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Simone Weil is an outsider's saint. The daughter of an agnostic French family of Jewish descent, Weil was never baptized ("God does not want me in the Church," she wrote), and her conversion to Christianity at the age of 23 took her by surprise. Until then, she had been a solemn, committed leftist intellectual. Now she was moving toward a life of divine encounters whose desolate ecstasy, as described by the journals, letters, and essays excerpted in Waiting for God, bear comparison to St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. As Leslie Fiedler writes in her introduction to Weil's book, "She speaks of the problems of belief in the vocabulary of the unbeliever, of the doctrines of the Church in the words of the unchurched." The book is most notable for Weil's lengthy letter titled "Spiritual Autobiography" and for her "Meditation on the Pater Noster," which is the discursive record of a spiritual process that led to her almost daily attainment of a mystical vision of God. This is not pretty writing; it is an agonized record of amazement. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
Emerging from thought-provoking discussions and correspondence Simone Weil had with the Reverend Father Perrin, this classic collection of essays contains her most profound meditations on the relationship of human life to the realm of the transcendant. An enlightening introduction by Leslie Fiedler examines Weil's extraordinary roles as a philosophy teacher turned mystic. "One of the most neglected resources of our century ", Waiting for God will continue to influence spiritual and political thought for centuries to come.
Customer Reviews:
Life changing.......2007-04-13
I guess when one is ready for certain changes in one's life God leads us to those things that will best facilitate that change. Simone Weil has been a catalyst for a major change in my life. Her writings have struck a responsive chord in my life. Although some of her writings are difficult for me to understand, the underlying message is powerful. I found myself relating to her desire to discover the love of God in her life. I appreciated her soul searching honesty is wanting that encounter to be completely without deception, pretense or even pride. She so wanted to guard against a false religious experience, or siimply a social religious experience. Her descriptions of what it is to truly love another are profound. Her life is a journey that I want to follow. I looked up the meaning of her name in the dictionary. It means "one who hears." Certainly, she is one who sought to hear the voice of God. I, too, want to hear the voice of God without deception or pride. I honor Simone as a true religious teacher for me.
a bit unorthodox, to say the least.......2006-02-10
I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. I was hoping to give this book to my brother-in-law, someone with a Catholic upbringing but a Marxist philosophy now- a bit of the reverse of Simone Weil. The theology in this book is so individual, however, as to make me uncertain that it could even be called Christian. In any case, I'm not sure it's a life-path that would inspire any other than a very select group. Because it is different, and because there probably are some people that it might speak to I give it 2 stars, but it wasn't for me.
by a modern saint.......2005-05-10
Simone Weil (1909-1943) was a remarkable saint of the modern era. After being raised in a Jewish middle class family and graduating from the finest schools, she went to work in the inner city as a blue-collar factory worker. She once complained to the supervisor about a coal drill: "This drill was designed to break rocks. It was not designed for human hands" while illustrating the vibrating effects with her arms. She reportedly debated Trotsky on the living conditions of the proletariat into the ground.
Weil died of physical and mental exhaustion at age 34 after an arduous life of fasting, writing, and working in solidarity with the most downtrodden of society. Besides her amazing solidarity with the working class, it is Weil's profound writings that have established her legacy. Contemporary Albert Camus called her "the only great spirit of our time." T.S. Eliot wrote in his forward to one of her books: "We must expose ourselves to the personality of a woman of genius, of a kind of genius akin to that of a saint." In his essay titled, "The Importance of Simone Weil," Czeslaw Milosz wrote, "France offered a rare gift to the contemporary world in the person of Simone Weil." Waiting for God (Harper Perennial, 2001) is the best introduction to her spiritual writings, and what follows are some highlights from that work.
The first few chapters consist of letters she wrote to her friend, Father Perrin. Though one gets a better sense of how she felt and struggled daily living out her ideas, it is her four essays in the latter half of the book that show the most profundity and coherence of thought. Every page, nearly every paragraph has such significance, one cannot finish reading an essay without being ravished through the direction of one who knew the spiritual life as deeply as she did.
When I first read the essay "Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God," I was having trouble picking up a case to read for law school. It seemed pointless especially since I had already decided to become a pastor rather than an attorney. But Weil showed me that "the key to a Christian conception of studies is the realization that prayer consists of attention." (p.58). She states, "Students must therefore work without any wish to gain good marks, to pass examinations, to win school successes; without any reference to their natural abilities and tastes; applying themselves equally to all their tasks, with the idea that each one will help form in them the habit of that attention which is the substance of prayer." (p.59) This explains why Weil mastered several languages including Sanskrit and a wide range of academic subjects: they helped her to pray more effectively. She exhorts, "Whoever goes through years of study without developing this attention within himself has lost a great treasure." (p.64)
In another application, Weil insightfully states that studying also helps one love his neighbor. She explains, "Those who are unhappy have no need for anything in this world but people capable of giving them their attention." (p.64) Hence studying helps enable the soul to "[empty] itself of all its contents in order to receive into itself the being it is looking at, just as he is, in all his truth." (p.65) The immeasurable help that studying can bring to others is captured in this thought: "The capacity to give one's attention to a sufferer is a very rare and difficult thing; it is almost a miracle; it is a miracle." (p.64)
In the next essay "The Love of God and Affliction," Weil writes:
"The great enigma of human life is not suffering but affliction. It is not surprising that the innocent are killed, tortured, driven from their country, made destitute . . .since there are criminals to perform such actions. It is not surprising either that disease is the cause of long sufferings, which paralyze life and make it into an image of death, since nature is at the mercy of the blind play of mechanical necessities. But it is surprising that God should have given affliction the power to seize the very souls of the innocent and to take possession of them as their sovereign lord. At the very best, he who is branded by affliction will keep only half his soul." (p.69)
Weil defines affliction as the experience of "physical pain, distress of soul, and social degradation, all at the same time." (p.81) She analogizes it to a nail that God uses to pierce the center of one's soul, to leave the person as it were crucified, where he or she can experience God most intimately as Job and Christ did in view of God's apparent absence.
