Customer Reviews

Broken-Down House

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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."

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.

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.

It is often said that you cannot judge a book by its cover. The cover for "Broken-Down House" is one of the best looking covers I have ever seen. The creative team at Tobias' Outerwear for Books has once again designed an eye-catcher. To have the inside of this book worthy of the outside, author Paul David Tripp had his work cut out for him.

Paul Tripp is the president of Paul Tripp Ministries and is on the pastoral staff of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Previously he was a counselor at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (Glenside, PA) and is an Adjunct Professor at Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, PA). He is not to be confused with his brother Tedd Tripp, also an author of note.

It wasn't only the cover that attracted me to this book. I had just read Tripp's "War of Words" which I found particularly edifying. Soon, I will be using his "What Did You Expect" marriage curriculum in a Sunday School class. I appreciate his "down to earth" style. A style suited for a book on a sin cursed earth, or as he calls it a "Broken-Down House." However, it is not just this world that is broken, we are too. This book encourages us to cooperate with what the Master Carpenter is doing to restore the brokenness.

This book is divided into two parts. Part One is "Knowing" (chapters 1-10) and Part Two is "Doing" (chapters 11-16).

What must we know? "Sin has left this world in a sorry condition. You see it everywhere you look" (p. 17). Because of this at "every point and every moment, your life is messier and more complicated than it really ought to be because everything is so much more difficult in such a terribly broken world" (p. 17). In spite of this, "God calls us to live productively in a world gone bad" (p. 21).

To live productively we must know where we are (chapter 2) and who we are (chapter 3). We also must understand God's sovereignty (chapter 4) and our limitations (chapter 5). We must forsake human wisdom and trust God's wisdom (chapter 6). We must be careful not to confuse "spirituality" with true conversion (chapter 7). We must focus on eternity (chapter 8), actively wait (chapter 9) and get angry at sin (chapter 10).

After knowing comes doing. According to Tripp, we should get involved in renewing this broken-down world (chapter 11). We need to pursue biblical community (chapter 12) and love others (chapter 13). We must celebrate grace (chapter 14) and see our total life as ministry (chapter 15). Finally, we should take steps to insure that we leave a strong spiritual legacy (chapter 16).

The key to this book is chapter three. Every Christian has two identities, sinner and saint ("child of grace"). As a sinner, we are not as good as we think we are. The Bible, however, serves as "the world's best diagnostic tool" (p. 36). Even though we live in a broken-down world, our environment is not the problem. We are the problem. Our spouse, children, job, church, government, etc. is not our biggest problem. I am a sinner, that's my biggest problem.

But we are more than sinners. As a child of grace we are better than we can imagine. "It is only the person who is deeply aware of his sin who gets excited about grace, and it is only grace that can give you the courage to humbly face the enormity of your sin" (p. 42). "Grace will put you in your place without ever putting you down" (p. 42). Where sin leaves us unable, grace enables us. Grace will inevitably and finally deliver us. We are loved by a "dissatisfied Redeemer" (p. 46).

One area that Tripp revisits is how this sinful condition affects marriage and family. It starts with "our western culture" concept of dating, which he likens to "used-car sales" (p. 25). The idea is to sell yourself. "The last thing you want is for the other person to really get to know you. Consequently, a man who doesn't like to shop will suddenly be saying things like `Sure, honey, I would love to go to another twelve stores to look for those special shoes you have in mind.' A woman who doesn't appreciate sports will find herself volunteering to watch sports with her date and his buddies for hour upon endless grueling hour" (p. 25). The problem is, forgetting we live in a broken world, they each believe they have found the perfect mate. "Six months after the wedding, the wife is crying and saying, `This is not the man I married!' But of course, he is. He is precisely the man she married. It's the guy she dated who was the fake!" (p. 25-26).

Tripp believes that even Christians often marry out of love for self, not love for the other person. The one believes that the other will meet a need in his or her own life. "They think they love one another, but in the biblical sense they really don't. What they love is what the other person appears to offer them. What they have actually married is their dream. In an act of narcissism, they have made a lifelong vow to an aspect of themselves" (p. 198).

Concerning how this broken down world affects child rearing, he writes, "It amazes me how often parents are actually irritated at the amount of parenting their children seem to need" (p. 194). "We are easily satisfied with raising children who learn to jump through our behavioral hoops, but don't really have hearts for God" (p. 197).

The remedy to all this is what Tripp calls sharing our "Redeemer's dissatisfaction." Our "dissatisfied Redeemer" will "not rest until every microbe of sin has been eradicated from every cell of the hearts of every one of his children" (p. 196). We must be as dissatisfied as God is about our problems. We must be the tools He uses to restore this world gone bad.

