Customer Reviews

Time Peace: Living Here and Now with a Timeless God

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As an old friend and colleague of Ellen Vaughn I am hardly unbiased, but this is one of the most significant and thought-provoking Christian books I have read. Writing in her usual captivating style, Ellen has made what could be a difficult subject very accessible. The book has had a powerful spiritual impact on me, causing me to re-think the way in which I think about God, particularly in my prayer life. Her explanation of what is meant by `God is light' is profound.

Because of my ministry, I have read most of the contemporary apologetics works. This one ranks with the very best of them, and it comes at a providential moment. When you read this book and think about the enormity of the universe, the speed with which light and matter is traveling, the interrelationship between time and space, the dimensions of reality yet to be explored, you will realize what pompous nonsense is being spewed out by the latest generation of atheists, Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens, and company. Ellen's arguments make a mockery of their pompous assertions that there is no God. Read her book and you'll realize that any proposition other than `God is' is on its face absurd.

Having read Time Peace, I am left with awe and wonder. I highly recommend this book. Give it to your friends. Ellen has written some fine things over the years. This is far and away her best work.

TIME PEACE is not quite a devotional, in which each chapter has a neat self-contained take-away message. Ellen Vaughn has written more of a think piece, in which chapters are short essays or nonfiction stories --- Vaughn is a very good storyteller --- that build one upon the other to ultimately present a devotional package.

In part 1, "Experiencing Time," Vaughn introduces time issues: "Time Flies," as in hours, days, years seem to go by so fast; "Time Hurts," as in we age and die and "its passage hurts." Jumping off from an account of people living and dying in the midst of Europe's 14th-century black plague, Vaughn contrasts how people of faith can view and use time differently than people of despair. "Time is not our enemy when we are friends with God," she writes, before progressing to part 2, "Managing Time," which starts with a curious childhood anecdote of Ellen visiting and accidentally hitting, with her chin, no less, a "lock-down" button in the U.S. Naval Observatory, which keeps or determines the government's official time. (Visitors are no longer allowed.)

As Americans we have become increasingly obsessed with and enslaved by time and the demands we require of it. "Social commentators call it a `time-crunched culture.' Psychologists call it `hurry sickness.' Everybody else calls it `multitasking.'" We're paying a high price: "Chronic impatience becomes bottled wrath."

From personal experience, contrasting her college years with her professional life (working with Charles Colson, "an enormously productive triple-A personality"), Vaughn discusses two misuses of time: being slothful and being overly controlling, squeezing the most out of every minute. Neither mode of operation is good stewardship of the gift of time that God has given us, Vaughn contends. "Are we often like Martha, distracted and controlling, acting like it's our time, not God's?"

Part 3, "Re-Viewing Time: A New Paradigm," delves into the science of time, light and matter --- think Einstein --- and then into quantum physics, all packaged within a theological framework. I've always "checked out" when someone has tried to explain to me the "new physics"; so just the fact that I stayed with and understood the presentation speaks well of Vaughn's prose. She briefly mentions someone who tries to discount Christian faith on the basis of quantum physics. But throughout the book, Vaughn returns to a theme of God being beyond finite knowledge or imaginings. The quantum world? Well, wow. God, our creator and redeemer, has more tricks up his sleeve than we had imagined.

In part 4, "Enjoying Time," Vaughn returns to our personal view and use of time, hooking many of her points to Jesus's parable of the steward and to the Gospel stories of Mary and Martha of Bethany. One most wonderful paragraph toward the end of the book is expressed in the context of God caring "more about our character than our calendar." Some Christians, Vaughn says, "become so anxious about time that they regard any interruption as `spiritual warfare'; anything messy that slows them down is thwarting the very purposes of the Kingdom, because God needs them to have an immaculate schedule. This mindset can border on human ego rather than Kingdom effectiveness."

Sometimes Vaughn interjects humor that would prompt laughter from a live audience but doesn't quite work on paper. "Hmm, Augustine says in Latin. Hummus. He munches a crust of bread dipped in chickpea spread." Well, okay, now let's get on with the issue at hand --- what Augustine said about time. Apparently a lot, prefaced with this statement: "It is a problem at once so familiar and so mysterious." Though she doesn't say so, I imagine Vaughn started writing her book with the same puzzlement. By the end of her research and analysis, presented in the context of spiritual reflection, Vaughn answers a lot of questions. There is still mystery, but Vaughn comes to see time in terms of peace and takes her reader there also.

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

It's rare to encounter a book like this. By way of remarkable stories and genuine, personal reflections, Ellen Vaughn has crafted a deft combination of the theological and scientific, the deeply thoughtful and the incredibly practical. And her skillful pen makes the entire read compelling and quite enjoyable. Her insights and descriptions prompted numerous "wow-I've-never-thought-of-that-before" and "whoa-my-mind-can-barely-comprehend-this" type moments. . .as well a few "hey-how-did-she-know-that-about-me!"

Don't mistake "Time Peace" as yet another book about time management or personal efficiency or any of those another clichéd, over-addressed time-related topics. Rather, Vaughn provides a view of time that is much bigger than the typical, much more encouraging than the usual.

I highly recommend it.

First, I have to disclose that my wife and I are acquaintances of Ellen Vaughn, having attended the same church for several years, occassionally facing one another on the sidelines of a soccer match and shuttling our daughter back and forth to her home to visit with her daughter.

That said, I purchased this book on my own, and there has been no discussion or advance notice, and this represents my independent and honest review of this book.

