habits, especially around issues of the use of his screens, his busyness, matters of rest and quiet. He’s a fancy lawyer and admittedly a bit driven; he’s a self-aware speaker and writer — we’ve been with him on more than one occasion — and an energetic family man. He’s a good, good guy (whose latest book is about the joys of friendship as an antidote to chronic loneliness.) We respect him and highly recommend this major release.

The Common Rule has some good theology, some spiritual guidance, and lots of stories and practical tools, charts, guidelines. There are habits that can be formed by certain practices — stuff we should do daily, weekly, monthly. There are things to avoid, guidelines for accountability, and ways to find some sort of sanity in our frenetic culture. As spiritual writer (and former high-powered global businessman) Ken Shigematsu notes, it is a lifeline.

And it is beautiful and practical, inviting, even. Whether you are overwhelmed and and on the edge of burn out or whether you just want to move towards a deeper more reasonable sort of lifestyle, this guidebook is a must-read. Buy a couple — you’ll want to give some away to folks you know. The Common Rule is compelling and a delight, even if it may stretch you a bit, even if you have an allergy to rigid guidebooks and texts that are described as tools. Trust me, this one is worth reading.

A Spacious Life: Trading Hustle and Hurry for The Goodness of Limits Ashley Hales (IVP) $19.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

I know a number of the books on this list allude to the notions that in our creatureliness state — made in God’s image but finite, in a real-world of createdness — we have limits. We can’t do it all since we are “only human” as Kelly Kapic puts it in his major work on the subject called You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News (Brazos Press; $23.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $19.19) or his new devotional You Were Never Meant to Do It All: A 40-Day Devotional on the Goodness of Being Human (Brazos Press; $19.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99.) Yep, Kelly’s theological work is excellent. But, man, Ashely Hales said it earlier and with such luscious graceful eloquence that one simply must read her 2021 book more than once.

I admire Ashley Hales for her writing skills, her style, her insight. I loved her Finding Holy in the Suburbs that explores a sense of place for those in the cul-de-sac. She has an amazing chapter in an anthology about racism and a new Bible study called A Fruitful Life. But this — A Spacious Life — is an extraordinary read. It is infused with cultural savvy and sociological wisdom, sure, but it is mostly a deeper spiritual read, a book that will draw you to God, to yourself, and to others, in the love that we so badly need. This is more about respite or solace but a reformation of our values and our attitudes about happiness and fulfillment. It will help us give up the endless desire to prefer more and harder and free us from being depleted and dissatisfied.

I’m not there yet, but I resonate with her diagnosis and her proclamation of this notion of a spacious life. I like the sound of it, don’t you? This is about flourishing and is, as Tish Harrison Warren says of it, “a theologically rich and pastoral invitation to slow down is a needed tonic in our culture of ambition and excess.” Breath deep. Be spacious.

The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn’t Have to Be Such Hard Work Leonard Sweet (Tyndale Momentum) $15.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $12.79

I’ve talked often about my friend Leonard Sweet, a vibrant and playful Christian leader. He reads more than almost anyone, can pray up a storm, and can preach a witty sermon that could bring an outbreak of genuine renewal. His grandmother was a Free Methodist revival preacher, after all… And he is a post-modern-ish semiotician.

Len is a blast to read, with wit and charm and insight galore. Some of his books are fairly big-picture cultural studies, futurist that he is. Others are just creative and interesting reminders of core Christian teaching. He is a man who follows Jesus and calls us all to whole-life, culturally-engaged serious but joyful discipleship.

The Well-Played Life is one of his less demanding books, at least intellectually. But it packs a prophetic wallop as he explores our fascination with earning our way (the opposite of grace, eh?) and an over-serious view of work. (I will never forget him saying we don’t “work” a violin, we “play” it, and similarly we might be advised to stop talking about “working” at our relationships.) Remember that famous line from Eric Liddell (popularized in the Academy Award-winning film, “Chariots of Fire”) about feeling God’s pleasure when he ran? That’s it! Anyway, The Well-Played Life is a winner. Check it out.

