Customer Reviews

Listening For God: A Ministers Journey Through Silence And Doubt

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a writer and one who has an ongoing inner dialogue (often chaotic debate), this book arrived in my hands like an angel to the dying. For a number of years I've been 'on hold' regarding taking action on a number of projects, believing myself to be an imposter when I have so many questions and so much doubt. Ms Weems, in her honest sharing, has offered me a new perspective. With humor, teeth gritting honesty, and a trusting soul, Renita Weems shares her struggle and doubt, offering in the end a gift of love and wisdom. What a wonderful gift to those of us stumbling along the path. Thank you.

Only the Rev. Dr. Renita J. Weems-Espinosa could have written such a book with such gut-wrenching truth and honesty. Not every believer will experience all the levels of "silence" that she has been through but if you know God, there may be times when you will and I thank God that I ain't crazy enough to give up on God but to keep on believing, keep the faith, keep praying even when I think God is truly silent...He's not. I just started reading this book and I am overcome with the insight which she reveals and shares about the true and living God which I (we) serve. I enjoy the conversations that she shares during this silence-period (of God) with other people who question our faith and the why, the how, the what, that we believe...Her responses are so real into giving people what they want to hear about us but sometimes is not an indication at the time. This is a book that I know will be a reference and reminder whenever I think God is not listening, or not there for me, this book will remind me of His all listening ear and all seeing eye and Presence in my life at all times.

A brilliantly written book with humor which kept me glued to the pages. I could not put it down. It was just so uplifting to hear that others are experiencing the same "lost feelings" I have felt. To have those feelings validated has made a profound difference in my understanding of our wonderful God and this journey we are on.

I loved this book. After receiving this book, I devoured it in a matter of days. I have found myself picking it up and rereading certain passages. I laughed often and felt as if I'd sat down to a conversation with an old friend. What most endeared me to this book was the author's honesty. Rarely do I hear or see such candor about the valleys and/or plateaus in one's spiritual life. It was refreshing!

This is the book if you are waiting on a word from God. This is a powerful book. Dr. Weems has done it, yet again. This book makes a wonderful gift for Christian women. God Bless You, Dr. Weems.

Page 58 says "The lapse between epiphanies was becoming longer. I had attached myself to a little Baptist church in Brooklyn...".

Page 63 says "I don't think I want to place my peace of mind in the hands of miracles.".

Page 96-97 says "When someone tries to talk to me about the difficulty of recognizing the voice or presence of God, my mind goes back to the revivals I attended as a girl... There's no way I can make anyone understand that just beneath the surface of all the drama, the naivete, and the farce, God was at work - not just in my life, I suppose, but in the other lives that were touched by those revivals as well. Of course, education tends to make us look back at our conservative, working-class origins with contempt. In order to gain acceptance into the upper classes, in order to buy into academia, in order to move around in a class of educated clergy, for the sake of upward mobility, we must denigrate the people, the experiences, and all the memories that shaped us.". The author then refers to the evangelists who came to her childhood church as "jackleg, uneducated, cunning" and accuses them of exploiting her congregation's weaknesses. I cannot tell if she is sarcastic or not. Page 97 ends with no conclusion about whether she believes her perceived rules of upper class academia are right or wrong in God's mind.

Page 102 says "I felt rudderless in the free-church tradition of Baptist worship services and started longing for a bit of the liturgical and ceremonial graces I'd come to expect in Methodist worship.... I missed worshiping with the Methodists.". She notes that she married a Baptist and says "No wonder I haven't heard a word from God.".

The two things to learn are to keep in hearing (Rhema) from God:
1. Do not attach yourself to a Baptist church or spouse.
2. Worship God in spirit and in truth without contempt for the uneducated worshiping with you.

If you want to be content without hearing from God then this book will be ok for you. If you are hungry for a life with God then read Developing a Supernatural Lifestyle: A Practical Guide to a Life of Signs, Wonders, and Miracles instead.

Thank you! I, too, have experienced periods of "God silence" and longed to restore the closeness of that relationship. As I read this book I found myself repeatedly saying "Thank you for writing this book!" It has been balm to my soul. So often lay people expect clergy to be in constant connection to God, as if a clergyperson has some deep, unbreakable connection that laypeople aren't privy to. The truth is that clergy also have their times of doubt and spiritual desert, and it's important to take the time and space necessary to tend to the needs. Church-folk do not often understand this and are more likely to cast out those who are experiencing this painful lack of palpable spiritual connection rather than recognizing that in many cases this is evidence of clergy burn-out and in need of intervention. Thank you Renita for putting a face on the issue and adding understanding.

I appreciated that the author takes head on the issue of spiritual wilderness or dryness, and her experience of it. It is thought-fully and richly written, with much to offer anyone in ministry.

This was a good book, written by a very good writer. i did one of her books in my women's group in my church. We enjoyed her writing so i brought this book and a copy other books that reached out to me that was written by her.

After reading this book I see Renita J Weems as an intellectual, with an intellectual's ego, trying to reason her way back to God. While Ms. Weems has apparently left her faith to follow "godesses" she has trouble understanding why this has left her faith hollow. Christ told us if we were to follow Him, to understand Him, we were to do it as little children. If Ms Weems could get over her anxiety and aggression towards men, perhaps she could listen to what her husband has to say as a Baptist minister. God tells us in the Old Testament that one of the 7 things He hates is pride...snooty, condescending pride,...Sister, I say this in Love, you might try a little humility in your search for God. I would recommend she read Joyce Meyer's "Battlefield of the Mind"