But Weil warns that amidst affliction, if one does not strain to hear an absent God in silence, or feel the beauty of God in the world's absolute obedience to Him, then the person remains like a slave with half a soul. For "sin is not a distance," according to Weil, "it is a turning of our gaze in the wrong direction." (p.73) In other words, losing hope is a greater sin than acknowledging one's feelings of abandonment by God. She elaborates that just as two strangers may be near but not together and two friends may be apart but still near, "God can never be perfectly present to us here below on account of our flesh. But he can be almost perfectly absent from us in extreme affliction. . . . That is why the Cross is our only hope." (p.75)
In her essay "Forms of the Implicit Love of God," Weil comments on four loves: of neighbor, the order of the world, religious practices, and friendship. Regarding love for our neighbor, she profoundly states, "The Gospel makes no distinction between the love of our neighbor and justice." (p.85) She explains that "the supernatural virtue of justice consists of behaving exactly as though there were equality when one is the stronger in an unequal relationship." (p.85) Thus a believer cannot show love to his poor neighbor if he assumes that he is reaching down or doing the impoverished person a favor.
Instead a believer must seek to reaffirm the dignity of this person made in God's image before seeking to help him. (p.88) Weil comments that "[i]t is not surprising that a man who has bread should give a piece to someone who is starving. What is surprising is that he should be capable of doing so with so different a gesture from that with which we buy an object. Almsgiving when it is not supernatural is like a sort of purchase. It buys the sufferer." (p.91) The beauty of the inseparability of justice and love is that it creates solidarity between rich and poor, and allows the coexistence of generosity and respect. In this way of "creative attention" we become God-like. Weil elaborates:
"God alone has this power, the power really to think into being that which does not exist. Only God, present in us, can really think the human quality into the victims of affliction, can really look at them with a look differing from that we give to things, can listen to their voice as we listen to spoken words. Then they become aware that they have a voice, otherwise they would not have occasion to notice it. . . . God is present at the point where the eyes of those who give and those who receive meet." (p.93-4)
Regarding love of the order of the world, Weil writes, "[T]he soul's natural inclination to love beauty is the trap God most frequently uses in order to win it and open it to the breath from on high." (p.103). She describes the beauty of the world as "Christ's tender smile for us coming through matter." (p.104) Weil however laments that too many treat the dim reflections of God's beauty on earth as the final and only reality (as manifested in luxury, art, science). (p.106-8) This locating the absolute in pleasure is the "crime of idolatry." (p.111)
On the love of religious practices, the thought most associated with Weil's contribution to spirituality is that "one of the principal truths of Christianity, a truth that goes almost unrecognized today, is that looking is what saves us." (p.125) She offers the illustration: "The bronze serpent was lifted up so that those who lay maimed in the depths of degradation should be saved by looking upon it." (p.125) Weil is adamant that "the will cannot produce any good in the soul." (p.126) She writes:
"That we have to strive after goodness with an effort of our will is one of the lies invented by the mediocre part of ourselves in its fear of being destroyed. Such an effort does not threaten it in any way . . . not even when it entails a great deal of fatigue and suffering. For the mediocre part of ourselves is not afraid of fatigue and suffering; it is afraid of being killed." (p.127)
To the contrary, Weil emphasizes that "the effort that brings a soul to salvation is like the effort of looking or of listening; it is the kind of effort by which a fiancée accepts her lover. It is an act of attention and consent." (p.126) In other words, "[t]he crucifixion of Christ is the model of all acts of obedience." (p.126) Thus, Weil exhorts, "it is at those moments when we are, as we say, in a bad mood, when we feel incapable of the elevation of soul that befits holy things, it is then that it is most effectual to turn our eyes toward perfect purity. For it is then that evil, or rather mediocrity, comes to the surface of the soul and is in the best position for being burned by contact with the fire." (p.125)
She distinguishes between morality, which depends on the will, and religion, which consists of desire, and concludes, "It is desire that saves" and again "to long for God and to renounce all the rest, that alone can save us." (p.127-8) Acknowledging the counterintuitive nature of true sanctification that is contrary to the commonly held view of it being a matter of sheer strenuous will power, Weil nevertheless exclaims: "There is an easiness in salvation which is more difficult to us than all our efforts" and "this waiting for goodness and truth is . . . something more intense than any searching." (p.127-8) She perceptively observes that "the notion of grace, as opposed to virtue depending on the will, and that of inspiration, as opposed to intellectual or artistic work, these two notions, if they are well understood, show the efficacy of desire and waiting." (p.129)
Weil's comments on friendship are brief, so I will be brief. She defines it as "a supernatural harmony, a union of opposites." (p.132) She explains, "In all human things, necessity is the principle of impurity. All friendship is impure if even a trace of the wish to please or the contrary desire to dominate is found in it." (p.135) Thus "in a perfect friendship . . .the two friends have fully consented to be two and not one, they respect the distance which the fact of being two distinct creatures places between them. Man has the right to desire direct union with God alone." (p.135)
She concludes her essay on the four loves with a few more precious insights only one of which I'll mention. She encourages people to cherish the certainty of one's hunger for God as invaluable even if one is uncertain of His presence. For the greatest argument for the existence of God, as with bread or water, is hunger and thirst. (p.138)
In her essay "Concerning the Our Father," Weil explicates the Lord's Prayer sentence by sentence. His prayer had special meaning for her because through it, she once wrote in her diary, Christ daily "descended and took her." I leave it to the reader to discover its riches.
