Closer Than Your Skin: Unwrapping the Mystery of Intimacy with God [Paperback]

Susan D. Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2008

If you crave the real experience of God’s presence in your daily life…

If you sense there’s more to Christianity than service, study, and superficial spirituality…

If you’re ready to go beyond knowing about God
to truly knowing Him…

Here’s where life with God begins.

Is God really like a father who cares about the details of our everyday lives? Then why does He often seem so far away, distant in the moments when we could most use a personal touch from Him?

So many of us have lived in that unspoken longing. In these incredible stories, you’ll see how one person found that God is not always content to wait for us to discover Him amid the clutter of life. Instead, when we simply hold out our hands, He illuminates our ordinary world and gives us new eyes to see.

Closer Than Your Skin traces the journey of an ordinary Christian who longed to move beyond the trappings of faith to genuine life with God. Her story reveals how to overcome the obstacles that most often block such intimate connection. Through this remarkable account, you’ll gain tangible insight into what a daily, vibrant companionship with the Creator really feels like once you wake up to the eternal reality all around you.

Interactive study guide included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Closer Than Your Skin


“Warning: Susan Hill has written a deceptive book. It looks like another woman-with-a-fragile-marriage-struggles-in-her-relationship-with-God book. Yet her life and spiritual experiences become compellingly honest and transparent.”
–Cecil Murphey, co-author of 90 Minutes in Heaven, Heaven Is Real, and more than 100 other books.

“Over the last sixty years I have read numerous works on Christian spirituality. But I must say that Susan Hill has made the best case I’ve ever read for intimacy with God. It is biblically sound, psychologically real and personally honest. I’ve never heard any theologian or Bible teacher portray the true intimacy with God as Jesus promises in the relation of the branch and the vine (John 15:1-9) as powerfully as Susan does. I think this is the book that millions of Christians have been waiting for!”
—James W. Tharp, founder and president of Christian Renewal Ministries and author of Revival Must Come! and The Spirit of Prayer.

“Susan’s book will lead the reader on an interesting journey of discovery and clarification. She is right about life with God being adventurous and breath-taking. Writing with a vulnerability that allows the light of God’s grace to shine through real life situations, she presents God’s way as both beneficial and desirable. She leads us through her ideas with anticipation. It will help people clarify the real issue of living with God. I read it for interest and edification and I was not disappointed.”
–Dudley Hall, founder and president of Successful Christian Living Ministries

“Some books argue that God exists. This book gives us His address. Some books tell us about Him, this book shows us what He looks like. If you’ve ever wondered if there’s more to the Christian life, Susan Hill doesn’t just assure us that there is, she hands us a roadmap, and shows us how to get there.”
–Phil Callaway, popular speaker and bestselling author

“As a Christian, my journey with God often seems more like working for a demanding employer than walking hand in hand with my first love. Susan Hill’s book was a refreshing reminder that it is the latter and not the former that the Lord desires of me. Her stories take you to the feet of the Father of Love to encounter for yourself His incredible kindness. I hope as you read this book you too can discover why the ‘nearness of God is our good.’ (Psalm 73:28)”
–Jimmy Needham, recording artist, Inpop Records

About the Author

Susan Hill is an award-winning feature writer and a leader of interdenominational women’s groups, where she frequently hears of the common longing for authentic Christian faith. She also serves on the board of the Uganda Orphans Fund, a non-profit Christian relief organization. Susan and her husband, Duncan, have three children and live in Montana.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (February 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400073820
• ISBN-13: 978-1400073825
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #597,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A roadmap for a closer relationship with God, March 7, 2008

By 

Barbara Warren - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Closer Than Your Skin: Unwrapping the Mystery of Intimacy with God (Paperback)

Susan D. Hill asks some of the same questions I've struggled with. Does God really care about me as a person? How can I grow closer to Him? Is it possible to really have a one on one relationship with Almighty God? Closer Than Your Skin answers those questions and more. It's filled with stories about people who found God in the most unlikely places.
Sometimes our churches seem like social centers, revolving around programs, methods, and organizations. We're so busy we forget the simplicity of a relationship with Jesus. Susan D. Hill stresses the importance of making time for God, for waiting for him to lead us, instead of running ahead, and she shows us how to just enjoy being with him. An excellent book that speaks to the heart.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written story about one woman's path to God, February 25, 2008

By 

Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Closer Than Your Skin: Unwrapping the Mystery of Intimacy with God (Paperback)

Closer Than Your Skin by Susan D. Hill is a hard book to define in just a few words. It's not quite a devotional, but through it I see her devotion to God. It's not quite a biography, but I've learned so much about Hill, I see her as a friend. It's a book written with haunting lyricism about the God moments in Hill's life, and her gentle encouragement to seek your own. She tells her story with brutal honesty about her husband's adultery and alcoholism, as well as her own frequent separations from God. Stories like these abound in Christian bookstores, but Hill writes with such earnestness and heart it's impossible not to feel for her and want your own God moment as well. She describes it a bit like a sneeze: you know it's coming, you can feel it, and there's nothing you can do to stop it, it's out of your control. This is a book you'll read again and again as you travel down your own road to get closer to the Lord.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical approach to intimacy with God, May 12, 2008

By 

amcmoore "- amcmoore" (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Closer Than Your Skin: Unwrapping the Mystery of Intimacy with God (Paperback)

This is an absolutely phenomenal book. If you have ever wondered things like "does God really care?" or "Can you really hear me?" or "How do I know you are there?" read this book!

Written in a conversational manner, Susan lays out a road map to paying attention to the little details of life that show that God does care, does hear and is here. In a truly practical fashion, this book cleans out your spiritual ears and allows you to relax and receive the presence of God in your life. From overcoming the obstacles of achieving that intimacy to watching for details, Closer Than Your Skin helps you find a new level in God that you probably never thought possible in this lifetime. In the 30 days since I finished the book, I'm 100% more aware and on fire once again!