Customer Reviews

Divine Nobodies: Shedding Religion to Find God (and the unlikely people who help you)

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finding a writer who is able to be both vulnerable and Christian is rare. Too often the language of "ought" overtakes the language of "is." Consequently many of the books in the evangelical world intended to provoke spiritual growth settle for passing out the lastest God-talk. And the hard art of letting God's love near our brokeness is never shared. Jim Palmer is a writer who's learned to embrace his imperfect humanity and a God who is comfortable to enter it.

"Divine Nobodies" chronicles how Jim got to that place. In what now feels like a past life, Jim had been a rising star in the world of evangelical leaders. At the time, Jim peddled Jesus-mottos, but never experienced the grace of God moving in among the hurts of his childhood. Jim's ascent into mega-church heights stalled when his marriage fell apart.

"Divine Nobodies" is the story of God rebuilding Jim's spirituality by placing a line of ordinary "Joe's" and "Janes" into his life. Each chapter of "Divine Nobodies" contains an essay about one of these "nobodies"-- a waitress, a mechanic, a wheel-chair bound girl and her father among them-- and how these individual made Jim reconsider what it means to be spiritual. God met Jim in the temple of Jim's damaged emotions, fears, anxieties shared his love.

Jim essay's are warm and gracious. He manages to describe those who hurt him the most with gentleness and honor. Jim seems to grasp how fragile we all are, so he applies self-depreciating humor and vulnerability to disarm his readers and to guide them toward a God who collects "nobodies."

Jim well crafted essays deserve comparisions with the likes of Donald Miller and Anne Lamott. However, Jim's voice is both unique and needed. Jim once perpetuated the subculture which seemed to nearly smother his own faith. "Divine Nobodies" chronicles Jims long walk out of religion and into God's life.

I suspect that "Divine Nobodies" will resonate with the silent majority of injured people who fill our church, people who want to connect with God, but who aren't sure how to introduce God to the dark corners of their hearts. Jim is a loving guide who shows us how.

Divine Nobodies will touch the deepest most intimate parts of your being as Jim meanders through life discovering God within and through everyday folks...the divine nobodies of life. You'll cry, giggle, hmph, chuckle and ROFL. Shedding religion is messy business, albeit foundation shaking at times. Jim tells of encountering the round pegs, those questions and life situations that just don't fit into the neat and orderly square holes of religion:

What is church? What does it mean to be the church? If a loving parent wouldn't send their child to eternal hell, how could God? Why do bad things happen? What is our journey about as a child of God...is it about living the `perfect life' a striving for sinlessness? Just how far does God's grace go? Should believers do life with the "undesirables", homosexuals, adulterers, divorcees, alcoholics of the world or does being around "bad" apples spoil the whole bushel...just who are "undesirables" anyway? Is knowing about God the same as knowing God?

If you have an inkling there's something more to God than Sunday services and Wednesday night prayer meetings, pick up a copy of Divine Nobodies...Jim's story will fan that inkling into a knowing that will guide you to a deeper and more intimate relationship with God...and that `is' what life's about.

Read it...then give a copy to others.

I loved this book! This is one of the best books I have read this year. Jim's communication style is warm, down to earth and filled with humor - his message is right on. The stories in this book touched me deeply and reminded me again and again that God does not live in a building.

This is not a Bible study book, for anyone looking for that type of book. It is the refections of a guy who hit the wall and found meaning in surprising places. Think of this book as sitting on a park bench listening to a stranger tell you their life story when you simply ask, "How are you?" If you are like me, you will sit quietly, smile, laugh, and shed an occasional tear as you hear the accounts of the stranger. While I don't agree completely with all of Jim's conclusions, I'd like to believe I'm mature enough to glean from all the good within the book. God used the accounts of the waitress and checkout clerk to affect some needed change in my life.

Another Nobody who is only somebody because of Christ,

I had to put the book down and just reflect when I read the Introduction to the book...all the reasons author Jim Palmer states on why you may not want to read this book are JUST the ones that make this book so good. I really enjoyed it and NEVER read spirituality books. It is tender, sweet, open, painful and so REAL. Thanks to the author for taking a risk, being himself and putting pen to paper.