A Theology of Play: Learning to Enjoy Life as God Intended Kevin Gushiken (Kregel Academic) $24.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

I’ll admit, this one slipped by me — working too hard or fooling around too much I can’t say — and I just discovered it. I’m thrilled by the plainspoken title and glad to have a fresh take on this subject; the best books on the subject are out of print or hard to get. (We still stock a re-printed edition of Robert K. Johnston’s classic The Christian at Play.) Gushiken’s got a PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and I’m eager to know more about him. One of the rave blurbs on the back is from a pastor of a large church in Uganda, who notes that in some African cultures playfulness is considered to be un-serious, so therefore a playful leader would be disrespected. Sounds not terribly uncommon in some circles here, too, eh?

I like the books on leadership written by Angie Ward of Denver Seminary. Listen to her report on how this book, A Theology of Play, is helpful:

As a lifelong Christian and a perfectionist with a loud internal critic, this book is exactly the challenge and permission I needed to let myself learn how to play, and to play more. Play is not only for children, and it’s not a sign of immaturity; as Kevin Gushiken points out, it’s a mindset that is essential to our faith and growth as followers of Christ at any age. I especially needed the chapters on ‘Playing in My Identity’ and ‘Playing at Work’ to lighten up aspects of my life that I often take far too seriously. Thanks to Kevin for moving us toward the freedom and pleasure that God intended for our lives through this much-needed book! — Angie Ward, Director of the Doctor of Ministry, Denver Seminary, author of I Am a Leader, Uncharted Leadership, and Church and Parachurch.

The God Who Plays: A Playful Approach to Theology and Spirituality Brian Edgard (Cascade Publishing) $23.00 // OUR SALE PRICE = $18.40

I admit I have not read this… the cover seems too dark (although I like it if you study it) and I don’t know much about the author. But here’s the thing: a good friend of mine who does workshops on this very topic and who reads widely in their field has given it a big thumbs up. He recommends it and it’s been on my stack…. Some of you might want it, I bet.

Here is what the publisher says about it; read this carefully to see if it is for you. It sounds enjoyable enough, but in its call to create an ethic of play, it engages everybody from Aquinas to Bonhoeffer. Allrightee then.

Many people would be surprised to hear that a playful attitude towards God and the world lies at the heart of Christian faith. Traditionally Christians have focused on the serious responsibilities of service, sacrifice, and commitment. But the prophets say that the future kingdom is full of people laughing and playing, which has implications for Christians who are called to live out the future kingdom in the present. Play is not trivial or secondary to work and service–only a playful way of living does justice to the seriousness of life! Play is the essential and ultimate form of relationship with God, which is why Jesus told people to learn from children. Indeed, a playful attitude is an important part of all significant relationships. This book explores grace, faith, love, worship, redemption, and the kingdom from the perspective of a playful attitude. It describes how to create a “play ethic” to match the “work ethic” and discusses play as a virtue, Aquinas’s warning against the sin of not playing enough, and Bonhoeffer’s claim that in a world of pain it is only the Christian who can truly play.

The late, great Christine Pohl of Asbury (and author of the best serious study of hospitality, Making Room: Removing Hospitality as a Christian Tradition and the best serious exploration of community, Living into Community: Cultivating Practices That Sustain Us) wrote this about The God Who Plays:

Who would expect a theologically robust and illuminating argument for play as central to Christian life and theology? Brian Edgar provides this and more — an original, nuanced, and engaging book that challenges our assumptions and invites us to delight in, and to take seriously, the playful dimensions of spirituality, discipleship, relationships, and God’s kingdom. — Christine D. Pohl, professor, Asbury Theological Seminary

Leisure and Spirituality: Biblical, Historical, and Contemporary Perspectives Paul Heintzman (Baker Academic) $24.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

I did a major review of this when it first came out in 2015 — you can search back through BookNotes if you’d like — but I’ll just give it another quick shout out here, now. And our price is ten bucks lower than the going price now, so this is a fun bargain!

