Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Living Productively during Everyday Christianity, July 13, 2009
This review is from: Broken-Down House (Paperback)
God has a restorer's eye! If that were not true, He would stop at the curb, examine our broken-down lives and drive off. But, He is not that way. He has intimate knowledge of our condition, and even while we were His enemies - Christ died to restore us (Romans 5:8). After being redeemed, it becomes our privilege to join with God in this restoration project of our broken-down world.
Paul Tripp's latest book was written in the genre of a modern word picture, that of a broken-down house. We are called not just to survive the damage, but to take active part in the restoration of the fixer-upper. This book proposes to teach one how to live productively (above the damage) in a world that has been torn down by sin.
The first section of the book (which covers 10 chapters) explains truths we need to know in order to live productively in this broken-down house. It includes topics like being honest about our sin and weaknesses, trusting God, relying on Scripture, waiting on God, and living for eternity.
The second section of the book (which covers 5 chapters) explains what we need to do in order to live productively. This seems to follow the often-used pattern of the Apostle Paul who used the knowing/doing motif (i.e. Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, etc.). This section includes topics like rejecting passivity, pursuing community, and having a ministry lifestyle (not just practicing ministry on a time-clock). The book concludes with 1 chapter on the legacy of one's life.
Further notes on the book:
* The descriptions/nuances of grace (pp. 42-43) were excellent. I have included some of them below.
* Tripp's chapters on waiting (ch. 9) and ministry (ch. 15) are especially good.
* Overall, the book has the keen analysis and diagnosis of life that you would expect from an expert in biblical counseling. Tripp does a very fine job of connecting truth with the way it attaches itself to real life. The life examples do not seem forced or far-fetched. They are well thought out and relevant...which does a better job of making me/us accountable to the lessons he brings. Thanks is given to him for his valuable contribution of this book...one I wholly recommend.
Some excerpts on grace from chapter 3:
"Grace will turn your life upside down while giving you a rest you have never known."
"Grace will convince you of your unworthiness without ever making you feel unloved."
"Grace will make you acknowledge that you cannot earn God's favor, and it will remove your fear of not measuring up to his standards."
"Grace will put you in your place without ever putting you down."
"Grace will confront you with profound weakness, and at the same time introduce you to new-found strength."
"Grace will make you as uncomfortable as you have ever been, while offering you more comfort than you have ever known."
"Grace will decimate your kingdom as it introduces you to a better King."
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mind-Shaping Perspective on Where I Live and Who I Am, July 17, 2009
This review is from: Broken-Down House (Paperback)
I experienced it this morning when I woke up and I haven't gone one hour without be reminded by the reality of its presence. I live in a broken-down house. No, I am not talking about my home in Forest Lake, I am talking about this world and everyone in it--including myself.
This current state of affairs is the result of man's sin. God created a beautiful world and yet we rebelliously thought we could rule and manage it better than He could. The folly of our decision is seen all around us. If you need some convincing, read the headlines, watch the news, check your friend's Facebook status, and talk to people and you will know what I mean. However, the good news is that the Creator of this house is in a glorious restoration process based on His Son's work on the Cross. Through His Son, Jesus, He is committed to redeeming what is now broken. He has and is in the process of transforming sinners into Christ-like beings through GRACE. Yes, if we are truly saved it's because we are recipients of grace. Only people who understand their sinfulness can properly appreciate the magnitude of this grace, and only those who have experienced this grace can truly be honest and courageous enough to deal with their sinfulness. It is hard to be productive when everything is a mess. I can't stand having my desk cluttered much less a house in half-disrepair. I remember several years ago when we were refinishing the floors in our kitchen and dining room. I found, at times, it almost debilitating to do anything while the mess/project was still open. We are called to live in a house that is broken-down and is in the process of renovation and we are called to live productively. How?
Paul David Tripp gives a wise and winsome answer to this question as He biblically takes on the subjects of sin, grace, hope, sanctification, faith, waiting, righteous anger, love, ministering, community and worship in his book--Broken-Down House: Living Productively in a World Gone Bad. This is a book that, thought delivered from Amazon.com, was a timely message from God to my soul over the past two weeks.
Tripp warns us of the dangers of location and identity amnesia. We practically or functionally forgot where we live and who we really are. We live in a broken-down house and as Christians our identity is founded upon the two pillars of sinner and child of grace. He does a great job explaining and illustrating what he means and how this practically plays itself out in real life--in marriage, parenting, work, church, ministry, hardships, disappointments, etc.
Needless to say, I highly recommend Paul Tripp (and his other books) and his book - Broken-Down House.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Realistic Look at Life, November 19, 2009
This review is from: Broken-Down House (Paperback)
This is one of the most realistic books about life that I have read. Author Paul David Tripp acknowledges that this is a beautiful and broken world. He is neither overly optimistic, like so many books that claim to offer the "key idea or practice" that will unlock everything, nor overly pessimistic, holding out no hope of progress or joy.
The book begins with making sure that the reader understands the condition of the world and ourselves. Tripp uses the metaphor of the Broken-Down House to describe our lives and the world. We are called to remember where we are (in a world corrupted by sin one day to be restored) and who we are (sinners who are also children of grace because of the work of Jesus). We are also to trust in God's sovereignty, especially when we can't make sense of life in the broken-down house. Tripp then reminds us that, in contrast to the sovereign God, we are limited, finite creatures, who must not try to usurp God's sovereign place in our lives. We live in proper perspective when we keep our minds fixed on eternity, on the truth that the broken-down house will be restored. Tripp finishes the book with a section on doing. He calls us to reject passivity, pursue community, determine to love, celebrate grace and minister everywhere. The book ends with the truth that we all leave a legacy. This legacy is something we should examine, to see if it honors God.
This book was very helpful as I read it with a group of men. The discussions from our readings were very profitable and shed much light on the book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
