Finding God in Unexpected Places [Paperback]

Philip Yancey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

In this collection of penetrating inspirational vignettes, Philip Yancey, best-selling author of The Jesus I Never Knew, helps us to recognize God's presence in overlooked and ordinary times and places.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Sometimes we work so hard to see God we don't realize he's been right there all the time. In this new collection of penetrating, inspirational vignettes, best-selling author Philip Yancey helps us see signs of God's presence in all the overlooked and even ordinary times of life.

Whether he is working out in a Chicago health club, talking to the chief propagandists of a formerly atheistic nation, enduring his first diet, or stumbling across a broadcast of Donahue, Philip Yancey has learned to detect the movement of God in everyday and unexpected places. Here he shares what he has seen, and with his hallmark insight and eloquence helps us sharpen our vision for signs of God's presence in our own lives. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

PHILIP YANCEY is a multi-award winning author and journalist, and one of the most popular religious writers of our day. His searching and refreshingly honest books, which include What's So Amazing About Grace? and The Jesus I Never Knew, have encouraged and inspired millions of people around the world. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vine Books (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569550603
• ISBN-13: 978-1569550601
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,196,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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.