Reaching for the Invisible God

'How do I relate to a God who is invisible when I'm never quite sure he's there?' –Philip Yancey Life has a way of toppling our presumptions as Christians. Just when we're confident we understand God, the bottom drops out. We lose a loved one. Our health fails. Or our own intellect begins to shout objections it once only whispered. Where is God with the answers? How are we supposed to relate to him, anyway? If you've sensed a disturbing disparity between God's promises and life's realities, between theology and experience, this tape is for you. Award-winning author Philip Yancey articulates the fundamental questions that confront us all: How does this Christian life really work? How do I communicate with God? If God heals, why hasn't he healed my loved one? If he changes people, why am I still the same? How does God work–-and how does he work for me? With trademark candor, Yancey trims away false expectations of God with the twin edges of Scripture and human experience. If you're ready for a spiritual journey that reconciles faith with honesty, start here. Reaching for the Invisible God helps you move from tough questions to a deeper relationship with a God you can trust, love, and live for with all your heart. Read by Jay Charles.

In a sea of books that promise certainty, award-winning author Philip Yancey (What's So Amazing About Grace, The Jesus I Never Knew) is not afraid to write about the mystery of belief, about letting risk and faith go hand in hand. Reaching for the Invisible God: What Can We Expect to Find? is Yancey at his best–wrestling with difficult questions and refusing to give pat answers. In our quest to know God, he offers this caveat: "The more personal conception of God we have, the more unnerving are the questions about him."

Yancey quotes extensively from classic writers and sketches scenes of doubting biblical figures as he grapples with making sense of a God who is personal, yet sometimes so elusive. Six different aspects of the Christian life are explored: our longing for God, who God is, the Holy Spirit, our faith, growth, and spiritual transformation. In his explorations, he reassembles the difficult and perplexing events of life around an ability to trust in a loving God. Trust is pivotal. Admitting that God's style "often baffles me," Yancey leaves no doubt that his framework of faith is still in place, that he sees "evidence of (God's) long-suffering, mercy, and desire to woo rather than compel–I have learned to trust God."

Here is the clear, concise writing mixed with deeply personal and authentic insights that won Yancey nine Gold Medallion Awards for previous books. Expect a 10th. –Cindy Crosby –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
HPopular theologian Yancey (The Jesus I Never Knew; What's So Amazing About Grace?) steers clear of trite detours, inviting readers to travel through some of the most difficult aspects of nurturing a human relationship with a transcendent God. Drawing upon wide experience and a rich well of stories, Yancey considers honestly the predicaments of human existence. We are distracted with the daily grind, checking our e-mail more often than we meditate. We banish doubts in the name of more streamlined versions of success and self-fulfillment. Christians in particular, Yancey says, are often guilty of worshipping the impossible while failing to believe in the possibleDthat relationship of grace God extends to humankind daily. With common sense and a poetic sensibility, Yancey poses fruitful questions and offers real insights. In the search for signposts of the invisible God, Yancey beckons readers to the Bible to encounter God's loving and gracious personality. Without clich s, he reminds us that doubt and difficulty can be catalysts for intimacy with God. And with humor and fair wisdom, he talks about seeking the Holy Spirit: "To reach for the Spirit is like hunting for your eyeglasses while wearing them." In conversation with the many sages he citesDC.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton and Umberto Eco, to name a fewDYancey is at once pastoral and provocative. Meet a friend. (Sept.)