Searching For God Knows What is the first work that I’ve read by Donald Miller.  I’ve seen some of his stuff before but never taken the time to sit down and read it all the way through.  This book seeks to show that “relationship is God’s way of leading us to redemption.” Miller seeks to deal with an issue that in today’s world many have just taken a formulaic view of God, and this is not good.

I personally thought that this was a pretty good read.  Miller does have a humor about him and can easily bring that out in his writing.  Who doesn’t want something that can make you chuckle every now and then?  I will say that this book seemed to be a slow start for me.  I appreciated the stories and all that were contained in the first few chapters, but it didn’t seem to kick into gear until you almost got to the end.  When it did kick in, Miller had some great things to say.  One of my favorite quotes from the book was…

“It would be most tragic for a person to know everything about God, but not God; to know all about the rules of spiritual marriage, but never walk the aisle.”

If you are looking for something that will entertain you and give you a few things to really think about and ponder, I would recommend checking out Searching For God Knows What.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The latest book that I have been reading from the Thomas Nelson book reviewer deal has been Dr. John Townsend’s “Where Is God?” It has been a pretty good read. It was pretty much what I thought it would be: a Christian psychologist talking about how people ask this question during rough times.

I thought that Dr. Townsend did a good job of bringing both psychological and biblical suggestions to different situations that might cause one to ask “Where Is God?” It did sometimes feel like you were talking to a psychologist and in a session.

Overall: I might recommend this book to someone who might be asking this tough question. I did like how Dr. Townsend gave some suggested works to check out on this subject at the end of the book. I felt that his intention wasn’t to publish another book, but to truly help hurting people find the answer to the question, “Where Is God?”

As I was finishing up with my midterm in systematic theology, our professor gives us something to think on during the break we have from classes this next week. He puts forth this scenario: if God is everywhere (omnipresent), how do you account for hell (separation from God)?

I thought that this was a great question. I have heard it come up before in working with students. I am going to be tossing this one around over the next week. I would love to hear your input on this question. There will be a couple of guidelines though…

1. 1. You have to be able to back up your thought with specific Scripture.
2. 2. Be careful not to just use a verse. What does the entire Bible have to say on this?

I am interested in hearing what different people have to say (mainly, what does the Bible have to say) on this subject.

Mark 6:45-52

I was reading this story from Mark’s gospel and listening to a sermon from Tony Evans (one of my favorite preachers).  A few things really stood out to me from this passage and the sermon that I heard.

• Jesus didn’t show up to the disciples until they were at the end of their rope.
• The disciples didn’t recognize Jesus because they weren’t looking for Him.
• Jesus didn’t calm the storm outside until the storm inside the boat was settled.

How is it that we so quickly forget that God’s ways are so different than our own (Isaiah 55:8)?  I get caught many times looking for God to do things the same way that He did them before.  Like the disciples, there are times when I will box God into working a certain way.  When God decides to operate outside of “my box”, it confuses me sometimes.  I know that this is similar to a previous post of mine, but I believe that it is a good reminder to us all that there is no box to put God in.

This past weekend was a great time for our family.  We joined up together with another family that is near and dear to our hearts and hit the beach.  Our friends are also in ministry and have small children.  It was good to finally see in person their latest addition.  The weekend was filled with all kinds of good times and even a few rough times (like when they lost the only set of keys to their vehicle).  All in all though, the weekend was a much needed getaway for both our family and theirs.  We enjoyed just hanging out, laughing, playing with each others’ children.  We shared stories and encouragement about our respective ministries.

This morning, as I was reading the Bible, I came across Mark 9:30-31.  These verses intrigued me.  Jesus didn’t want anyone to know that He and His disciples were there.  He wanted to get away from the noise and the usual patterns of life.  He wanted a few moments to just pour into His disciples and no one else.  Think about that.  The God of the universe would want to single you or me out and spend some uninterrupted time with us.  Mind-blowing.

I am one of the world’s worst at getting busy with the tasks of life.  I have been known as one who is “laid back,” but I fall victim to busyness just like everyone else.  I would encourage you to make sure that there are some times that you can break the norm and run away with your Savior for a time of refreshment and personal attention.

How do you deal with busyness?

I am currently taking a course in seminary called “Philosophy of Religion.”  For the past week or so, I have been doing a lot of work with it.  While it has to do with a lot of reading (especially articles with many words I don’t even know how to pronounce), it has raised some good questions in my mind.

Can faith and reason coincide?  There are many who think that for one to have reason and try to have an explanation for everything, that nullifies faith.  Then there are those that say that for one to have faith you must chunk reason out the window. I have come to realize that I disagree with these statements/beliefs.  I do believe faith and reason can live together in the same household.

While it is true that “the faith shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4/Romans 1:17), the Bible also tells us to “Love the LORD with all our hearts, mind, soul, and strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5/Matthew 22:37).  Without faith, we are not going to see nor please God.  Faith is the beginning of our relationship with Him.  But God has blessed humans with a great gift: the mind.  He intends it to be used to communicate our faith with others and bring Him glory.

Any thoughts?