Sifted: God's Scandalous Response to Satan's Outrageous Demand [Kindle Edition]

Rick Lawrence (Author)

Book Description

Discouraged by life’s difficulties—both life-shifting catastrophes and the drip-drip-drip of daily trouble? Dissatisfied with the same old pat answers about God’s role in our hard times? Rick Lawrence offers fresh biblical perspective based on a single Scripture snapshot in Luke 22:31-32. Jesus tells Peter he’s about to be “sifted like wheat”—shaken hard, beaten, and agitated until he practically falls apart. Satan’s going to do it. And Jesus is going to allow it, in the interest of showing Peter who he really is. Lawrence uses the simple agrarian metaphor of sifting as a jumping-off point for a rigorously honest, deeply challenging, yet powerfully comforting exploration of the trials that beat us down, the good God who allows our troubles, and the incredible beauty the process of sifting can reveal in us.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rick Lawrence is the long-time editor of GROUP magazine and co-leader of the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. He also speaks frequently for conferences and workshops, consults for national research organizations, and publishes prolifically—with 31 books (authored, coauthored or edited), hundreds of articles, and a small-group curriculum to his credit.

 

Product Details

• File Size: 638 KB
• Print Length: 274 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1434700747
• Publisher: David C. Cook (August 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005K03B7E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,383 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sifted Like Wheat, a Must Read September 5, 2011

By Janet Ruth

Format:Paperback

We all go through hard times, and our most common reaction is that we don't deserve to experience the times in the valley. We all prefer to live on the mountain top, and of course we hate suffering through pain ... whether physical, emotional or financial.

We are a family of cat lovers. On rare occasions, we have had to do something (maybe give a bath or medication) to one of our cats that they thought was pure torture. A cat holds a grudge for a very long time, and it may take weeks for them to finally trust us again. However, we knew that what we were doing was for their own good. Rick Lawrence uses a similar example in this book, and he relates it to our Christian life. At certain times, we might be screaming and fighting like a cat, and not understanding the big picture.

It would be easy to coast along in life and believe that God will not allow bad things to happen in our lives. We want to simply believe that God is good, and that He will cushion us from anything uncomfortable or unpleasant. The bottom line is this: at some point in our lives, we are going to be sifted, it's a reality of life. We don't want to go through the process of being beaten, smashed, vacuumed and dumped like a kernel of wheat. But we do want any unusable or harmful parts of our life to be captured and thrown away. It is impossible to have the end result without going through the entire process from beginning to end.

Sifted is an honest and sometimes difficult book to read. I know that I need to read it again, and spend more time digesting. I highly recommend this book!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How to deal with things when life throws you a curve ball! August 30, 2011

By Pirate2240

Format:Paperback

A Biblical encounter that will first challenge you, then comfort you, then leave you changed.

Discouraged by life's difficulties - both the life-shifting catastrophes and the drip-drip-drip of your daily troubles? Dissatisfied with the same old pat answers about God's role in our hard times? Rick Lawrence takes you on a surprising - even dangerous - journey into the deepest recesses of God's heart toward us. To get there, he drills deep into the single Scripture snapshot (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus tells Peter he's about to be "sifted like wheat" - shaken hard, beaten, and pitched into despair until he's separated from the person he always thought he was.

Satan's going to do it. And Jesus is going to allow it. But why? Jesus makes no mistakes with His metaphors, and sifting offers a brutally honest picture of God's goodness at work on behalf of our freedom. Sifted is a rigorously honest, deeply challenging, yet powerful redemptive exploration of the trials that beat us down, the good God who allows them, and the incredible beauty sifting can reveal in us.

I received the book, Sifted by Rick Lawrence, compliments of B & B Media Group for my honest review and for some reason, came at just the right opportunity for our family to use this as a study into what is meant by being sifted, what the purpose is in our life and how we can become better Christians in spite of the process.

Rick Lawrence uses many real life examples to illustrate how the sifting process works. One such example is the death of Steve Curtis Chapman's daughter, who was killed in an accident by one of his sons backing out of the driveway and hitting the small girl. In the midst of this time, the Chapmans underwent their own "sifting process" and what came out the other side has not only helped them in their grieving process but also helped others by watching how they weathered that storm.

