Sunday, December 18, 2011

Nine Ways God Always Speaks, by Mark Herringshaw and Jennifer Schuchmann


What would you do if someone told you God spoke directly to him or her?  What does it mean for God to speak; is it a feeling, an audible voice, a dream, or a physical presence?  Does God really provide us with signs regarding His will for our lives?  These questions, and many others, are pondered in this book.

I think I anticipated that this book would help me better recognize God speaking in my life.  I am not sure anyone can actually help me in that area, and I think it was naive of me to think that this book would either.  The book talks about ways people perceive God speaking in their lives, but it also does a fair share of casting doubt on the legitimacy of those claims.  I kind of felt there was some double speak, since the book talks about ways God can speak, then seems to raise doubts as to whether those things actually are God speaking.  Is God sending us a sign, or are we merely seeing what we want to see.  I left the book feeling no more or less convinced about God speaking in anyone's life, let alone my own.  A better title, to convey the message of the book, would be Nine Ways God May Speak.

The book has an anecdotal nature.  In some ways this is good, and in some ways it is bad.  It is good when relating actual anecdotes, stories of people who feel or perceive God at work in their lives.  However, the anecdotal nature, when relating biblical stories, does not work for me, and instead comes across as irreverent.  Some people may like this writing style, may feel better able to connect with the scripture that way, but for me, it was distracting.

I can see that this book could be very helpful and inspirational for those seeking books on spiritual growth.  For me personally, however, it just did not connect.

This book is from my personal library.




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