From the Library of Deacon Mike:
"You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is required. The stars neither require it nor demand it."
If any of you are like me, there have been times when, because of life's circumstances, I have asked "Is God listening?" "Can he be trusted?" "Does he care?" If so, I have a book which I am sure you will enjoy. It is called "Disappointment with God" by Philip Yancey.
For me, Philip Yancey articulates very clearly a feeling that many of us experience as we walk our journey of faith. Often times there is a large gap between what we expect from our Christian faith and what we actually experience. As he writes, "From a steady diet of books, sermons, and personal testimonies, all promising triumph and success, people learn to expect dramatic evidence of God working in their lives. If they do not see such evidence, they feel disappointment, betrayal, and often guilt. As one woman said, 'I kept hearing the phrase – personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But I found to my dismay that it is unlike any other personal relationship. I never saw God, or heard him, or felt him, or experienced the most basic ingredients of a relationship. Either there's something wrong with what I was told or there's something wrong with me.'"
As you will learn, Philip Yancey has a gift for articulating the knotty issues of faith. In this book he poses three questions that Christians wonder but seldom ask aloud: Is God unfair? Is he silent? Is he hidden? This very insightful and deeply personal book points to the odd disparity between our concept of God and the realities of life. Why, if God is so hungry for relationship with us, does he seem so distant? Why, if he cares for us, do bad things happen? What can we expect from him after all? Yancey addresses these questions with clarity, richness and biblical assurance. He takes us beyond the things that make for disillusionment to a deeper faith, a certitude of God's love, and a thirst to reach not just for what God gives, but for who he is.
Philip Yancey has written twelve God Medallion Award-winning books, including "Where is God when it hurts" and "The Gift of Pain." His books "The Jesus I Never Knew" and "What is So Amazing About Grace?" were also awarded the Christian Book of the Year. Once you have read this book "Disappointment with God" I think you will agree it is one of his finest works.
Enjoy
Mike
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