Customer Reviews

Out of the Quiet: Responding to God's Whispered Invitations

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Peter Wallace identifies our core relationship in this book of wonder, writing of gems that sparkle in his conversation that appear effortless on each page. We are invited into an insight that is rare. We feel a subtle deepening relationship with God even as we read. Are we courageous enough, vulnerable enough, open enough, ready to step out, to respond when the invitations arrive? Peter Wallace gives us riches of specific real world "moments", that can burst through or that may quietly tap to get our worldly attention. He often names the unnamed experience which is helpful, memorable. We shift then, to God's light, not our light. The author's words ignite us, inspire us to travel further down into the spiritual archeological dig with plenty of riches to discover along the way. Peter Wallace writes a loving book. This is a generous writing, in a conversational style that is very comfortable, appealing. Recommended for personal reading, for adult education classes, small group study, seminars and workshops on this gentle, compelling subject.

Sometimes God's message for us is right there in front of us: a quiet whisper, easily ignored, easy to overlook. All the while, we yearn to hear what God has to say to us--to connect our lives with a supernatural purpose. Designed to help you still your heart and hear God's voice, Out of the Quiet leads you through a meditative exploration of Scripture (quoted from The Message). Read this warm and provocative book every morning as 90 daily reminders to stay alert for God's message to you. Or you can read it straight through as an inspiring book that draws you closer to God's heart. Either way, you'll learn the valuable art of quieting your heart and responding to God's whispered invitations.

"Peter Wallace leads you into the detail of biblical text where the grace of God rings, clear and profound. Through his reassuring, challenging ponderings, you'll find a voice of quiet conviction, an uncomplicated affirmation that God is the goal of our longings as well as the source of our hope." --Walter and Mary Miller Brueggemann (Walter, professor emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary; Mary, clergy)

"An incomparable opportunity to listen for and respond to the endless, grace-laden invitations beckoning us into a dynamic relationship with the Living God." --Laura S. Mendenhall (president, Columbia Theological Seminary)

"Peter Wallace writes gracefully out of a heart enamored with God and devoted to befriending and encouraging weary pilgrims. Out of the Quiet is a warm and wise guide to a richer, deeper, spiritual experience." --Len Woods (pastor and author)

"In this book, Peter Wallace shares with us his rich and imaginative life with God. Served with digestible bites of Scripture, you will find a well-seasoned feast of simple, solid, and grace-filled insights into God's word. Open to any page and enjoy." --Rev. Dr. Victor D. Pentz (pastor, Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Atlanta)

"There is a freshness in Peter's writing because it flows so obviously from the real experience of a wayfaring, committed pilgrim. When you read him, you will be encouraged and inspired to embark on your own journey with the Father." --Dr. Thomas Lane Butts (pastor emeritus, author, Monroeville, AL)

"God speaks to us in ways great and small and, while we yearn for the drama of lightning flashes and monumental messages, the deepest insights most often are perceived in what Peter Wallace calls the 'quiet whisper.' Out of the Quiet is as gentle and welcoming as the most heartening caress of our loving God." --Roy Lloyd (senior manager media relations, American Bible Society, radio commentator).

FROM THE FOREWORD BY PHYLLIS TICKLE:

Peter Wallace and I share many things: the joy of being grandparents, a vocation to serve God through the national media, a fondness for The Book of Common Prayer, the oxymoronic estate of living in an urbanizing South, and a passionate enthusiasm for Eugene Peterson's The Message. It is this last one that tells the tale in these pages.

The Message is not so much a translation of the Bible--at least not in the customary sense of that word--as it is a para-translation. It is, in other words, a brilliant lifting up of the spirit and intent of our holy words out of the conventions and sometimes limiting contexts of their times into the becoming and appropriate conventions and idioms of our times. And so far as I know, no one has ever understood the nuances and pastoral uses of The Message as well as, much less better than, Peter Wallace.

In this large volume of small pieces, Wallace has structured both a set and a system of devotions, using Peterson's para-translation as vehicle and his own Christian experience as the way into consolation, obedience, worship, and wonder. Because of Wallace's efficient organization of the resulting devotions into clear categories and sub-sets, any reader at any given moment can locate a scripture and meditation that will inform and counsel the burdens, joys, or thoughts of that moment. Because of Wallace's acumen in selectively employing Peterson's work, every reader will be surprised into new understandings and appreciations of the foundations that being Christian is based on. And because of Wallace's quietness of voice, connecting the message and the unchanging truths of our faith to each other will be a delight to the thinking heart of every reader.

And one last thing. Gentleness is not a virtue often touted in our times; but Peter Wallace is a gentle writer. Nothing is imposed here, nothing asserted in strident tones of insistence. Instead, all comers are welcome to sit a while and ponder. My suspicion is that that respite will make a difference in the life of most of those who do stop. But whatever the outcome, everyone who enters these pages will know himself or herself to have been engaged here; for Peter Wallace is a generous writer, as well as a gentle one.

Phyllis Tickle
The Farm In Lucy

I have read this book while I was on vacation and I liked it very much.
It is written in a personal and friendly style and it really helped me to take a closer look at some of my habbits.
It strengthened my trust in God without putting some kind of religious pressure on me.
Some of the (short) chapters I read several times.

Good book, healthy portions, easy style.