the Gospel message loved and lived!.......2003-07-17
Everything that Simone Weil teaches is taught in the Christian gospels. If you think the Gospel message goes to extremes, is too precious in its tenderness, too self-sacrificing, too far over on the side of the poor, the imprisoned, and the broken-hearted, then you will surely think the same of Simone's life and writing. If you know, follow, and love the beatitudes, if you understand the way of the cross, the vision of the saints, you will treasure every chapter of WAITING FOR GOD. It is the best of Weil's books, and therefore the best place to begin reading her essays -- even among the writings of the saints, this book is unique in its overwhelming love and faithfulness to the Gospel teaching of unconditional love.
WAITING FOR GOD.......2003-03-06
I first tried to read this book decades ago, but could not get far with it. Then I read Iris Murdoch's, Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals, in which IM refers to Simone Weil and her philosophy. That took me back to SW, and now I find myself re-reading parts several times. For example, read what she says about carnal love and its several levels, from the purest to debauchery. Simone Weil answers the question that so many ask: Why do we? Simone Weil has one of the most penetrating minds one can meet, and her writings are a result.
Average customer rating:
- More than Watchmen
- Still Waiting
- we must wait on the Lord...
- Seminary 101
- A Must For Every Born Again Saint
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Waiting on God
Andrew Murray
Manufacturer: Whitaker House
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ASIN: 0883681013 |
Book Description
A Longing for God
Within us there is a deep yearning for what God can and will do in our lives. In WAITING ON GOD Andrew Murray helps us discover the power unleashed to believers who wait on the Lord. This is an encouragement for more than quiet anticipation, but is a call to a dynamic attitude and an active faith in the ways of God. These thirty-one devotional readings guide us to a deeper sense of God's presence and dependence on him.
Yearn to wait on God
-For redemption
-For his guidance
-In times of darkness
-To know his goodness
-Continually
WAITING ON GOD speaks as clearly and poignantly to Christians today as it did more than a century ago when it was written. This edition is edited and updated for today's reader.
“My soul, wait only upon God.”
Psalm 62:5
Customer Reviews:
More than Watchmen.......2007-06-02
"My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning; yea, more than watchmen for the morning." JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh: Pocket Edition
If I had to summarize this book in one word, it would be "RICH," for every page contains so much of God's truth that it has been difficult to select from among the pages and chapters to determine what to include in this review.
This pocket-sized book is arranged in a devotional format, in thirty-one short chapters, each about three pages long, each chapter covering a different facet of what it means to wait on God, which Murray sums thus, "What He asks of us, in the way of surrender, obedience, desire, and trust, is all comprised in this one word: waiting on Him, waiting for His salvation. It combines the deep sense of our entire helplessness and our perfect confidence that our God will work all in His divine power" (p. 16). Waiting on God, in turn, comprises both the active and passive elements of entering His blessed rest, the state into which He desires to bring all His children, not just in the hereafter, but in the here-and-now.
Throughout the book, from a variety of perspectives, Murray draws the reader to consider and embrace the truth of just how good God is, how we are in Him, and He is in us. In Chapter 28, "For the Coming of His Son," Murray writes, "Waiting on God in heaven, and waiting for His Son from heaven, these two God has joined together and no man may put them asunder" (p. 119). Murray goes on to describe the waiting of the Bride for the Bridegroom, not for expectation of the position or privilege she will gain, but because she loves the Bridegroom, the ecstasy of God's own love being a certain, inextricable part of that. And this is the sweet pleasure of waiting on Him, in tender love toward Him and toward each other, in true bridal spirit, even as He works in us to perfect His love toward, in and through us.
In the spirit of love, Murray anguishes over the "tens of thousands of professing Christians, who live on in carelessness, and who, if no change come, must perish under God's hand" (for God is a righteous judge of all, deliverer, and faithful avenger of His chosen ones) and he implores that we who wait on God warn them, plead with and for them, for God's mercy (p.85).
Every chapter ends with the refrain, "My soul, wait thou only upon God!" for waiting on God is never in vain, for He promises that "...they shall not be ashamed that wait for me" Isaiah 49:23.
Sadly, only a few of Andrew Murray's books are available in our local library. Murray's works are now in the public domain, and Whitaker House is one of the publishing companies that produces this work. This company utilizes the proceeds from these sales to sustain the company and to invest in exclusively Christian charitable works, including missionary works (I took the time to contact the company and ask the question). They offer many such works at up to a seventy-five percent discount. There is a publisher's note in the front of this edition letting the reader know that "The text of this book... has been edited for the modern reader." The full text (I assume of the original, unedited version) is available online, free, but possibly is not as convenient as a pocket book to carry around or as economical to give as a gift or use in group study.
