In Jeremiah 12:5 God says to the prophet, "If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?" We all long to live life at its best--to fuse freedom and spontaneity with purpose and meaning. Why then do we often find our lives so humdrum, so unadventuresome, so routine? Or else so frantic, so full of activity, but still devoid of fulfillment? How do we learn to risk, to trust, to pursue wholeness and excellence--to run with the horses in the jungle of life? In a series of profound reflections on the life of Jeremiah the prophet, Eugene Peterson explores the heart of what it means to be fully and genuinely human. His writing is filled with humor and self-reflection, insight and wisdom, helping to set a course for others in the quest for life at its best.
Run With the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best
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Peterson, now retired, was for many years James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. In addition to his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message (NavPress), he has written many other books.
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179 of 180 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Reading it now for the second time, I realise that "Run with the Horses" (the British title is "The Quest") is possibly one of the most dynamic and uplifting books I've ever read. It's about living life, the God-life, to the fullest - persuing it with excellence, "running with the horses". It's about how living life this way, and refusing to accept or settle for the mediocre, is, for the Christian, the only true measure of success. In a goal-driven, achievement-orientated world, the life of Jeremiah offers hope and encouragement to those who do not fit the world's mould. Jeremiah's is a life lived passionately for God; a life that refuses to be beaten down, and to be conformed to the standards and patterns of the world. It's not an easy life - Jeremiah has more than his fair share of doubts, despair and rejection. But, ultimately, it's the only life worth living. A stunning piece of writing. Read it, and marvel.
67 of 67 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
God said to Jeremiah, "If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?" To put it in modern language, "If you can't pay your bills on time, how are you going to walk on water?" Okay, sort of modern. The point is, God wants us to walk on water, and we're still struggling to pay our bills on time. That was Jeremiah's problem, until he realized, "No, I won't be able to do that in my own strength; but I will in Yours." And that was when Jeremiah changed from being a spiritual workhorse to being a thoroughbred.
No one says it like Eugene Peterson. He's one of the most eloquent writers around, and what he says is loaded with meaning. In this case, no one says what's involved in the quest for life at it's best like he does. In chapter 8, "My Wound Incurable," in Run with the Horses, he describes a picture of prayer that looks very much like having dinner in a fine restaurant with the most important person in your life. It's private, intimate, conversational, meaningful, personal - in a word, special. Occasionally, the waiter shows up to take your order, bring your food or take the broccoli back because it was cold; but otherwise, it's just you and your special loved one.
Then he writes, "But there is a parody of prayer that we engage in all too often. The details are the same but with two differences: the person across the table is Self and the waiter is God. This waiter-God is essential but peripheral. You can't have the dinner without him, but he is not an intimate participant in it. He is someone to whom you give orders, make complaints, and maybe, at the end, give thanks. The person you are absorbed in is Self - your moods, your ideas, your interests, your satisfactions or lack of them. When you leave the restaurant you forget about the waiter until the next time. If it is a place to which you go regularly, you might even remember his name.
"The confessions of Jeremiah are no parody but the real thing - exclusive focus on God: intense, undivided preoccupation with God. This accounts for much that is powerful and attractive in Jeremiah. Here is the source of the personal intensity and incorruptible integrity that is so impressive in Jeremiah."
As Peterson unfolds the life of Jeremiah, you realize how distinguished it was for its lack of triviality, radical faith, unparalleled excellence, spiritual prowess, and risking of everything for God. But Jeremiah wasn't always like that. He had to start at square one like the rest of us. That is where he was when God asked, "What is it you really want, Jeremiah, do you want to shuffle along with the crowd, or run with the horses?" "The response when it came was not verbal, but biographical. His life became his answer, 'I'll run with the horses.'" So can we.
