Finding God in Unexpected Places [Hardcover]

Philip Yancey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2005

An Atlanta slum. A pod of whales off the coast of Alaska. The prisons of Peru and Chile. The plays of Shakespeare. A health club in Chicago. For those with eyes to see, traces of God can be found in the most unexpected places. Yet many Christians have not only missed seeing God, they’ve overlooked opportunities to make him visible to those most in need of hope.

In this enlightening book author Philip Yancey serves as an insightful tour guide for those willing to look beyond the obvious, pointing out glimpses of the eternal where few might think to look. Whether finding God among the newspaper headlines, within the church, or on the job, Yancey delves deeply into the commonplace and surfaces with rich spiritual insight.

Finding God in Unexpected Places takes readers from Ground Zero to the Horn of Africa, and each stop along the way reveals footprints of God, touches of his truth and grace that prompt readers to search deeper within their own lives for glimpses of transcendence.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

An Atlanta slum. A pod of whales off the coast of Alaska. The prisons of Peru and Chile. The plays of Shakespeare. A health club in Chicago. For those with eyes to see, traces of God can be found in the most unexpected places. Yet many Christians have not only missed seeing God, they've overlooked opportunities to make him visible to those most in need of hope.

In this enlightening book author Philip Yancey serves as an insightful tour guide for those willing to look beyond the obvious, pointing out glimpses of the eternal where few might think to look. Whether finding God among the newspaper headlines, within the church, or on the job, Yancey delves deeply into the commonplace and surfaces with rich spiritual insight.

Finding God in Unexpected Places takes readers from Ground Zero to the Horn of Africa, and each stop along the way reveals footprints of God, touches of his truth and grace that prompt readers to search deeper within their own lives for glimpses of transcendence.

About the Author

Philip Yancey is a distinguished writer with 20 books to his credit and a total of more than seven million copies in print. His books, including The Jesus I Never Knew, What’s So Amazing About Grace? and Where Is God When It Hurts? have won a total of twelve Gold Medallion Awards. He has been published in Reader’s Digest, Christianity Today, and The Saturday Evening Post.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion (March 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385513097
• ISBN-13: 978-0385513098
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #303,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Teens > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity

More About the Author

I worked for 10 years as an Editor and then Publisher for Campus Life magazine. There I learned journalistic skills (there's no tougher audience than teenagers), but every year it seemed I wrote fewer and fewer words. In 1980 my wife Janet and I moved to downtown Chicago where I began a career as a freelance writer. (She has worked as a social worker and hospice chaplain--which gives me plenty of material to write about!) We lived there until 1992, when we moved to the foothills of Colorado. I've written around 20 books, most of them still in print, thankfully. Three of them I coauthored with Dr. Paul Brand, who influenced me more than any single person. My own favorites are "Soul Survivor" and "Reaching for the Invisible God" because both of them forced me to dig deep and get personal. I'm a pilgrim, still "in recovery" from a bad church upbringing, searching for a faith that makes its followers larger and not smaller. I feel overwhelming gratitude that I can make a living writing about the questions that interest me.

Please visit my website at www.philipyancey.com for more information, essays, events, travel notes, and a blog.

There is also an official Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/PhilipYancey?v=wall

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essays on God's presence in the world, February 5, 1998

By 

David Graham (Shell, Ecuador) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Finding God in Unexpected Places (Hardcover)

This compendium of essays, mostly gathered from Philip Yancey's columns for CHRISTIANITY TODAY magazine, come from the person whose works I enjoy reading more than any other living author. These essays are not the narrow minded platitudes of someone offering yet another book of hollow reflections. Yancey looks for the intimations of God's grace amidst our troubling human condition, finding it in many places others overlook, whether it be in Shakespeare, Vaclav Havel, the Soviet Union, a computer keyboard, or in the natural world. The essays are brief and amenable to quick review each day e.g. lunchtime, bedtime reading, or afternoon coffee break. These ruminations are also good material to be read in small groups. I unreservedly recommend this book.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of essays, April 10, 2001

By 

Tom Hinkle (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Finding God in Unexpected Places (Paperback)

First of all, I like the title of this book. So many people think that God is only present in church or at meetings where miraculous, supernatural things occur. Philip Yancey has found the presence of God in many places, from the squalor and oppression of Chilean prisons to the spiritual and moral neediness of post-Soviet Russia; from the wonders of nature to the basement from which he writes his books; from the writings of Shakespeare to the life of a little-known servant of God who lives to minister to the poor. Plus, his discussion of grace and forgiveness in chapters 34 and 35 is as good as I've read on some tough issues. Any book by Philip Yancey is not to be missed, and this collection is one I'll be going back to again and again.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spiritually rewarding read., May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Finding God in Unexpected Places (Paperback)

When I read the first paragraph in the first chapter I turned to my wife and said"Oh, I'm going to like this book." I was wrong, I love this book. As a long time minister of the gospil, I was amazed that someone had put into words some of the very same thoughts and anxioties that I have experianced and then given me such a simple solution to the problems that I have encountered in my own spiritual walk. I kept reading words that were so uplifting that I found myself sharing these words of wisdom with my friends and family. I was inspired by his simple insight into so many of the "common" problems that we all face in our voyage thru this life and their solutions. There are so many wonderful quotes both from the secular world and the Bible that I found myself writing down the comments to be used in future sermons. This book is loaded with topics that will preach. I have recommended this book to numerous Christian and non-christian friends and co-workers. I believe that no matter what your present and/or past relationship with Christ is, when you read this book you will find yourself being inspired, uplifted spiritually, entertained and smiling. When I read chapter 23, Russia's Untold Story I set on my sofa and cried and at the same time I was ashamed for not having realized the truth and reality of the suffering of the Christians of that country. I told a friend of mine about this book and he said that the only book he needs to read is the Bible. It is by far the best and most important but if anyone fails to read this book they surely will miss one of God's true blessings. I think that the best part of this book is that it conveys wonderful spiritual truths without being "preachy". I will read more from Mr. Yancy.