I read my first Andrew Murray book Abide in Christ some thirty-six years ago, when I was a teenager and new believer. There was sound reason that book was required reading in the youth group I was involved with then, for Murray's exposition of what it means to abide in Christ had a profound impact on my walk from that time forward. Waiting on God has at least as much if not more potential to impact what remains of my life, for waiting on God is my rest and abiding joy, it is Christ in me, the hope of glory.
Still Waiting.......2007-01-17
Murray is one of those authors I always wish I were reading at the computer, so I could file the inspiring quotes that pop off the page. For years I have turned to Andrew Murray for instructional revelation on deep matters of the Kingdom. "Waiting on God" is, of course, a classic. As a daily devotional or revisited old friend, this compact text is essential reading in any Christian library. How often are we taught to wait, much less to wait on God? Providing a definition and practical insights into methods of waiting, Murray offers invaluable help to seekers of serenity. This Whitaker House edition is pocketsize and portable. I give it as a gift to treasured friends. You will read it again and again.
we must wait on the Lord..........2007-01-17
Wow! I bought this book way back in the 90's. But my Christian life wasn't yet mature, (still isn't), so I couldn't grasp what Waiting on the Lord is all about. We have been trained to "do" things, to take on "action items", to "Just do it".
I recently attended a winter conference by Forerunner Christian Church in Fremont, CA. They are a church that focuses on "waiting on the Lord" and to have an "inner life" with our Lord.
After the conference, I picked up this book again on my bookshelves, and what a new revelation it is.
In Isaiah 40:31, they that "hope or wait" on the Lord, shall renew their strength.... The Hebrew word of "hope or wait" also means to be bound together. After reading this book, I can better understand what it means to "wait on the Lord". It doesn't mean that we just Don't do it, but that we let God do thing His Way. If He along is the author of our salvation, could He not also master everything that we encounter in our lives?
The insights offered in this book are so valuable one hardly hears this kind of teaching in sermons nowadays.
Highly recommended.
Seminary 101.......2003-06-08
Few Christians today even grasp the concept of waiting: the true meaning of the aspects of the word. This book clearly delinates the concept of why we wait, what we wait for, what it means to wait, and the blessing of waiting. You absolutely have to read it.
A Must For Every Born Again Saint.......2000-03-03
In 1991 I read this book and was so impressed that I sought permission from the publisher to use it as a text book in our night school. EVERYONE who has taken this course has commented on the spiritual impact it has made in their lives. Mr. Murray, along with a number of other men of that age, may not have been "giants" in doctrinal materials, but they were way ahead of many today in their spiritual devotion to God and His Word. I HIGHLY recommend that every saint read and reread this book. One of the saints of the past said, every good book ought to be read over many times.
Book Description
In America, waiting presents an enormous challenge. We are impatient, "fix-it" kinds of people—and not all situations can be fixed. This book presents seven spiritual gifts that waiting can teach us: Patience, Loss of Control, The Ability to Live in the Present Moment, Compassion, Gratitude, Humility, and Trust in God. Spiritual exercises and reflection questions for personal or group use are included, as well as a retreat design for use in church groups.
Customer Reviews:
Can be much improved with the employment of a good editor.......2007-08-22
I do appreciate the author's good intent of writing on the spiritual meanings or purposes of waiting. However, I am obliged to say that this book could be much improved with the employment of a good editor who could advise on her wording and writing. IMHO, the phrase "loss of control", which the author counted as one of the seven spiritual gifts, can be replaced by more appropriate phrase. In short, okay for common believers, but better for church leaders who can benefit more from the last two chapters on "How to use this book with a group" and the detailed plan for a daily "Retreat: Spirituality of waiting".
A Gem of a Book!.......2007-01-10
A gem of a book! I now 'wait' with more humility and grace. These seven gifts have come to my mind regularly since reading this book. Not many moments pass in a day without experiencing one of these gifts as I wait. This book is an easy read filled with wise information. I have used the guidelines in the back for leading a group on this book and found it to be very complete. As a therapist, I have already passed this wisdom on to others. Get this book for you....and for others as a gift!
Hating to Wait.......2007-01-03
This is a great book for anyone who has to wait, whether it be for medical results, job search, a new baby, loss of dependence, etc. I have used this book for people who are grieving as well as those who are dealing with cancer and their significant others. Well worth a look.
You'll want to read!.......2005-12-17
Holly W. Whitcomb's Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting is truly a gift unto itself. Whether you're simply waiting for the bus, or waiting for the diagnosis of a loved one, this book offers hope and inspiration to those looking for meaning in the hardships of life.
Whitcomb explores patience, loss of control, living in the present, compassion, gratitude, humility, and trust in God as spiritual offerings that we so commonly overlook in our daily lives.
Her suggestions for reframing life's uncontrollable circumstances promise to be life-changing, and her book, full of personal anecdotes, poems, Biblical selections, and excerpts from inspirational writings, is delightful and captivating--something to be read again and again.
Holly W. Whitcomb has been a pastor and clergy-woman since 1978. She is the Director of Kettlewood Retreats in Wisconsin, and travels nationally to lead retreats and spiritual events. Whitcomb is the author of three previous books, including Feasting with God and Practicing Your Path.