Tired of those hyper-religious people who have simple step-by-step solutions to all of the complex sludge that goes on in your head? Who only want to get you "saved" so that your problems will finally be solved? Who preach endlessly that life is all about Bible-reading, church attendance, acceptable behaviors, and Christian t-shirts and bumper stickers? Exhausted? Depressed? Frustrated? Struggling? Confused? ME TOO!!

This book is an account of a broken man's journey... or maybe I should say the continuation of his journey. It doesn't give any easy answers. As a matter of fact, it probably raises more questions (very thought-provoking!). But finally, FINALLY, someone has put words to the terrible angst that has been within me for a very long time. For me, reading this book was like finding a stream of cool clear water in the middle of a desert. Okay, okay... that might be a little dramatic, but--hopefully--you understand what I mean.

I thoroughly enjoyed the author's wittiness, was comforted by his stories of real (and struggling) people, and was awed by his transparency and his willingness to let me, the reader, see into his soul. Many kudos and thanks to the author for his courage and his honesty. This work is helping to heal my own messed-up, crazy, (sometimes tormented) broken soul.

Divine Nobodies: It's a MUST read!

In a world of religious professionals and high powered churches that resemble more of corporate America than they do the peasant carpenter from Nazareth, Jim's book is a breath of fresh air. Divine Nobodies is for anyone who is tired of pat answers and jumping through religious hoops. This book will help you to find God through average, authentic, everyday people - Divine Nobodies. If you're searching for Jesus without the religious strings attached this book is for you.

Nobody really believes when you rank something five stars. You have something to gain like kickbacks from a publisher or are just overly kind and optimistic. (The reviews before this seem like great examples.)

That being said, I would rank it 5 stars.

I was suprised at how developed Jim's author voice is for his first book. The introduction is a bit shocking, as it is quite revealing. Once you crawl out of deep revelations of his humanity - a good story continues to unfold. Sometimes his story telling is an art form, like the careful introduction of scripture, and others it seems like he has pulled out a soap box. He cares his self-honesty through the book as well, where usually it is a push in the beginning or at the beginning of major topics, he sprinkles it throughout the book. I found moments where I bonded over moments and cried over touching scenes.

That being said - I do agree with Brian Maclaren's assessment. Except it was too jaded - I connect with Jim's writings more than Donald Miller's. Their style is different so it is probably a preferance issue, but it seems like Miller is speaking to the big "church" and allows you to pull it down to where you are and Palmer is speaking to the individual who has been lost in the shadows of the church. He "sheds" the system and does it well.

I shipped my sister a copy a few minutes ago. I look forward to his next book. So like I said 5 stars.

Christopher

I am frequently asked to review books. In fact, on a weekly basis I stare at a pile of books and just pick one, hoping by Divine Intervention I am given something to work with and by a twist of artistic talents, that I am not bored. Jim Palmer is an author who does not disappoint. From the beginning of this book, the reader can see that "Divine Nobodies" is different from every other religious book out there. While Jim might be toted as having a voice like so-and-so, Jim's voice is unique, powerful and directional. He intentionally takes the reader on his own soul journey and then in the way of a friend and brother, offers a hand and asks "Won't you come too?"

Jim's passion for relevancy and truth are profound testimonies to him and I have found through the journey of the book, Divine Nobodies, as well as a budding working relationship with its' author, that I am quite content with being as Jim is...a Divine Nobody.

I highly recommend this book, without regard to where you think you are on your spiritual journey. "Divine Nobodies" has something to offer every reader. If you want a personal story - it's here. If you want a cause - read Chapter 12. If you just want to have a great understanding of how God moves, works, and relies on the every day actions of the every day person - read Divine Nobodies cover-to-cover.

In an unlikely journey in learning about others, you may just find how much of yourself you lost or forgot you had, along the way.

~ Warm regards,
Wendy Stewart Hamilton
Editor, [...]

Going deeper than Don Miller, and more hard-hitting than Brian McLaren, Palmer shares challenging stories that illustrate what life could look like if one were brave enough to let go of the party-line (ie, churchianity) and follow Jesus into the everyday world. If you think being a Christian is checking off your daily duties read Divine Nobodies and think again! Palmer provides a very credible example of what it looks like to follow Jesus' kingdom manifesto: to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, and to proclaim the season of the Lord's favor. Divine Nobodies is not particularly well-written and edited, but I found the content very enlightening and thought-provoking. This is a must-read for every seeker, skeptic and burned-out evangelical.