This helps us to explain the question "why" even though during the process we can't always see the benefits of what things happen to us but this book helps the reader weather the time that passes and enables them to help others through life's "sifting" process of their own. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars and think everyone should have a copy in their home.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, Relevant Book August 10, 2011

By Nappaland.com

Format:Paperback

What kind of a loving God would allow his people to endure so much suffering?

This is a question that has plagued the Christian community for as long as it has stood. It's easy to say things like... "It's not for us to know", or, "Someday we'll understand", but what do you tell someone who is suffering right now? Is it possible to provide an answer that will comfort rather than harm?

Rick Lawrence sets out to answer the question of suffering by breaking down two easy-to-overlook verses of Scripture: Luke 22:31-32, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

I've heard numerous sermons on Job and his great suffering. I've listened to preachers talk at length about the Apostle Paul and the "thorn in the flesh" he complained of. Yet I've never heard anyone really dig into Luke 22:31-32 before. Sure, I've read it... but like a lot of people, I figured Jesus was just predicting Peter's soon-to-come denial of him, and thought nothing more of it.

In Sifted, Rick Lawrence breaks down all the factors, as well as the hardships, of being tested. He speaks eloquently about "rock eating termites" that aim to break down even the strongest of individuals. He explores not just the "what" of these experiences, but also the "why." Sifted breaks down Luke 22:31-32 in a way that leads the reader first from Jesus' unique use of the name "Simon" instead of Peter, to the request made from Satan to "sift" Simon, to the response of Jesus to the presumptuous request.

I enjoy books like this, and when I first picked this one up, one person came to my mind who has been sifted a lot lately: my 29 year old sister who is fighting cancer for the second time. Since childhood, she's been the strongest person I know and here she is, week after week enduring hard chemo therapy treatments, getting sick and having to live though so much pain. Her name popped into my head when I began to read Sifted, and by the end of it, I was racing out to buy a copy for her.

Rick is gentle in his approach, but firm at the same time. He explains the literal and spiritual meanings of sifting, and points the reader to reasons we must go through it. In order for the good in us to be revealed, we must first go through a process to strip away what is not good. Satan puts us through hardships because he truly believes we will turn away from God. Christ allows the hardship because he knows that we will endure, and in the end be transformed into something even more beautiful. After all, even Jesus knew he would be sifted like the wheat, only to rise up again and return to his Father.

I highly recommend this book, not just for people who are well, but for those who feel they have been "sifted like wheat." I'm excited to share it with my family and look forward to hearing more from Rick Lawrence in the future.

--RM

More About the Author

Rick is the longtime Executive Editor of GROUP Magazine (youthministry.com) and the co-leader of the Simply Youth Ministry Conference (youthministry.com/conference). His latest books include Shrewd: Daring to Live the Startling Command of Jesus (2012, shrewdbook.com), and Sifted: God's Scandalous Response to Satan's Outrageous Demand (2011, siftedbook.com).

He's authored hundreds of magazine articles and is the author, co-author, or editor of 34 books. He co-authored The Family Friendly Church (1998), IT: Innovative Tools for Youth Ministry (2004), and Youth Ministry In the 21st Century (2005). He's authored TrendWatch (2000), JC Q's: 150 Jesus-Centered Discussion Questions (2006), Jesus-Centered Youth Ministry (2007), the adult/teenager small-group curriculum In Pursuit of Jesus (2007), Make Their Day (2009), Ten Tough Things (2009), and 99 Thoughts for Jesus-Centered Living (2012)--all published by Group Publishing.

He's a consultant to national research organizations and a frequent conference and workshop speaker. He has been interviewed by national publications and media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Homeword with Jim Burns, Dennis Rainey's FamilyLife Today, and the Moody Bible Institute radio network, among others.

He's married to Beverly Rose and has a 13-year-old daughter named Lucy Rose and a 9-year-old daughter named Emma Grace.

You can follow Rick on Twitter @RickSkip, on Facebook at Facebook.com/RickSkip, or you can email him at [e-mail], or you can drag a banner behind your biplane over Denver, Colorado with a special message for Rick.