Armchair Interviews says: Be sure to pick up extra copies--this is a gift you will want to share.
timely topic.......2005-11-26
Even before Waiting for Godot went on stage, the subject of waiting has consumed this time-driven culture. By exploring the texture of those who wait, Whitcomb has managed to give aid and comfort to those wait. In lifting up the blessings of God to the time-impaired, she is blessing us. The book is not only a must read, but a resource for the times to come.
Book Description
Waiting . . .In a dead-end career for a breakthrough . . . In an unhappy marriage for relief or escape . . . In a chronic illness for a ray of hope . . . In solitude for the loneliness to subside . . . In turmoil for peace to come . . . Sometimes we find our lives placed on hold. Deep questions begin to surface. How long must I wait? Is there any meaning to all this waiting? Can I trust God?We can't help but wonder what is happening--and why?In Waiting, Ben Patterson uncovers two cardinal virtues required for successful waiting--humility and hope. You will learn how humility teaches us we exist for God's sake, not for our own; and you will learn how hope assures us that there is something worth waiting for.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful book.......2007-06-17
It is a very good book. It really speaks to me about my faith. I especially like the last few chapters of the book which talk about the foundation of our faith. The author pointed out that our faith should based on three things:
1. GOD's Perfect Love
2. GOD's Perfect Wisdom
3. GOD's Power
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling in their spiritual walk.
How Timely..........2000-04-07
I can't imagine any station in live that wouldn't be enhanced by reading and applying the paridigm shifts Ben Patterson leads us through in WAITING. Those who are barren couples, widows, and single mothers, people with chronic illness; or, like me, simply looking for career fullfillment & hoping to meet and marry a Godly spouse...the list goes on. WAITING speaks to us all, with an honest, sober clarity I've not seen in related works. It presents the scriptures on Job and Abraham in a fresh light, with provoking applications that touch our own daily struggles with tender care, yet leave us humbled. We are encouraged to turn our gaze to the magnitude of God and away from our own desires. If you wonder what is taking the Good Lord so long to attend to you, or if you know anyone who has been hurting for too long, this book will minister. (Other suggested titles: TURN IT TO GOLD, GOD CALLING, GOD IS ENOUGH, SAFER THAN A KNOWN WAY, SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY, PASSION AND PURITY)
Very helpful, not just pat "religious" answers.......1999-07-23
This book has meant a lot to me personally in the way the author gets right to the point: humility and hope. He brings to the old Bible stories a recognizable level of human struggling.
But I did take issue with two things. In an illustration, Mr. Patterson blithely mentions the 500 billion years of earth's history in a way that seems to dismiss Genesis chapters 1-11. He also speaks of Job as if the story occurred after Psalms and Proverbs were written, saying that Job's friends were only quoting Scripture and that Job could have read in his Bible the same views.
The points he was making were excellent, but getting the details correct does matter and did make me a bit suspicious of the rest of the book, so I needed to mention those two things, and that's why I only gave the book 4 stars.
Overall, I'm very thankful to Mr. Patterson for helping to renew my hope, and especially for the many philosophical references and the story about Einstein that really spoke to my circumstances. I really did need the message of this book.
This book has meant so much to me........1999-03-06
I have read this book at least five times and been involved in at least two study groups with this book. We shared this in my Sunday school class where many of us had lived through situations where we simply did not understand why God allowed the things he did. For one, it was the death of her two year old brother and the bitterness of her father. For me, it was the cancer and painful death of one of the best men I have ever known along with the death of my best friend's baby and her subsequent suicide. About a year after the study, a couple in our group lost their only child at age 15. We gathered around them to grieve, but with a difference. We had learned something about how to wait on God. This couple now has a beautiful adopted son. I understand, in part because of this book, that we don't need to understand the why if we know the who.
Book Description
You’re young? Check.
You’ve felt God’s tap on the shoulder, like he’s got something for you to do with your life? Right.
But you’re not exactly sure what it is, or how to get there? Exactly.
If that’s you, then here’s a great guide to help you find your way to whatever it is God has for you in life.
You may be surprised to learn that a very famous person in the Bible found himself in a similar place. David was just watching some sheep, but God made it clear he was destined to do something a bit more meaningful and important–David was going to be king. As a young man he had to learn how to “live into” his calling–become like a king before ever putting on the crown.
You probably won’t be joining the royal family any time soon. But you can still learn a lot about life–your life, your destiny–by taking a good look at David’s life.
David had a dream and caught a glimpse of his purpose. He just didn’t know how to realize it, how to live until he did, and how to wait for it proactively. Maybe that’s you, too. In this amusing, amazing, and very surprising guidebook, Rob Brendle can help you get there from here.
Customer Reviews:
Why Everyone Should Read this Book.......2006-06-18
I truely believe in the teaching of this book. I believe that everyone alive should read it. Rob Brendle's teachings about the "practice of proactive waiting" are not only insightful, they are practical and hold true to everyday life. Using the example David (from the Bible) and other everyday real-life examples, Brendle brings to light the struggle of figureing out your next step. It doesn't matter whether you know what you are destined to do, or you are still trying to figure that out, Brendle teaches that it is what you do while you wait that helps you become the man or woman you are destined to be.