It is weighty (325 pages counting the endnotes and bibliography.) It is thorough. And it is, for some of us, indispensable. A major release in the important “Engaging Culture” series from Baker Academic, it is the only book that seriously tackles from a thoughtful, nuanced, evangelical perspective, the whole area of leisure studies. Heintzman taught this subsection of sociology at the University of Ottawa and has had extensive experience as a recreational practitioner. His love for the outdoors and wilderness experiences is palpable but this big volume offers a theoretical foundation for not only outdoors education, camping and the like but the whole broader terrain of leisure and recreation.

Robert Banks — who has given his life to thinking well about faith in the marketplace and work-world — says to read it “in a leisurely way” which he suggests is a more spiritually-attentive way. Glenn Van Andel, a colleague and leader in this very movement (from Calvin University in Grand Rapids) says the book is “a wonderful gift that will transform our perspective on common elements of our daily lives: work, rest, and play.”

Leisure and Spirituality is “a wonderful gift that will transform our perspective on common elements of our daily lives: work, rest, and play.” — Glenn Van Andel

I said it is the only book of its kind. That’s not exactly accurate as Dr. Heintzman helped edit two other spectacular volumes that bring together some academic papers and other reflections on leisure studies, recreation, play, sports, and the like, both published by that rather rare Dordt College Press. They are Christianity and Leisure: Issues in a Pluralistic Society and Christianity & Leisure II: Issues for the Twenty-first Century (both in stock here, naturally.) I highly recommend those for those with serious interest however it has stuff as diverse as leisure theory, empirical research, studies about the theology of sports and coaching, philosophical studies of the aesthetics of play, explorations about faith-based perspectives on health and wellness, and testimony from those who are practitioners in the fields of recreational services.

Until the Streetlights Come on: How a Return to Play Brightens Our Present and Prepares Kids for an Uncertain Future Ginny Yurich (Baker) $24.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

We’ve celebrated this before, glad to have an inspirational faith-based book about this increasingly discussed topic. And it is a good one — “rousing and replete with research” as one happy reader wrote. Everybody seems to know that kids need outdoor time and unstructured play. (Although not everyone is doing much about our lifestyles, our disconnection, our addiction to screens and the like.) This book can help.

Here is what the publisher writes:

The average American now spends just four to seven minutes outside each day, while we spend four to seven hours using devices with screens. Our physical, mental, emotional, and relational health has suffered–and so has that of our children.

But there is a solution: get outside!

A homeschooling mother of five and the founder of the global 1000 Hours Outside movement, Ginny Yurich explains how we got to this point — and how to get back to a healthier, more engaging relationship with the world outside. With a mom’s heart and an educator’s eye, Ginny shows you the importance of unstructured play for children, what boredom actually contributes to our brains, the value of sunlight and social play, the role of play in lifelong learning, how to make time outside more attractive than screen time to your child and much more.

If you want your kids to grow up curious, resilient, and with a sense of adventure and community, it’s essential to make outside play a priority. This book shows you why and how.

Overplayed: A Parent’s Guide to Sanity in the World of Youth Sports David King & Margot Starbuck (Herald Press) $15.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $12.79

Again, this is an older one that we raved about when it came out almost a decade ago. King is the director of athletics at Eastern Mennonite University (and has coached sports and the elementary, middle and high school levels.) Margot is everybody’s favorite (or ought to be) hippy-chick wild writer woman. Her consulting work with writers is stunningly useful and she’s a joyful, thoughtful, Christian leader. They combined here to explore some good news for parents who are overwhelmed by the demands of competitive youth sports.

As the back cover asks — do you remember pickup games in the backyard? Oh, how times have changed.

This wise book offers insights that will help guide parents towards practical ways to set boundaries and help kids gain fuller identities (as beloved children of God) both on and off the field, whether they win or lose games. Others have written about this and this is by far the best thing we’ve seen. Needed now more than ever.

