Customer Reviews

Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting with God

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

From personal experience and what he has heard from parishioners, Doug Fields knows the final results of New Year's and other resolutions to read a Bible chapter a day or the Bible through in a year or pray for 15 minutes every morning. The "ought-ful" motivation for "devotional time" often gets bogged down, and the resolution becomes mired in guilt.

In REFUEL: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting with God, Fields --- teaching pastor at Saddleback Community Church in Mission Viejo, California (the church pastored by Rick Warren) --- briefly lays out an alternative approach to spending time with God.

The opening chapter starts with an engaging anecdote about Fields's teenaged son's first week owning his first car. The son asks dad for extra money because he has run out of gas. He had no idea that a car required so much fuel; he didn't understand how fast the tank emptied. Fields quickly turns to a spiritual parallel --- how quickly we spiritually run out of power, enthusiasm and connection to God. When we realize we're running on fumes, we may turn to alternative fuels that prove unsatisfying --- food, work (or busy-work), shopping, music (or noise), anything other than God. Or we let the guilt --- over running out of gas --- further deplete us.

After setting up the problem, Fields proposes solutions that draw us to an ongoing, empowering connection to God. Solutions involve finding frequent, maybe very short, silences during which we can reach out to God and God to us. "My appeal is to stop within your normal schedule. Simply allow for small margins of stop in the midst of daily life. I want you to learn how to create pauses --- each day, several times a day, where you stop, become quiet, and connect with God." Becoming quiet --- turning off the music, the phone, the TV, the DVDs --- is a critical part of the piece.

This is a simple book with a simple message. It ultimately is about prayer and Bible reading but, at least for starters, in small bits. "Try reading a few verses and read them over several times. Don't read for speed; read for depth."

The last chapter summarizes some characteristics of the life and times of Jesus' biblical apostles, characteristics that compare to contemporary times and might well apply to readers who desire a closer relationship with God.

It bears repeating: this is a short book. There's no need for it to intimidate a book buyer or receiver, if you choose to give it as a gift.

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

What an amazing book!I was feeling so empty inside, as if I was walking in a desert. I mentioned my emptiness to a co-worker while we were flat stacking a pallet, he looked at me with blank eyes stating, "That's a good way to start a conversation" LOL. Well he told me to google, "7 Steps to refueling your spiritual tank". This is where I saw this little book, the battery in the middle caught my attention. I am a student at ITT Tech and my field of study is in electronics, so I took a peak and read a little. The message of the book was reaching out to me, I recommend this book to anyone who has a relationship with Jesus. It will help you reconnect with Him and understand why you feel so empty inside.

This little book is a quick delightful little book. The author writes with humor--you feel like you're sitting in his living room having a Pepsi with pretzels. Very positive message

Doug really knows how to explain the power of God in a practical way that we can all understand and put into action in our lives. This is a simple but powerful book. Why should our faith and relationship with Jesus be so complicated? It doesn't need to be and Doug helps us understand that.

Thanks Doug!!!

Excellent book, with a great pratical way of applying how to stay and be close to an awesome God.

Title: Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting with God by Doug Fields

Pages: 132.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: Maybe a week.

Days spent reading it: 4 days.

Why I read it: I use a lot of Doug Fields' stuff in my youth ministry. I have a lot of respect for him, and I was really interested in his take on refueling our spiritual walks.

Brief review: This is a must read book. I simply loved it. I cannot praise it enough. Refuel is about the busyness of life and how that busyness attacks our intimacy with God. Doug Fields writes a very simple, very clear book that offers 3 simple ways to connect with God despite our busyness. 1. Stop. 2. Be Quiet. 3. Make a Connection. It could not be simpler, and it could not be more appropriate for our culture.

This book is practical and insightful. It should be read over a few days. We need to allow the ideas to digest and make their way into our lives. Doug Fields has great advice that we can implement into our lives immediately. Best of all, its a short book. Doug Fields makes his point and leaves us with time to implement the ideas he gives.

For example, in his chapter about stopping Fields suggests that we take a few moments of everyday to stop and let God talk to us. Whether it is when you start your car (pause, reflect, then put your car in drive) or tying your shoes. Whatever works for you, we need to stop being busy and let God enter our lives. Very personal and practical.

I like this book so much that we are giving a copy to each of our graduating seniors this year.
This book came at a great time for me. I really wanted a book that would challenge me and encourage me to walk close with God. This book fit that bill perfectly.

I HIGHLY recommend.

Favorite quote: "Connecting with Jesus is a better choice than busyness."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word: Realistic.

I love this book! it is spirtual life we all need to hear! what doug says will encourge us to draw closer to are heavenly father!

proud to call Doug Fields my pastor!