I recommend this book to everyone. As a twenty-something who is still trying to figure out her calling is, I found this book helpful is teaching me to enjoy the now, and how to work towards what it is that God has planned for me. However, no matter what your age or place in life, this book has something to help you with your next step.
Valuable and interesting.......2006-04-28
What do you do after the Lord has called you to be his special worker? Go off half cocked? Forget the whole thing? Become so bemused you just stand there, achieving nothing? The aim of In The Meantime is to help you realize God has truly called you, stop pleading with Him to let you know if He has, and start listening to Him, doing what He wants right now thus heading into your particular calling.
Using a new and interesting spotlight, pastor and author Rob Brendle illustrates his ideas with chapters from the life of David, shepherd, king, and psalmist. Themes discussed include: the wrong way to go about this adventure; accepting and learning from those who are in authority over you; do the job now at hand, don't wait for the `right' position; consent to the lessons of humility, and losing your life to find it; practice fleeing from sin; accept the costs of grace; make Bible reading, prayer, and patience an integral part of your life. Brendle quotes extensively from his own ministry and life, illustrates comprehensively with relevant Scripture, and cites many sources, Star Wars to the U.S. Hockey team. The closing section of notes, listing the references for Scripture used in this book, provides research material and is a fine devotional aid.
An associate pastor ministering to those in their twenties and thirties, Rob Brendle's vocabulary is very contemporary. With a light air, and a heart for the Lord, Brendle casts the age-old Christian themes in a modern light. Much of In The Meantime provokes new thought on Christian ideas, for instance: "Jesus massacred the devil that day in the wilderness, and just to show it could be done, he did it in the weakest human condition imaginable." (p. 178). Readers of all ages, teens to retirees like me, who are truly seeking to follow their Lord, will find this book valuable and interesting. - Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews.com
Awesome! This book will save you so much frustration.......2006-03-07
Rob Brendle uses some imaginative and insightful stories to clearly demonstrate what we all feel when spoken to by God, how to deal with calling he gives us, and how to confidently and proactively wait for God's plan, God's journey for us, to unravel. Thank you Rob, but more so thank you God, for having inspired this man to put pen to paper in order to give us greater understanding of your love and plans for our lives.
Daniel and Dayna Webb, UK
A gyrovague in the desert.......2006-02-03
So, you have looked at your life and asked yourself "What is the big picture" or you are saying "I know the big picture so beam me up Scotty". But, nothing is happening. You are frustrated and ready to tear your hair out. Relax, you are in your prime time with God.
This book has the humor, and the guts, to show you how to discern God's heart for your life and how to relax and work into your calling with God.
Rob utilizes personal experience, biblical stories, and theology to weave an intricate story about his life, which by the way, probably looks a lot like your life to.
I suggest reading the book, then buying a dozen for your friends.
Great Start for a Talented Young Author.......2006-01-18
This is the first book of hopefully many from this young Associate Pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Co. The writer blends the narrative of the life of King David with his personal life experiences, resulting in a guide on how to live out one's specific calling. Rob fills the book with his energy, wit, wisdom, and biblical insight, along with his personal relationship with his Lord and Creator.
While the book's main focus is how to live out God's personal and specific calling, the principles set forth are invaluable for those navigating the general calling of God. Regardless of the reader's life circumstances, the principles in this book will help them to live life well.
It is my sincere hope that this is the first of many writings from this gifted and talented young man, and look forward to the next book.
Book Description
This book is an inspirational, comical, and honest look at the dating scene through the eyes of a Christian woman who is trying to live up to God’s standards in today’s society.
Customer Reviews:
Delightful and Insightful!.......2007-04-02
A delightful and insightful look into the life of a Christian single twenty-something year old woman. From the first to the last page, the author's wit and honesty carry this book. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Very funny.......2007-03-14
I related to a lot of her stories. She was funny, but with a good message for single women. It never hurts to hear that we need to focus on God being the only man we need!
Awesome.......2006-06-29
Such an honest depiction of dating. Even if you've dated a lot or even just had a long relationship this book is so easy to relate to. Kerri Pomarolli is so real in her struggles as well as her triumphs. Easy read, very entertaining and thought provoking. I highly recommend it.
So Real!.......2006-04-12
It's like she was writing my life in her book. This book has everything and you can totally tell it was inspired by God. She is completely open about her experiences and has no pretensions of perfection. At no point does it feel like she's setting up some goal or ideal that none of us can really achieve. She's just telling her inspiring story in a way that will speak to your soul. She's all at once hilarious and vulnerable, innocent and wise. If you're feeling worn-out with Christian dating (or dating in general) and ready to give up, this book is for you. It renewed and strengthened me.
Go, Kerri!!.......2006-03-29
I was so excited to finally read a christian singles book that I could relate to. Kerri Pomarolli was open and honest about her struggles and I really appreciate that. She showed both her challenges and her triumph. It made me feel like I was ok even though I face some of the same challenges. She is truly a joy and I'm so thankful that God brought this book in my path!
Book Description
Fearless Love equips designated leaders to expose the lies that our culture tells about sexual choices and gives high school students a solid grounding in what God says about sex. Candid lessons provide frank information and answers to the questions teens ask. Program culminates in an opportunity for students to pledge their purity, and honor God in their sexual choices.
Features:
- Eight step-by-step lessons and #150; help leaders tackle delicate topics.
- Supplementary material for groups and #150; provides extras for groups that want to go deeper.