Although this book is thoroughly biblical, the author could have used more scripture to support his propositions. As a premillennialist, I would have liked to see some reference to the second coming as the ultimate answer to a broken-down world. In spite of these reservations, I heartily recommend this book.

This book helped me see life in a whole new perspective. I recommend it for anyone seeking answers in this difficult life.

AS CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD, THE AUTHOR REMINDS US OF OUR DAY TO DAY INFLUENCES

AND OUR NEED TO BECOME WHO WE ARE NOT LATER BUT NOW...MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN A WORLD BEING BOMBARDED WITH EVIL

I've just barely started reading and already it's amazing!

I'm dealing with some issues in my home and it seems that prayers just aren't being answered quickly enough. One of the chapters starts with a scenario where the author is asking his children to just TRUST him - in spite of the fact that it doesn't seem like what he's doing is the right thing. He asks them to remember that he loves them, that he has never hurt them, that he always has their best interests in mind, and given all of this, that even though they think He's wrong right now, PLEASE trust him and let HIM be the Daddy. And of course, this is what God is asking us to do! That visual has been timed perfectly for my situation!

I started reading Broken-Down House by Paul David Tripp in late May. It is now August! Although I can read many books in a day, some books need to be read over time. This is one of those books. I find that I need to read it a chapter at a time and let it sink in.

Paul David Tripp begins with this wonderful quote early in the book,
"The Bible is not a higher-plane tome about some mystical life of spiritual devotion. It does not teach blissful separation from the brokenness of everyday life. No, the Bible is a book about this world. It is a gritty, honest book. When we read Scripture, we face the world as it actually is, in big-screen, high-def details. God doesn't pull any punches. He doesn't paint over any cracks. he doesn't flatter or avoid. There is no denial of what is real and true." p. 26

Tripp explains that we live in a broken-down house that is in the process of being restored. Our world is a broken-down house and so are we. This metaphor was very vivid to me when he reminded me of what it's like when you're remodeling a house. It's messy, dusty, and often chaotic. Things are out of place until they get fixed and everything's put back. But, when there's repairs that need to be done, you can either put them off or fix them! And if you don't fix them--they only get worse. So, how do we cope with this mess and chaos while fixing the house?

That's what this book is about. First, Tripp talks about what we need to know to see this world and ourselves rightly. The second part addresses what we can do. This book is meaty and has so much solid truth in it. It is difficult to distill all of the important ideas I have in this book into one paragraph.

I thought I would just touch on one chapter I read this week. This week I felt particularly convicted by the chapter about eternity. It began with a powerful story of a woman losing every material thing that mattered to her in this world. She learns some very hard lessons and realizes that her hope was in the things of this world and not in eternity. She also faces some hard truths about herself. Tripp shares that after all that she had gone through she realized that no one was ever good enough for her. Her expectations for all in her life, including herself, couldn't be met because her hope had been placed in being perfect and in this world. Questions followed that asked the reader, in this case me, to reflect--am I expecting too much of the people in my life? Am I expecting them to do things they were never designed to do? Where is my hope really being placed? What makes a week good? (This question implies that what makes our week "good" may not be what should make it good.)

In answering these questions for myself, my thoughts went first to my family. My children really behave quite well. They have their squabbles now and then, but they love to play together and love each other well. Yet I get frustrated at the first sign of a squabble. Is that appropriate? No.

My middle daughter has struggles with eating foods she doesn't want to. But, is she healthy? Yes.

My youngest son gets upset when anyone says no to him, but he's 3! Pretty usual for a child that age. I try to talk him through it and help him understand his emotions, but I think some (not all) of his behavior will just have to wait for him to grow up.

My job is to take care of my family and be present with them. I'm very hard on myself. I need to be able to admit my mistakes, repent, accept forgiveness, and let go. I don't need to condemn myself.

This book is helping me process some issues I've seen in the world and have struggled through this year. I know this is one of those books that I'll dog ear and underline. I'll come back to the book shelf year after year to remember and be challenged to put my life and the world around me in the right perspective. I need to remember to keep my eyes on eternity and God's glory and not on myself and this world. I need to live in this world and love people well, but not get broken down by the yuckiness of this world. I hope this book will encourage many people as it has me. It's like drinking a glass of water when you're parched. Soda doesn't really cut it, because water is what you've really been needing.

If you're struggling as I have with the yuckiness of this world and how to cope with it...or if you're struggling with how to help your children cope with how to live in this world and not be of it...I highly recommend this book! I hope your heart and mind will be deeply encouraged by it as I have been.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Shepherd Press.