I have really enjoyed reading this book, and I count it and Nancy Leigh DeMoss’ Choosing Gratitude as the two things that helped me get myself back on track (by God’s grace) at the beginning of the year after a year of being run ragged. Of course, it’s not really the books themselves, but the messages contained therein that have the power to reorient a person’s life, and that only because they contain the truth of God in a format that I find compelling. The most memorable essay in Beyond Opinion for me is the one from section one entitled “Challenges from Youth” by Allison Thomas. Maybe it shows how immature my mind is (quite possibly so!), but I identified very much with what Ms. Thomas has to say about Christian students who go off to college to find their faith mocked and challenged, and how such college students can be prepared. I think the other thing that makes this particular article so compelling for me is the fact that I’m always thinking of how I can effectively communicate the truth of God to my children, even in the face of a world that scoffs at and challenges it. While I know I fail daily in really living out my beliefs before my children, I think there has to be some power in just recognizing that I’m not living up to it, right? I was also enlightened by reading about the challenges from other world religions, and I was heartened by the approach the apologists who wrote those particular articles suggest Christians take–that of finding the real heart hunger of people and offering Jesus as the only satisfaction for it.
I’m not doing a very good job of being specific about what I’ve gotten out of this collection so far. Honestly, I feel like the Professor could say the same thing about my education that he says about that of the Pevensie children at the beginning of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when he says, “Logic! Why don’t they teach logic at these schools?” Something has prevented me from exercising my brain to the point that I can even know how to follow some of the logical arguments presented in some of these articles, particularly the ones about philosophy. Whew! In all of my years of schooling, I’ve never learned this. I do think it’s worthwhile, but I’m not sure this is the point in my life at which I have the time (or excess brain power!) to tackle it. This is a book I should’ve read in small pieces, an article at a time, and made notes (maybe like my Reflections in Progress?) to help me process it. Instead, I read it in a hurry and still didn’t finish it in time for the book club!
Will I finish it? I hope so, eventually. For now I think it’s time to move on to lighter fare. I don’t think I do these works justice when I try to breeze through them, but right now I haven’t the amount of quiet time in my life to really grasp what these very erudite writers have to say. On the positive side, this book has made me more aware of and interested in Ravi Zacharias’ ministry, and I’ve even been listening to his podcasts while I’m cooking or cleaning.
Check out this post at Reading to Know to read others’ thoughts about this book.
I know what you mean about the small but necessary things, my three sweet savages fill my life with these little things!
I am also enlightened and heartened but cannot express the specific thoughts that I have taken with me from this book. But it has changed my views and expanded my thoughts!
Well, I will be finishing it this weekend, I think, and I still won’t have any adequate words bc , frankly, much was hard to follow…I SHOULD have taken notes. But I didn’t. I agree…something to consider over time…a long time!
This looked good and I wanted to read it, but I couldn’t get hold of a copy without purchasing it and I’m really trying to restrain myself in that area.
I’ve read Romans 7 all my life, but only in the last 3 months or so am I “getting it” — the part where Paul is talking about doing what he doesn’t want to do. It’s chapter 3, vs. 14 through to the end. What I notice is that he identifies himself by his desire to obey God, by his love for God’s law — even though he fails. I think we need to do that too. Ephesians 1 lays out a pretty thrilling picture of who we are in Christ, and it’s not cancelled out by our momentary failures.
Janet,
Thank you. I shall look up and read the passages you mention.
Well, you made it further than I did. (Finally getting around to reading everyone’s thought on this one.) The main thing I’m gathering is that this is a book to be ready slowly and in chunks. Being as we’re all mothers, this makes sense. I found this book to be hugely challenging and I think I won’t stress myself out over it but will take it in bite-sized chunks over time.
I’m too easily overwhelmed these days.
(And yes, I also take books along with me on vacations and then associate the read with were I’ve been.)
I passed this one up because I read the first few pages on Amazon and just knew this was not a time in my life I could process it very well. But you’ve given some valuable advice for if and when I do delve into it. The chapter about college students is apropos just now because for the first time we’re talking about letting one of our children go to a public college rather than a Christian one, and that scares me to death.
Barbara, I went to a public university every time i’ve been to college, and yes, it is challenging to live out one’s faith there, but certainly not impossible! (For with God, all things are possible!). I would recommend the book for the chapter I mentioned alone.