Waitsel Smith
No one says it like Eugene Peterson. He's one of the most eloquent writers around, and what he says is loaded with meaning. In this case, no one says what's involved in the quest for life at it's best like he does. In chapter 8, "My Wound Incurable," in Run with the Horses, he describes a picture of prayer that looks very much like having dinner in a fine restaurant with the most important person in your life. It's private, intimate, conversational, meaningful, personal - in a word, special. Occasionally, the waiter shows up to take your order, bring your food or take the broccoli back because it was cold; but otherwise, it's just you and your special loved one.
Then he writes, "But there is a parody of prayer that we engage in all too often. The details are the same but with two differences: the person across the table is Self and the waiter is God. This waiter-God is essential but peripheral. You can't have the dinner without him, but he is not an intimate participant in it. He is someone to whom you give orders, make complaints, and maybe, at the end, give thanks. The person you are absorbed in is Self - your moods, your ideas, your interests, your satisfactions or lack of them. When you leave the restaurant you forget about the waiter until the next time. If it is a place to which you go regularly, you might even remember his name.
"The confessions of Jeremiah are no parody but the real thing - exclusive focus on God: intense, undivided preoccupation with God. This accounts for much that is powerful and attractive in Jeremiah. Here is the source of the personal intensity and incorruptible integrity that is so impressive in Jeremiah."
As Peterson unfolds the life of Jeremiah, you realize how distinguished it was for its lack of triviality, radical faith, unparalleled excellence, spiritual prowess, and risking of everything for God. But Jeremiah wasn't always like that. He had to start at square one like the rest of us. That is where he was when God asked, "What is it you really want, Jeremiah, do you want to shuffle along with the crowd, or run with the horses?" "The response when it came was not verbal, but biographical. His life became his answer, 'I'll run with the horses.'" So can we.
Waitsel Smith
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a masterpiece. I have read the book of Jeremiah several times, but Peterson makes this prophet of old come alive. We end up feeling what Jeremiah felt; we see what he saw; we understand his fear. Peterson's intrepretation makes this Old Testament book apply personally to our lives whereas sometimes a person can read the Old Testament and have trouble seeing how it relates to modern day. God has surely blessed Peterson with gifts of writing, prophecy, interpretation and understand. Thank you Mr. Peterson for sharing your gifts with us all.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
New perspective on life
Please remember this is the way i perceive this book. It may not be yours. I can so relate to Jermiah's protest , but was to good to know , realize God knew me before. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Willa Avenant
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing book, life changing, incredibly well-written. Beautiful!
Love this book. Each page is eye-opening, I'd often have to put the book down for a second and just stop reading, in awe and shock at the beauty and truth of these words. Read more
Published 2 months ago by SpayNeuterPlease
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspired Interpretation of the Prophet Jeremiah
I found Eugene Peterson's book on the prophet Jeremiah to be well-written, thought-provoking and inspiring. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Book Lady
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gift book
This was a special gift for a precious sister. The book arrived even earlier than promised. No problems with purchase.
Published 3 months ago by Splittimer
5.0 out of 5 stars
A treatise on the book of Jeremiah
If you would like to better understand the book of Jeremiah found in Holy Writ, then reach for this volume.
Published 3 months ago by Kathryn Ann Prins
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good book
This book is very inspiring and challenging for me. My life right now really needed a book like this, and I was happy to get the new updated edition.
Published 4 months ago by Jessica Brohmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!
I've read several of Peterson's books, and without a doubt I think this is his best. So inspiring! Can't wait to pass it on.
Published 4 months ago by Happy customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
The consequences of telling the truth ....."a life story"
It's hard to tell the truth when people don't want to hear or except it. It's even harder when one endured that situation for 40 years! Read more
Published 5 months ago by Walter Janusz
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read
I have enjoyed the clear, concise way the author presents his thoughts. The book is very thought provoking. I reccomend it to any one looking for a new way to look at Jeremiah.
Published 6 months ago by Helena E. Foster Fabiano
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent look at Jeremiah
I rate the books I read by how many things are underlined when I am done. I underlined something on about 90% of this book. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Peter Peter
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