There is Biblical insight here, yes, but also developmental stuff and ways to help regain a sane and life-giving schedule for kids and teens (and parents.) There are discussion questions for families and lots of stories — whether you are a parent or care-giver, coach, trophy winner or the kid who got cut from the team, there really is lots of good info here.

Rachel Gerber, who has been the national minister for youth and young adults for the Mennonite Church USA, says:

Practical and inspirational, Overplayed reminds and reorients us as parents and caregivers to what truly matters: not our children’s scholarships, trophies, or records but the fact that they are God’s beloved children.

A Year of Playing Catch: What a Simple Daily Experiment Taught Me about Life Ethan D. Bryan (Zondervan) $19.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

I have written about this often — even though I admit I’ve never had a catch with Ethan — and find the book to be one of the most memorable, enjoyable, insightful, playful, books I’ve read. I mean that — in its own way, in this rather unique genre, it is a true stand-out. Ethan wrote an earlier book about going to his beloved KC Royals stadium every day for a whole season (they were not doing well in those years) with some sort of spiritual lesson or lively insight gleaned from each game. Eventually he took his playful energy and writerly observations into his own personal life and started playing catch every single day and wrote this charming book about that.

It has become a bit of a movement — there are stories galore (google him) and stories from ESPN and other such sources that tell about playing catch to raise money for good causes or playing catch in honor of a deceased sports fan, or playing catch to heal broken relationships. I’m glad some have read the book and are doing the work. Or should I say playing the play.

A Year of Playing Catch follows Ethan all over where he plays with ordinary folks (and a few stars, on and off the field.) The scene when he has a catch at the famous “Field of Dreams” site is unforgettable. The drama builds as he might play with super-star celebrities and maybe the White House. Or not. It doesn’t matter— he’s a lovely servant of God touching the lives of common folks all over. This book is a testament of the power of play, the joy of following your dreams (or at least following your nose as you figure what shape your dreams will take) and caring well for others as you re-create. What fun. Highly recommended for baseball fans, of course, but, really, for every and anyone.

Speaking of having fun, by the way, Ethan D. Bryan of Missouri is the author of the self-published novel I wrote about in the last BookNotes, The Life-Saving Adventure of Gracelyn Gordon and Her Dog. There’s a little baseball in that fictional travelogue, too. What a great time I had reading that. You will, too.

Walk Ride Paddle: A Life Outside Tim Kaine (Harper Horizon) $29.99 // OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

Okay admittedly, this is not just a book about the author’s 1,228-mile journey hiking, cycling and canoeing across Virginia’s natural landscape. It is, indeed, an outdoorsy journal — in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s review she says “Move over, Thoreau, and make way for Walk, Ride, Paddle. In fact, great contemporary mystery writer David Baldacci says Kaine is “channeling his inner Bill Bryson” which is just about right. Another review notes how Kaine takes us along as he “hikes the Appalachian Trail, cycles through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and canoes Virginia’s lightly James River.” What fun.

But it is more. I suppose you know that Kaine is a Democratic office holder who obviously loves his state and sets out here not only to find recreational solace but to meet people across the political divides. It isn’t mostly about civil society and public conversations, but it is “a love letter to the commonwealth” he has served for over twenty-five years. Written as he was turning 60, Cain is taking account of his own life. As Hillary put it, it is “filled with reflections on everything from his strong religious faith to his dislike of wolf spiders to Covid’s impact on his health to our nation’s dysfunctional politics.

There are lots of enjoyable outdoor memoirs and travelogues, many that help us see the beauty of the terrain. This one is a really enjoyable one, exploring our bonds as people, making it what Adriana Triginai (The Good Left Undone) calls “a field guide for the soul.” Nice — a perfect summer read.

