Unexplainable: Pursuing a Life Only God Can Make Possible [Paperback]

Don Cousins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

From trusted author Don Cousins comes Unexplainable, a dynamic book designed to help people find true fulfillment by shifting their life view from outside-in to inside-out.

 Most of us live our lives from the “outside-in.” This means we try to order our external circumstances (family, finances, career, friends, leisure, etc.) in such a way that we feel happy, secure, and content within.

 But this approach simply doesn’t work. Few of us are ever able to get our life circumstances just as we want, and even when we feel we do, it doesn’t last.

 More importantly, the Bible makes it clear that God intended life to be experienced “inside-out.” Unexplainable will inspire you to pursue a life for which there’s no logical explanation apart from God.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

We work hard at being happy. We pursue financial peace, provide for our families, and prepare for the unexpected. And when our circumstances are good, life is good. But what happens when the economy is uncertain? When a loved one is ill? When challenges are beyond our control? Then life is not so good.

Why is this? Because we tend to focus on life from the outside-in: We believe that if we make the outside comfortable, we’ll be satisfied inside. Yet this approach makes our joy dependent on things we can’t control.  

But there’s another approach to life, where we can be free of worry, find security in tough times, and experience true, lasting joy. A way of life where we’re content no matter what.

Sound difficult? It’s actually impossible. Until we bring God into the equation. And lifeshift our view from the outside-in to the inside-out.

 

About the Author

Former associate pastor and one of the founding leaders of Willow Creek Community Church, Don Cousins has been equipping leaders for more than thirty years. He is the coauthor of the Medallion award-winning, gifts-based curriculum study Network. Don resides in Holland, Michigan, with his wife, MaryAnn, and their three children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434768082
• ISBN-13: 978-1434768087
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #827,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Don Cousins is founder and president of Team Development, Inc.; located in Holland, MI. He is coauthor of the Walking With God series for small groups.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid inspiration to live a life worthy of the call, November 21, 2010

By 

Laurence T. Baxter "Step Up to the Call" (Indiana USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Unexplainable: Pursuing a Life Only God Can Make Possible (Paperback)

Cousins book covers some excellent material and he does a good job encouraging us to grow in our faith and to seek a life with fruit and fulfillment that can only be explained by the activity of God. Unexplainable is broken down into four parts:

Part One - Unexplainable Contentment - the biblical keys to contentment -- lifeshift from outside-in to inside-out
Part Two - Unexplainable Success - bearing fruit and experiencing joy -- lifeshift from temporal to eternal
Part Three - Unexplainable Significance - understanding calling and purpose -- lifeshift from Mine to His
Part Four - From Explainable to Unexplainable -- how to get there

I thought that material covered in each section was quite good. However, it just didn't seem like the choice of topics covered what one would expect from the title. In thinking about a life that is 'Unexplainable' apart from the power of God, "contentment" simply doesn't come to mind. Same for "Success". And the discussion on calling seems more focused on helping us see how we live out our average jobs as living out our calling. Finally, I for a wrap up I was hoping to hear more than "Let Go and Let God" (the title of Chapter 20). Those looking for a more radical challenge to a life with God-sized dreams may want to check out some of Mark Batterson's book such as Wild Goose Chase or In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day

If you do want to get a well-written Biblical view of how to attain contentment and how to understand success as God sees it, and a tie-in to God's calling on our life, Unexplainable fits the bill.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motivational, September 16, 2009

By 

Jane Maritz "winning readings" (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unexplainable: Pursuing a Life Only God Can Make Possible (Paperback)

There's a song by Matthew West that starts with these lines:
The king of contradictions
Strikes again
You said the last to cross the finish line
Will win
And the beggars will be millionaires someday
And the humble ones are gonna have their say
(My Finest Hour - if you haven't heard it already, check it out!)

Well, today's book, Unexplainable: Pursuing a Life Only God Can Make Possible, kind of matches those words. God's will and purpose for your life may seem totally contradictory to everyone around you. I love the premise of this book - God is beyond us. And a life lived in Him will be completely unexplainable to everyone around except in the context of God. And such a life will invariably point to Him and give glory to Him.

If you're looking for an inspiring Christian read that challenges you to do the unexplainable, this book is for you. With lots of illustrations and practical ideas to hold your attention, this book is well organized as it walks through experiencing contentment, measuring success, finding significance, and the steps to get there, all from the unexplainable perspective.

There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter to facilitate this book as a group study. I think that would be a great way to encourage and motivate and hold one another accountable in living an unexplainable life.

Definitely one of the most motivational books I've read in a while!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational - Life Should Be Unexplainable, April 27, 2010

By 

Kim "Kim Martinez" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unexplainable: Pursuing a Life Only God Can Make Possible (Paperback)

If you are going from day to day, hoping for Saturday and dreading Monday, then this book is for you. If you are dreaming of "someday" or "the old days", then this book is for you.

I was inspired, encouraged and uplifted. I was encouraged to keep pressing in to God and search for His work in my life, not settling for my best, but looking for God's best.

Unexplainable is a terrific inspirational book. If you haven't read one for a while, you will benefit. We all need a 'check up' once in a while. This book will refocus you on the reason why we are here, the hope that we have, and the One we walk with.