What was your first impression?
This is a beautifully designed book; it
looks utterly compelling. ‘Imagine what it would look like to have an organic
relationship with God – one that is stripped of all pollutants and additives of
this world.’ Published by Zondervan, this really is the kind of book you just
want to hold, and then read
 What's it about?
It is about stripping away what we have
accumulated about God, what we think we know and getting back to what God is
actually like in the Bible and also today. Packed with personal insights and
observations as well as clear, concise head-knowledge, Margaret Feinberg has
created an immensely readable book, engaging on every level.
What did you like about it?
The design appealed to the artist in
me. The writing style was chatty, as though Margaret is a friend, yet it’s also
thoughtful, intelligent and knowledgeable too. Each chapter focuses on a
different aspect of God, one chapter looks at how God is surprisingly
talkative, another seeks to show how He is outrageously generous and yet another,
breathtakingly beautiful.
What didn't you like?
Nothing.
What will you still remember a year from now?
I will remember that we as Christians
can get bogged down in God as church and God as hymns and set prayers and God
as specific quiet times and lose sight of the fact that though God can and
certainly does work through those things, He is so much bigger and more dynamic
than that and that we shouldn’t underestimate Him or try to contain Him within
our own parameters.
Who would you recommend this book to?
I would recommend this book to any
enquiring Christian, anyone who has a desire to know more of God, or even
anyone who wants to have a desire to know more of God! This book is as good for
new Christians as it is for Christians who’ve been saved for years and who have
gone ‘off the boil’ a little.
Can you give us a couple of good quotes from the book?
But as I practice the art of listening to God, I am discovering that he is
surprisingly talkative even in the silence. Prayers are not going unanswered as
much as he is responding in unexpected ways. Listening to God’s voice requires
more than just my ears; it requires my eyes, my mind, my spirit, my entire
being to recognise the God-nudges in life.
His voice is found in the wisdom of friends and spiritual
leaders, he whispers through dreams and visions and abundant provision. He
speaks through both conscience and conviction and an undeniable sense that some
thoughts are more like God-thoughts than my own. He even speaks in the silence.
In the process, I find myself both enticed and intrigued by him. I find myself
hanging on every word. God’s voice becomes the only voice I want to hear.
…a few years ago I went through a period where I felt God
nudging me to do and give, but I wasn’t willing to share, compromise or take a
risk. I had a sweater that I loved, and I loaned it to a friend on a cold day.
At the end of the visit, I felt this gentle nudge inside that said, Give it
to her. I took a second look at the beautiful sweater and thought to
myself, That couldn’t be God. The next day, I was with a different
friend who complimented me on my new pair of gloves. Again, I recognized a
nudge from God, Offer them to her. I refused. A few days later, I was
with some friends and enjoying a box of gourmet baked goods. I remember feeling
that same nudge, Give them away. I looked at the remaining treats and
thought how awkward it would seem to offer the few pieces that were left to
take home.
My selfishness didn’t become readily apparent until a week
or so later, whewithin a twenty-four-hour period, I managed to ruin the sweater
with a permanent stain, lose one of the gloves, and open the box of gourmet
treats only to discover they were all moldy. When I looked at the brown-turned-green
delights, I realized my selfishness and stinginess. God had been asking me to
take a risk to trust him and his provision in my life, and I hadn’t. the
realization was so clear that I promptly spent some time in prayer, admitted my
selfishness, and asked to be changed. I wanted a new heart. I wanted more than
a heart that gave, I wanted one that could give joyfully.
Review by Hilary
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