- Rich biblical perspectives.
- Reproducibles for hands-on activities and #150; provide valuable information today's youth need.
- Reproducible Parent Pak and #150; equips parents to talk about tough subjects with their kids.
- Up-to-the-minute statistics on Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
- Cross culturally appropriate.
Customer Reviews:
Waiting time is not wasted time........2007-04-04
A divine delay is a most apt term. Whom among us knows the mind of God? Clearly none on earth. Mrs. Ireland appropriately catches the tone and tenor of the time one spends in a "divine delay". What does one do when they have done all that is humanly possible? Mrs. Ireland argues the case that the four letter word that we don't like - W A I T - is actually the time to reacquaint with God and even delve into his mind. What is God doing? Godwork seems to be her answer. This is a book that belongs in the library of each Christian. Is there any Bible believing Christian who has not had to wait? If so, you too need this book, because the time is coming!
what is god wating for? making the most of god's delays.......2007-01-10
i found this book to be so inspirational to me. it is a book that can take you to your next level of your faith walk. i give it an A+. trusting in what god has planned for us can be so hard. this book enables you to understand a lot better how to trust and wait on god.
What Is God Waiting For?.......2007-01-05
Many Christians say they want to grow in the Lord; but what happens when the cost of maturing in Christ requires waiting?
Pastor Marlinda Ireland's book, What Is God Waiting For? addresses why God allows believers to endure seasons of delay.
This book is packed with personal and Biblical illustrations on the reality of God's presence and provision during our times of waiting. What Is God Waiting For? demonstrates that our delays are not always a result of being disobedient to God. In fact, many times God is trying to give us fresh new perspectives on our circumstances and the people around us. Regardless of how we may feel, God is always at work: whether it's in us or on the people in our circle of influence.
One of the other issues that Pastor Ireland focuses on is fasting and prayer during our divine delays. She clears up many of the myths about fasting and shows the reader how to use it as a means of staying in tune with God.
No matter how long one has been saved, every believer will experience times of waiting: a time where nothing seems to be going as planned and everything is off-schedule.
However, this book will help the believer to see that God has a purpose for every divine delay we endure.
This is a must read for all Christians.
Great job Pastor Ireland!
Book Description
One of the greatest frustrations of the Christian life is having to wait for God to act. We wait, sometimes for years, for our prayers to be answered, for our deepest longings to be fulfilled. Some devoted Christians get stuck in dead-end jobs even though they feel certain they could serve God in greater ways if only He would open the opportunity. Why doesn’t He? Some wait for a godly spouse, some couples wait for the gift of children, and some, who have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord, wait in disappointed bafflement as their work seems to yield no fruit. Why? As Christians, we yearn to serve the Lord, to step forward and obey Him like the great heroes of the Bible, but we are confused, waiting for clear orders, kept at a distance by the invisible barriers of God’s silence, His inaction, or His unhurried pace. In When God Takes Too Long , Joseph Bentz examines the mysteries of God’s timing and shows Christians how to thrive in the midst of one of life’s greatest frustrations--waiting. He offers those who have been discouraged by a life of waiting a chance to alter not only their perspective on waiting, but also their actions in response to it, transforming this frustration into a positive force that will enrich and change their lives. When God Takes Too Long addresses: How not to wish (or wait) our lives away How to better understand the nature of time How to master the discipline of waiting How to cast off the boundaries of time to view our lives from an eternal perspective
Customer Reviews:
Not quite what M. Galishoff complains of..........2006-05-20
Not sure exactly where said reviewer is coming from, especially since the exact same review has been posted by him/her for yet another book by a different author! This sounds like more of a soapbox than a fair review of the book.
You can't compartmentalize the spiritual from the material aspects of our lives, and I think this is what this book makes clear. The things we see within our own human perspective aren't the whole of reality-- if anything, this book reminds us that our own ideas of success, failure, good and bad are pretty relative in the scope of eternity. If you can't compare the details of our 21st century lives with Biblical characters, you're boxing the Bible in and overspiritualizing the omnipresence of God in all the details of our lives.
And there's no way the author is making all the mistakes M. Galishoff is pointing out-- just read the last 2 chapters and you'll hear about Scriptures imcredibly hard for Western American Christians to deal with, such as Hebrews 11 (all the people who never got to see the ultimate ripple effect of their lives or the 'rewards' for their faith and yet lived for what they couldn't see) and passages in Paul's letters about how eternity makes the present pale in comparison. Seriously-- you can't come away from this book thinking that it's 'all about me.' Clearly, it's all about God-- learning to live in surrender to his ways that are totally different than ours.
Theodicy that Must Ultimately Fail.......2006-05-14
There is much good and to commend here but I have some problems with the theology and doctrinal approach.
First, it seems that books of this nature, call them Christian "self-help" books, seem to have adopted a predictable formula. The author chooses a theme, chooses examples from his ministry, and then draws parallels from Biblical narratives tying the two into a neat package that supports the point in question. This is becoming a tiresome formula and it fails at several levels.
