Perhaps serendipitously, Matthew Sleeth’s book “24/6” arrived in the mail a day after I received a warning from a police officer for speeding. If my run-in with the law hinted that I needed to “slow down,” then Sleeth’s latest book certainly drove home the point. A blessed punctuation.
For years, I’ve taught my students about the liabilities of sleep deprivation, pointing out that college students are the most sleep deprived people in America, and sharing how improving my sleep habits had dramatically improved my academic performance in college and helped me discover some of my best abilities. 24/6 elaborates a similar wisdom, but with deep roots in a communal and relational Christian vision that eschews self-help simply to achieve self-mastery — rather, Dr. Sleeth’s prescription of 24/6 beckons us to physical and spiritual wholeness.
One part sabbath reflection, and one part life and health guide, Sleeth diagnoses our cultural ailment and illuminates its importance through revealing stories from his work as a doctor. A God-centered prescription that is good for body and soul, 24/6 is also a challenge to the non-stop cultural patterns that drive us. If Lent is partly a time of giving up things that otherwise occupy our devotions, so that we can be more open to and receiving of God, then reading 24/6 makes an ideal Lenten discipline.
For more information about 24/6 and how to order, clickhere.
Dr. Hitzhusen is the OFSC Board Chair and is a Lecturer in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University where his work and research center on the intersection of faith and the environment and developing partnerships between scientific and religious communities.
Do you know other Lenten resources that focus on sustainability and creation care to recommend to others? Thanks for sharing!