A Great Read — “With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God” by Skye Jethani

With - "The Mountain"

Overview as seen on Barnes & Noble’s Website:

Stop Living Your Life Under, Over, From and For God and Start Living in Communion With Him.

Endorsements:

If we’ve grown weary of Christianity, ifwe find most any local church uninspiring, maybe the problem lies not in the Christianfaith or these faithful bodies, but in our own disgruntled hearts. In With, Syke Jethani tenderlyunmasksthe clichédposturing that too often masquerades as genuine communion with Christ. More importantly, he takes readers to the humble place they must occupy?in prayer,studying Scripture,with the Church?if faith, hope, and love are to truly mark our lives.-James H. Gilmore, author, The Experience Economy

Made of the stuff of spiritual classics and presented in simple, contemporary terms, Skye Jethani does each of us a great service in calling us to reimagine the way we relate to God. We so readily fall prey to living out distortions and reductions to our Christian faith?with disastrous consequences. You and I are far more than sinners, consumers, managers, and servants. We are dearly loved by God and made for eternal communion with him. Everything looks different when we live life in response to God’s love.-Paul Louis Metzger, Ph.D., Professor of Christian Theology & Theology of Culture, Multnomah Biblical Seminary and author of The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town

Cleverly using four prepositions—under, over, from, andfor, Skye Jethani convincingly diagnoses the reigning paradigms of life?whether secular or religious—and shows how each one has captured some element of truth but in the end is deficient; Ultimately, they miss the most important thing—real communion with the living God. Thus utilizing one final preposition,With, he lays out what it really means to know and experience communionwithGod—a life of faith, hope and love?the very things that we all desperately want and need. This is a helpful, encouraging, and inspiring book.-Jim Belcher, author of Deep Church

It doesn’t matter, as old theologians were rumored to argue, how many angels can dance on a pinhead. But it does matter which preposition governs your faith?over, after, against, for, from, under, with. Who knew what huge worlds turn on such tiny words? Who knew what theological riches were laced into the bones of grammar? Skye has done a great service to the church. In prose elegant and clear, with insights keen and deep, he shows how everything changes with just one word: With. It’s a book I want my whole church to read.-Mark Buchanan, author of Spiritual Rhythm

Who knew that a preposition had so much influence? Skye’s book will challenge the way that you think about God and faith digging deep into our motivations and heart issues. You can’t read this book and not see yourself and others differently!-Margaret Feinberg, author of Scouting the Divine and Hungry for God

This book will do for our generation what J.B. Phillips, in his classicYour God is Too Small, did for his.Withreveals views of God that can’t satisfy and opens up the possibility for exploring a lifewithGod that more than satisfies.-Scot McKnight, author of One.Life and The Blue Parakeet, professor of theology and biblical studies at North Park University

Since I dove into With, I can’t stop thinking about it. Skye Jethani’s insights will change how you think about God…and you…and how the two of you relate.-Dr. Kara E. Powell, Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute”

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Mary Oliver

“I worried a lot.

Will the gardens grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not, how shall
I correct it? Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?

Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.

Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.”

Mary Oliver

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The Wisdom of Mother Teresa

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better or happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”

~Mother Teresa~

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