First and foremost, as evidenced strongly in this book, Ellen Vaughn is a very thoughtful and effective story-teller. Each "chapter" comprises just a few pages and makes one primary point which is effectively interwoven around a story combined with some insightful commentary that stimulates thought and response from the reader. Especially noteworthy are how many of these stories are drawn from her personal life and experience and provide a transparent look into someone who is affected in common ways with events, relationships and challenges just as are we. Here, there is no artificial descent from the mountain top to dispense pearls of wisdom to the commoners below, displayed. Ellen is painstakingly real in her writing, her thoughts and her applications and by that she invites the reader to enter into the experience as a partner. That is a quality that is rare indeed and that in itself makes this book a very enjoyable and worthwhile read.

In terms of the subject matter, Time; the temptation to be overly broad or to become diverted or engrossed with the plethora of material germaine to this subject is skillfully and deliberately avoided. Instead, there is demonstrated a great deal of thought and research to present the elements within each vignette and rather than just imparting information, there is meaning to meditate and think upon. Time is indeed an incredibly prolifically written upon theme in our culture. There is recognition of this coupled with a broad sampling that does justice to the various elements in terms of science, time management, religion and philosophy that are out there and dominating much of our popular literature and other public forums.

In the end, the book takes the reader by the hand to wander through the myriad of thoughts and considerations that most will encounter when they enter into the Time matrix, and then brings them out with some simple but powerful thoughts that relate to our mortality, relationships and most importantly our standing with God. If time is the stuff that life is made of, then more to the point, this is a book on life and how to live it.

As a former Christian & Missionary Alliance Pastor, I would be remiss if I did not point out as well, how much of the material and experiences used by Vaughn in this work relates to the C&MA in terms of some of the stories and many of the quotes and references throughout the work. A.W. Tozer in particular, I believe, would have been heartened to see some of his words woven into this fine tapestry. There apparently is still hope for Presbyterians! ;)

In short, this book is a worthwhile, enjoyable and beneficial read in many ways. It present deep thoughts in a concrete manner than puts the cookies on the lower shelf in an inviting manner. It would make an excellent group study or serve as a good devotional for an individual or family to refer to daily and move through the thoughts and then spend some time in prayer or reflection.

I recommend this book highly.

Bart Breen

Time Peace is perceptive, theologically engaging, and witty. Small groups will want to look at it for study and discussion. I expect to use it in Sabbath ministry to my type-AAA friends.

I met Ellen Vaughn last week at a gathering of Christian writers in Fairfax, Virginia. Sabbath ministry had been on my mind and the review by Charles Colson suggested that I might benefit from her seminar. Ellen came across as a committed Christian struggling to find balance in the unbalanced world of Northern Virginia.

Ellen's writing craft is displayed in several dimensions.

First, she does her homework. In researching time as a topic, she reviewed film, time management books, scripture, and scientific literature. I suspect that she also did a number of interviews.

Second, she paints wonderful mental pictures. I will never forget her lesson on the six deadly sins and how they relate to Gilligan's Island.

Third, she is willing to take theological and intellectual risks. Most Luke commentaries do not offer alternative readings of the Mary and Martha story. Likewise, I suspect that most English majors do not write extensively on Einstein's theory of relativity and string theory.

Finally, she throws curve balls in her prose. I doubt, for example, that she really sits much on the beach throwing alka seltzer tablets in the air to the sea gulls, but the thought is interesting.

Personally, I was touched by her story about Vicky Armel, a police officer gunned down for no apparent reason within walking distance of my home in Centreville, Virginia. Knowing that Vickey came to Christ before all that took place gave me comfort in reflecting on her passing. For that, Ellen, I am grateful.

The book divides easily into two topics--a layperson's discussion of the scientific research into time and an in-depth theologian's discussion of time. Both parts of the book are excellent, but the two sections are not tied together well. Nevertheless, it is an excellent read and useful for gaining a proper perspective on one's use of time. In the end Vaughn accomplished in me what she intended: she increased my peace as I live in time.

I highly recommend this well-written, thought provoking, and fun to read book. I read it while traveling back and forth on long flights just before going on vacation with my family, and it's just what I needed to set my mind in the right perspective to enjoy my family and live in the moment. It also expanded my perception of God and created in me a sense of awe at His majesty, power, and timelessness.

I took the book on vacation even after finishing it to read some excerpts to my family. The touching story about the Ziemer family brought my wife to tears, kept my kids' interest, and spurred on some interesting family discussions.

I read this book twice, and was left in awe both times that I read it. Ellen has a highly entertaining style of writing that makes the most profound concepts understandable. I never understood before that E=mc squared meant that the speed of light was the constant in our universe, and that time and matter are relational. It was a revelation that tied in so beautifully to "God is LIGHT". HE is the real constant in our universe. It makes you sit in awe of God over and over again at the enormity of our universe and how God is in the "now" all the time. Peter's suggestion (2 Peter 3:8) that 'With the Lord a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day" makes total sense in this perspective, as well as the scriptural conundrum of Jesus existing with God before the world began. Ellen has made me understand the Bible even better with her entertaining and profound thoughts on time, and helped me to feel peace in knowing that in this crazy stressed out world, all is well. I highly recommend this book for those who love deep thoughts made simple, and who need to see that even though some scientists ridicule our faith, "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Corinthians 1:20)

One of the best books I've read in 20 years.
It's a must have for the deep thinker or the person seemingly always pressed for time.