First, the examples chosen from the ministry, the so-called real life examples, often are adapted or telescoped to fit alongside a Biblical narrative. Our lives are not those of the Biblical characters although we may face many of the same spiritual trials. Secondly, the main emphasis of the ministerial example centers around worldly things and makes the focus of the problem the selfish "I" rather than "God." Third, the outcome is usually justified by the author in terms of worldly success rather than spiritual success. The latter is noted as important but rarely or never seems to be separated from the former. The book seems to be permeated with this subliminal notion that God is the answer to your worldly as well as spiritual problems and things will work out good for you in this world if you accept God and His ways. Although this is true, the definition of "work out good for you in this world" is in terms of the "I" or "me" and not in terms if "God" to whom we are called to submit. Where there are examples of unsolved disappointment, the author associates it with a failure to follow the program. God's justice is not quid pro quo and accepting God, truly accepting God means accepting the burden of the cross and not the expectation of rewards in this life.
The last error is the most dangerous. J. C. Ryle once wrote that before one accepts Christ he or she should count the cost. The cost was God's vicarious sacrifice of making The Son sin and crucifying Him on the Cross. To be a true follower of Jesus we are warned in scripture that we must crucify the old man, be prepared to give up all worldly things WITHOUT and assurance other than our daily bread and the joy of God's care, fellowship and love. The true fact is that for most Christians in the world, accepting Christ means danger, sacrifice, hatred, discrimination, isolation, poverty, suffering and sometimes a violent death. Books such as this discuss suffering in terms of exchanging one career for another, discovering God given gifts and overcoming illness and disability or hurts. But these worldly successes, though given of the Lord, are possible because we live in a wealthy country where people have choices and opportunities and can overcome life's obstacles praise the Lord.
Any theology of Theodicy, the basic theological subject of such works, must be universal and apply to everyone, everywhere and at all times. What would the vignettes in a book such as this mean to the people who life in the garbage dumps of Mexico City and survive off the rotten trash of others? It does not hold! Yet, they worship the same immutable God whose ways are constant and perfect. The theology of books such as these are tailored to the "me" generation of Americans and not to the greater brotherhood of God's people. The person who lives in the garbage dumps of Mexico City has no realistic hope of escaping the daily grueling suffering that is their worldly lot. Yet, when such a one accepts Jesus, his worldly lot may not change but his spiritual lot has radically changed. What great saints are those that suffer in poverty and can truly claim that their only portion is the Lord!
This is the joy and transformation that scripture talks about. The cross is not something to be dressed up and made pretty. It is an instrument of relentless pain, torture and death. We are all asked to pick up our own cross and follow the Lord. That means we are asked to voluntarily crucify our old selves, and the things we hold dear, unmercifully, totally and to the death. It is a painful thing to do.
Theology such as that offered here devalues and invalidates individual pain suffering and failure in the world. It ignores the countless millions who never succeed in this life yet are rewarded in the hereafter. It ignores the fact that there are many among us that are chosen to suffer till death for no other reason that we may present an opportunity for people to do good works and be divided into sheep and goats. God's people suffer, hurt and may not see any relief in this world. But in His mercy, God sends His Spirit, ministering angels and the Church.
The suffering of Theodicy is something that must be embraced. The sufferer's pain must be acknowledged and validated. It must be understood that most of the Christians on the world experience this suffering and misery. It is the cost of discipleship.
Books such as these offer rewards without counting the cost. The theology they expound ultimately fails. When this failure is realized, true harm is done.
Finally, almost every such book uses the Jacob-Esau story as an example of Jacob's spiritual formation by surrendering his will to God. While there is much good here, most err in failing to realize that the blessing of Isaac the Blind was a worldly blessing. The Promise, God's blessing, was not Isaac's to give. Jacob fooled the wrong father. And as Jacob's spiritual eyes are opened at Peniel, he begins to be called Israel. Yet Jacob never truly fully matures to Israel and crucifies his old self. Some of Jacob remains in the final chapter of Genesis and in his decedents and in us. Commentators and such writers focus on the worldly comforts surrounding Jacob in his old age as evidence of his total transformation. If this was the case than the Bible would be one chapter and the Cross unnecessary.
It is my prayer that the Authors will take these words in the Christian spirit of love in which they are offered.
Take time to digest.......2006-03-30
A friend gave me this book during a waiting period in my life otherwise I probably would have taken a look at the title and decided I could skip it. Had I skipped it, however, I would have missed some really wonderful insights. Joe Bentz takes the stories we so lightly read over in Scripture and delves into them pointing out the silences in the stories that are so important and yet so easy to miss. I especially appreciated the "Almost, not yet" sequence with Moses and the plagues.
On a practical level, the book is divided into comfortable sized chapters/sections that make it work very well as a daily devotional. It's a book that will make you want to keep reading, but it's best taken one bite at a time (with plenty of time in between to chew and digest).
If you want a new perspective on all those waiting times from stop lights to career moves to retirement, this is the book to read. It will almost make you grateful for that red light!
Excellent Relevance.......2005-12-31
Bentz has an incredible relevence in this book to those of us who feel like we are waiting! I highly recommend this book and this author. He writes with a wisdom and clarity of understanding. His words are helpful and illluminating. A worthwhile read.
Books:
- War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom (with DVD)
- Writing Broadcast News, Rev. Ed.
- Writing Broadcast News, Rev. Ed.
- Xena: Warrior Princess
- You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom
- 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler's Life List
- A Rifleman Went to War
- A Weekend to Change Your Life: Find Your Authentic Self After a Lifetime of Being All Things to All People
- African American Performance and Theater History: A Critical Reader
- Aim for the Heart
Books Index
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