Living With Mystery: Finding God in the Midst of Unanswered Questions (Paperback)

by Stacey Padrick (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...the chapter on "The Mystery of Hope" helped me get in touch with many of my doubts and feelings." -- Provident Book Finder, Nov-Dec 2001

"An extremely well written book about love, brokenness, suffering, and hope; the mysteries of life." -- Nazarene Publishing House/The Communicator, Jan. 2002

"Padrick's vulnerability is inviting, encouraging women to be real with themselves, others, and God." -- Christian Retailing, May 21, 2001

Product Description
Come to Know God More Deeply

Do you wonder why God has allowed your dreams to be broken? Have you struggled to muster hope when you feel hopeless? Is there something you have prayed and longed for yet God seems silent? Do you sense God prompting you to take a risk? Do you long to embrace life—even with all its questions—more fully?

With frankness, vulnerability, and authenticity, Stacey Padrick reveals how as we embrace the questions in our lives we find God waiting for us in the midst of them. By living the mystery—not fearing it—we discover what our hearts most deeply long to know: God himself.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764224395
• ISBN-13: 978-0764224393
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #267,618 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please Savor this Wonderful Book, June 22, 2001

By	Dr. Margaret J. Baker (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews

Ms. Padrick has drawn together wisdom from the best of Christian (and other) contemplative thinkers, as well as her own, drawn from deep experiences of the Lord's presence, goodness, and love in her own life. She displays a disarming vulnerability and willingness to enter into the deepest questions believers face about who the Lord is. There is no question that this book, perhaps more than any other current devotional book, will draw you into a richer, closer relationship with Jesus, the First and Best Lover of your soul. Do savor it. You will be blessed. Thank-you, Ms. Padrick!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trusting God When He Disappoints, September 6, 2001

By	Hugh McCann (Petaluma, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Stacey Padrick has written a golden book for any Christian who has struggled with disappointment, whether it be romantic letdown or physical disablement. While written primarily for women, <Living With Mystery> speaks to the human condition of any of us who, for one reason or another, have found our expectations of God's providence and his actual plan for us to differ greatly.

While addressing the same theme as Philip Yancey's <Disappointment With God>, LVM is a much more personal journey: Stacey draws us in and takes us through her personal life in order not to gain sympathy or to air grievances with God, but to point out how God has helped her replace her misconceptions of God's will (i.e. idols) with an understanding his perfect plan for her life.

Chapters 2, 5, and 7 are alone worth the price of the book. These on unrequited love, suffering, and unfulfilled desires take us from the depths of the dark night of the author's soul up to the shining pinnacle of God's sustaining, empowering love in Jesus Christ. Finding self-sufficiency, health, productivity, and certainly self-love to be expendable idols, Stacey beautifully relates the super sufficiency of the Christian God.

Each chapter is written from a biographical point of view for illustrational purposes. Stacey also draws from a wealth of eclectic Christian writings to both highlight certain points and to provoke the reader to further reflection. The only drawback here is that the sheer number of quotes is overwhelming at times; but one must simply pick and choose.

Lastly, study questions at the end of each chapter make the book ideal for small group study. I highly recommend <Living With Mystery> for counselors, pastors, and anyone who needs to be reminded that while God's ways are above our ways, they are also perfect.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living With Mystery is exceptional, August 13, 2001

By	Melinda Susanne Hamm "hammsf" (So. San Francisco,, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed Stacey Padrick's book Living With Mystery. This is a well-written, enjoyable book to read which, by personal examples and self-introspection the author draws the reader closer to an understanding of Christ. This book is heart-warming to read-I spent one evening reading it--it was like an intimate conversation with a good friend. Thank you. Melinda Hamm (Legal Secretary, San Francisco)