Every Step Is Home: A Spiritual Geography fro Appalachia to Alaska Lori Erickson (WJK) $20.00 // OUR SALE PRICE = $16.00

This is an author I enjoy — I liked her faith-based exploration of genealogy called The Soul of the Family Tree and couldn’t put down her Near the Exit, an award-winning study and travelogue through the customs and ritual surrounding death the world over. What fascinating reads. This recent one is equally ambitious, but a tad less dramatic, making it, well, also captivating in its own fun way. During COVID, the globetrotting Erickson and her husband took off in their small camper. I love a good road trip and for those of us who don’t have the time or money to travel, it’s fun to ride along. Especially when the author is so curious, mindful, even.

As the publisher puts it, “Whether you are exploring national parks or visiting holy sites, this book makes for the perfect spiritual companion and guide.” There are additional resources for group conversations — it would make a great book club selection — including videos from the author (and even a Spotify playlist.) Every Step Is Home is a lovely, fun read whether you are a nomad or pilgrim or stay at home reader.

Sacred Playgrounds: Christian Summer Camp in Theological Perspective Jacob Sorenson (Cascade Books) $28.00 // OUR SALE PRICE = $22.40

I mentioned in my intro that a guest pastor friend preached about “sacred playgrounds” in our church last week. No doubt she was drawing on this one-of-a-kind theologian, storyteller, researcher, and upbeat writer about the ways in which summer camping can be a venue for not only religious formation and spiritual dedication but actually theological exploration. Perhaps without naming it as such campers, counselors, and staff engage in theological playfulness, exploring with creativity and imagination the interface of spirituality and the great outdoors. Sorenson is not unaware of the myriad philosophical and theological questions at play here — centering experiential education and embodied spiritual formation is increasingly being studied — but the book is a good read. I’m guessing it was a dissertation at some point and we can rejoice. There is nothing like it that I know of in print.

The Art of Being a Creature: Meditations on Humus and Humility Ragan Sutterfield (Cascade) $25.00 // OUR SALE PRICE = $20.00

I’ve reviewed this before so won’t go on and on, but I could. I love this book! Sutterfield is an Episcopalian farmer and has written wisely on Earth and limits and his own body images and caring for creation (and has the best intro to the life and work of Wendell Berry out there – Wendell Berry and the Given Life, a great, great read.) I raved about this because, well, it is about the truth of things: we are creatures, Earthlings, made of humus, after all. This is profoundly Biblical and it is so, as she says, that “from AI to the Anthropocene, technological power has pushed human life to the limits.” Can caring for soil — gardening, farming, eating well — make a difference?

If you liked Jeff Chu’s Good Soil, you’d like the stuff Sutterfield writes about a theology of compost. His style is lively essay, filled with serious reflections (about kenosis) and playful ruminations. There’s some natural history and science and some lovely stuff about being fully human.

Bible scholar Sylvia Keesmaat and farmer writes that Sutterfield “has created an allusive and poetic symphony of gratitude, awe, and solidarity with and for the soil.” She continues, “the book invites us to join the dance of all of creation… so we might become more deeply rooted in the life of the Creator.”

It seems a fine title to end our little list about rest, recreation, play — a book about mud and beauty. About God and us beloved creatures. Yes, yes, yes. Enjoy and be transformed.

A FINAL QUICK NOTE ABOUT PRE-ORDERING THIS FORTHCOMING FABULOUS TITLE:

A final quick note: for some of us — I hardly need to say it — reading is a pastime not only for spiritual formation and life-long learning but for relatively inexpensive, lasting, entertainment. We thank God for the rest and rejuvenation we can find while lost in a good book. So I wanted to just remind you that I invited you (in a BookNotes a few weeks ago) to PRE-ORDER one of my favorite books on the topic of reading and the glad practices of reading widely. It’s coming early, next month, so don’t forget to order World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading by Jeff Crosby (Paraclete Press; $18.99 // OUR PRE-ORDER SALE PRICE = $15.19.) What a delight this book will be. I’ve read an early manuscript and I am thrilled to get to sell it soon. Hooray.

Scroll to the tab marked “ORDER” below and tell us what you want. We’ll take it from there.

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