With an approach befitting her personal and professional background, Christian writer and Divinity Professor Lauren Winner revisits her Orthodox Jewish roots in an updated version of this spiritual practices guide.

Subtitled “An Invitation to a Life of Spiritual Discipline,” Winner explains for readers Orthodox Jewish practices surrounding the Sabbath, fasting, mourning, prayer, hospitality and more, with suggestions on ways Christians could incorporate aspects of these practices into their own lives. The book is short and interesting reading for the curious and open minded person. I enjoyed learning about Orthodox Jewish customs, and well as their history and context as I was only familiar with some of them.

Although this book was originally published in 2003, it is being re-released with updated material and discussion questions in each chapter, which would make this a good book for church groups or book clubs open to spiritual discussion. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Paracelete Press for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
( )

A short and sweet intro into how the church and its believers can incorporate some of the practices of its spiritual forebears.

Not too heady or emotional, this book is a nice change of pace from the trendy books published recently that are high in anecdotal reasons for remaking all of Christianity, but low in cogent reasoning. As this book is meant to whet the reader's appetite for further reading / learning, Winner produces the right mix of intellect and humor.

Recommended as a starting point for those who are seeking further depth in their spiritual walk, as well as for those who would like to complement their faith with more meaningful practices. ( )

In her follow up to her autobiographical account of her conversion to Christianity from Orthodox Judaism the author reflects on the rituals that she misses from her former practice, and how she attempts to keep some of them in practicing her new faith. In the process she as a relatively new Christian explains Jewish rituals to her fellow Christians and their theological underpinnings. Since Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism, and like Judaism and Islam worship the same God, there is a lot of comparing and contrasting in her ruminations, such as her after church routine of going to her local coffee shop, the Mudhouse of the title, and reflecting on her new Sunday routine and the much quieter and more disciplined Shabbat she formerly kept on Saturdays. ( )

Summary:Despite her conversion from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity, Lauren Winner finds that her life is still shaped by the spiritual essences of Judaism - rich traditions and religious practices that she can't leave behind. In Mudhouse Sabbath, Winner illuminates eleven spiritual practices that can transform the way we view the world, and God. Whether discussing her own prayer life, the spirituality of candle-lighting, or the differences between the Jewish Sabbath and a Sunday spent at the Mudhouse, her favorite coffee shop, Winner writes with appealing honesty and rare insight

I liked this book very much but I have to admit that my first impression was that she was pining away for her former religion, even once to say ' Jews do this better ' and wondered why she ever converted to Christianity when it was so clear she definitely had one foot in her former life.

Then I had an 'aha' moment. I moved to England and lived there for a year, one of 8 trips across the pond over the decades, and I loved my home, my long distance country walks, seeing pheasants and hares, sheep, horses, magpies, etc as I pounded those country roads, and was meant to stay forever but the engagement ended and I came back home. As much as I loved it there and was happy, there were a million times I would find myself saying, ' That only costs $ 3 in Brooklyn, not your equivilent of $ 17'

Looking for a Whole Foods, Trader Joes was out of the question, all their sugar free items were dosed with aspartame and I realized what leaving the land of abundance really meant. So it is possible to love where you are or what you are and at the same time look wistfully backwards. ( )