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When God Interrupts: Finding New Life Through Unwanted Change

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Several years ago as I was in the midst of meticulously charting the expected course of a job change, a wise friend told me: "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." "When God Interrupts" by M. Craig Barnes, pastor of the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., is the book to turn to in those disquieting moments when it becomes clear the plans we have made -- perhaps staked our futures upon -- have become finally so much dust. In accessible and at times deeply-moving prose it helps the sympathetic reader get beyond the question "Why me, Lord?" that inevitably accompanies such disappointment to a deeper understanding of what it means to worship a God whose ineffable grace is often to refuse us what we insist we want most.

"When God Interrupts" is book of hard contemporary wisdom set firmly within the Christian tradition. It is only secondarily a work of inspiration, although it contains passages that will invariably draws tears of recognition, and it will bring absolutely no comfort to those used to browsing the self-help literature for answers to their problems. It is a book for those who may have labored for years under the illusion that they have somehow taken the measure of God, at last understood His will, and are now ready to accept His reward for all their faith and righteousness. God's silence at the other end of this "deal" can be overwhelming, but for Barnes such moments, and he refers to them here and in other contexts as abandonments, are an invitation, a challenge to finally give to God what He wants most from us: ourselves.

One quotation is sufficient to catch the thrust of the book:

"When we are abandoned by the things we value, when we discover that no matter how much we have gathered we do not have enough, when we realize that even in the currency we value we are very poor, we are ready to start talking to God. Not before. Faith means betting our lives on the grace of God. (page 75)"

This is a book in the tradition of Peter Kreeft's "Making Sense of Suffering" but one that gets substantially closer to the felt experience of living a loss and the painful journey back to a God we may feel -- and perhaps have great justification for feeling -- chose to challenge us where we are most vulnerable and then disappear. Barnes's himself recognizes that these are journeys we may not wish to take, likening us on one occasion to Christ's disciples soundly sleeping through His agony in the Garden of Gethsemani, but once the journey is undertaken, it can, will, must lead to new life. God asks of us everything that we have, and more to the point, all that we are, but in the end He leaves us, and Barnes is entirely convincing on this point, with "a purer form of ourselves(page 157)."

A little over six years ago I started to experience as series of very disturbing "interruptions" in a life that I thought had progressed nicely up until that point. Little did I know that M. Craig Barnes had just published a book that would help me greatly in making some sense of it all. I'm glad to have found it.

Any Christian who has suffered a huge interruption in the life that he or she has expected to live will benefit from this book. Like it or not, most of us will be abandoned by many things we value in this life. Even the best things we have our only ours for a time. We stand to lose our material wealth, our health, our livelihood, people we love, and finally our very lives as such. Dealing with this grim reality requires a choice of perspective. We can devote our life's energies to trying to preserve our lives as we want, or hope, them to be. The fear of losing our self-made lives will rule our lives. Inevitably, loss will come. How will you take that loss? If the meaning you find in your life depends on your ability to keep it the way you want it, then the loss may come pretty hard. Alternatively, M. Craig Barnes presents a perspective based on Bible lessons and people's stories which can help us to see and appreciate the sum of our lives as an unearned gift from God.

Gaining this perspective requires a conversion process that goes beyond mental assent to certain doctrines or simple belief. It is when we are abandoned by things we hold most dear that the test of faith comes. Is it real, or is it mostly dependent on our having our lives the way we want them to be? Most of us will have more than one opportunity in our lives to find out. The good news is that, even if we can't have the life we wanted, God can show us a way to want the life we have. Sounds risky (and it is). But, no matter how much we have in this life, we will lose it all some day. Learning how not to worry about losing what we think we depend upon for our peace and security could be a long, uncomfortable process. But if being so focused on "saving" the kind of life we want is making us blind and ignorant to the better kind of life that God wants for us, then it is a risk worth taking. This is not to say that it's good to throw the nice things we have in life away. But I would like to be the kind of person who can lose those things when the time comes without too much regret and also use them (while I have them) to bless others in God's name. This can only happen if I truly believe that my life is the product not of my own will and struggle, but of an intimate and everlasting relationship with God.

This book is a good elaboration on what Jesus means by losing our life when we try to save it and finding it when we lose it for His sake (Matt. 16:25) and what it means to find the pearl of great value (Matt. 13:45). As Barnes says at the end of his book, "People who have a God do not need to become one". This book will help you break the habit of trying to be your own life's savior and enjoy letting God do that for you. If you read this book and want more, I would also recommend Philip Yancey's books "Disappointment With God" and "Reaching for the Invisible God". But don't pass this one up for those. I read this after Yancey's books and gained many valuable insights.

I thought after I read Sacred Thirst (which mysteriously appeared in the back of my car and remained there for over a year) that there was no point in reading any of the other books by Craig Barnes becasue they would never measure up to this one. I was wrong. I have read 3, bought 6 and am on my fourth. This one is beautifully written, as are all his books. Maybe this one goes even deeper to the heart of the matter, which I would say is Barnes' specialty. He tells more truth, the deep, hard truth, and somehow leaves you changed and deeply grateful for having heard it. The way I use these books is this: I read a small section (all Barnes' books are organized into smaller sections within each chapter) as part of my morning devotion. This and his other books have made an enormous impact on me and the people I've shared them with.

I have read and enjoyed many "help" type books but this one really impacted me. It doesn't focus on how to fix your problem -- it focuses on how God shows Himself to you during those hard times.

This is an excellent read for everyone. We have all suffered loss of a dream of one kind or another. This book is written by a man who had his own loss as well as shared in the loss of others. His insites are very helpful and he avoids the platatudes that many writers use. Very helpful.

I HAPPENED TO FIND THIS BOOK ORIGINALLY IN A CONSIGNMENT SHOP. THE TITLE "SPOKE" TO ME AND I BOUGHT IT. I HAVE SINCE PURCHASED 3 MORE TO SHARE...AND WILL PROBABLY ORDER SEVERAL OTHERS FOR GIFTS.
WE ALL HAVE TIMES IN OUR LIVES "WHEN GOD INTERRUPTS". PERHAPS WHEN YOUR PARTNER HAS SURGERY, OR YOU MIGHT LOSE YOUR JOB OR SOMETHING TOTALLY UNEXPECTED IS HAPPENING.
I REREAD THIS BOOK ON A DAILY BASIS... A FEW PAGES AT A TIME. TRY IT! YOU'LL LIKE IT!

I highly recommend this book. This is one of my favorites that I give to others who are going through difficuklt times or who are expereincing loss.

Not all things that come into our lives are good, but God works all things together for good to those who love God; to those who are called according to His purpose. This books helps us live that truth.

When God Interrupts: Finding New Life Through Unwanted Change
We received exactly the book we ordered in a fast delivery! Didn't need to use expediting feature; books arrived within 2 days using the free delivery option! Books were packed well and arrived in excellent condition. Very pleased with Amazon service!

It was just what I wanted and it is out of print so I was unable to get it from the book stores.