Refresh: Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands

In a world in which people have been overly busy and emotionally and physically burned out both author David Murray and his wife Shona Murray has written a helpful Christian book to address the problem. This book provides preventive measures with practical wisdom and also spiritual resources from the Christian faith to deal with the issue. The book’s main purpose is to teach readers what does a grace pace life looks like. Early in the book it points out that we need five “wells” of God’s grace: motivating grace, moderating grace, multiplying grace, releasing grace and receiving grace. The rest of the book unpack what these five aspect of God’s grace means. I got this book largely because I have benefited from the teaching ministry of David Murray and his practical insights which have been helpful from some of the online audios and lectures I have listened to. This book I read lived up to my expectation.One quick note: This book was actually for women. I was not aware of it when I first requested for my review copy from the publishers and from reading the book I learned that David Murray have earlier in the year published Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture which covered much of the materials in this current work although this current work addressed specific applications towards women. Still as a man who is a husband, a father to my daughters and a brother with sisters I thought this book was helpful to understand and able to minister more to the sisters.The book consists of ten chapters that the authors called “stations” in the sense of stations in the gym. These ten stations were conveniently alliterated with the letter R: Reality Check, Replay, Rest, Re-Create, Relax, Rethink, Reduce, Refuel, Relate, and Resurrection. Station one begins with an examination of where one is at prior to the book. Here the chapter provides a helpful diagnostic checklists concerning physical, mental, emotional, relational, vocational, moral and spiritual warning signs. After this checklist station one provides a section evaluating the diagnostic data of how wide, how deep and how long has one’s problems have been going on. Station two looks back on one’s life’s changes and is broken down into two parts: Life situation is concerned with what has happened to you and secondly lifestyle which covers what we have a choice about. Among other things this station/chapter gives a good analysis of lifestyle dangers. Station three looks at the subject of sleep. I appreciated the case that the authors argued for the fact that lack of sleep has physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual consequences. For instance the book mentioned a study by University of Loughborough Sleep Research Center which found that women needs twenty more minutes of sleep than men. Station three also provides help for sleep such as knowledge, discipline, routine, media fast, family cooperation, exercise, commitment, faith in God’s promises, etc. Station four looks at the importance of the physical body. Here the medical background of author Shona Murray who was previously a doctor was really helpful. Like station three this station gives informative summary of medical findings. For instance I learned that routinely sitting nine hours a day does terrible things to the body such as increase obesity, diabetes and heart disease while walking two miles a day improves one’s health and reduces the chance of dementia by sixty percent. This station also has practical help and guidelines. Station five is on relaxing and station six is on one’s identity. Station seven is about cutting down on what is not needed by evaluating one’s spiritual, family, vocational, church and social life and seeing what is one’s purpose and plan and “pruning” in light of that. Station eight was titled “Refuel” and I thought this was one of the best chapter in the book with its nuanced discussion of the role of antidepressant medications. This chapter also had a very good discussion about assessing one’s energy fillers and drainers. Station nine is about relationship and five specific relationships are examined: God, husband, children, friends and older women. Finally station eleven is more eschatological with the encouragement of our future with God.Overall I would recommend this book. I appreciate that this work is biblical and also careful in how the authors handle extrabiblical data while allowing Scripture to still be one’s ultimate authority. It is encouraging, practical and easy to read. Even if you are not a woman this is a book getting for those you love.NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Crossway and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Shona and David Murray's book Refresh is probably the best book I have read in the last six months, maybe even in the last year. This is NOT simply another book by a female Christian talking about how overwhelming life can be.If it was, I wouldn't be reviewing it!Instead Dr. Murray (Shona) writes practically about how women get into the situations of being overwhelmed, full of anxiety, and depressed despite being Christians. Dr. Murray takes the reader through 10 stations in the "refresh gym" to help get women back on track and living the healthiest and most honoring life possible. Dr Murray talks about things that other books for Christian women completely neglect. She addresses things like sleep, media influences, nutrition, and physical exercise and how they impact a Christian walk. The one that really sticks out in my mind is from the chapter Re-Create in which Murray says,Your body was bought with the price of Christ's blood. He bought it with the greatest ransom ever paid. Try to think of the most expensive thing you ever bought Was it a car or a house? How much did you protect and maintain it? Now think of how much Christ paid for your body and consider how you are managing this blood bought property. "You are not your own," says Paul. "You were bought at a price". We have a new owner who has paid a huge price for his property. He claims our bodies as his own and calls us to manage them for his glory.Man! Isn't that convicting? Imagine if every Christian was operating at 100%. If we weren't slowed down by dependency on social media, sugar, or self caused exhaustion. In Refresh, Dr. Murray lays out simple and practical steps to achieve this goal.I think it is just fabulous.If I could give a book more than an A+ I would. I might just have to create something higher for those few special books that really touch my heart. Anyways, Refresh would be one of those books. I don't care if you are 13 and trying to navigate middle school or 95 and trying to live the winter of your life honoring God, this book is for you. Basically what I am saying is go out and read this book right now. Put it on the top of your stack of books and make sure you share it with the next woman you meet that seems like she could use a little refreshing.

I’m so grateful the Murrays have written this book. Both theological and practical, it provided a helpful and Gospel-focused framework for thinking through what it means to be healthy – emotionally, spiritually, and physically. I read it with a friend, both of us having struggled with our emotional and physical health, and it led to good discussion and tangible steps forward. I am especially grateful for Shona’s willingness to engage mental illness from both a physical and spiritual perspective – something that is far too often missing in Christian thought and dialogue. It was an easy read, like a conversation with a mentor. I found the imagery of going to the gym a little cheesy, but it didn’t detract from the book’s overall helpfulness.I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author; this review is my own.

No matter what stage you are in with life, this book WILL HELP YOU. I found myself doing more and more, thinking it was spiritual problem, and if I just kept going I would eventually feel better. Until I was running unexplained fevers regularly, losing weight, joint paint, extreme fatigue- yet insomnia, and little pleasure in things I once enjoyed. I am better now...but if I had of had this book during that time, it would have saved years of searching and struggling. So many doctors. So much stuff... it was all a vicious cycle that I didn't know how to break or where to start. This book is solid Bible truth with practical applications... I am thrilled to go through it right now with "minor" warning signs, to stop them before I get more!!!

A great book to help reset my mind and heart as I emerge and recover from a period of longterm burnout and anxiety and embark on a more intimate journey with Jesus with a different pace of life. The interwoven theme of the gym and "training" to become refreshed in body, mind and heart helped connect the dots a bunch as someone who is passionate about wellness.

I am sitting in a coffee shop taking some "she time"..reading and highlighting various parts of Shona Murray's book that leap out at me ..Am only halfway through but have found some real wise nuggets that I am needing to hear. I am not a mum with young kids or dependant kids...but am a full time carer for my elderly mother in-law who lives with our family ...so translating a lot of Shona's wise and Godly advice to my situation...It's good and I am so glad I pressed the button to buy this book! Would highly recommend.

What I really like about this book is that it doesn't sugar coat or spiritualize away the physical causes of burnout and yet balances it with the need to lean on God for our needs as well. Lots of practical suggestions. Shona and David help us dig through possible contributing factors to the stress we feel in running too fast and having too much on our plate. Buy it. You won't regret it. Christians need this kind of counsel as so easily we feel the need to take on more and more "ministry" responsibilities and sometimes think that love always means saying "yes". This book helps to dispel the lies we believe that slowly lead to burnout.

Still reading it and enjoying it very much.

Great book! Came on time and is a really good read!