Knowing the Face of God (Paperback)

by Tim Stafford (Author)
Key Phrases: view from the end, Holy Spirit, New Testament, Old Testament (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In a deeply honest book, Stafford (NIV Student Bible) acknowledges the great divide within evangelical Christianity between the idea of a personal relationship with God and the practice of such a relationship. Can God, in fact, be known as we know our family and friends? Stafford explores the dynamics of a variety of personal relationships from those of conversation and meals to those of family and work in order to demonstrate that a relationship with God can, indeed, be modeled on our daily human ones. In the end, however, he admits that, try as we might, our efforts to see the face of God in this world are always frustrated and incomplete. This conclusion, sober as it is, suggests that Stafford's book will be popular, in all probability, with Christians who are seeking alternatives to the more saccharine strands of New Age spirituality.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Most Christians know about God and having a personal relationship with Him is something we all talk about. But true spirituality must go deeper than mere talk. Do we really know God as He relates to our homes, families, meals, work, feelings, praise, friends, suffering and more? Stafford wrestles with bringing God into the nitty gritty context of every-day life. (Passport, Summer 1997)

The phrase "a personal relationship with God" is so commonly heard today among evangelicals that the understanding of what it actually means often remains undefined, as if the meaning is self-evident. Stafford decries various spiritual programs that stress singular avenues to God. Specific methods of prayer, Bible study, and corporate worship are proposed by others as if the spiritual life is a machine that will run smoothly if one can only locate the missing part to make it work. The problem is, no one seems to know what that part is. All that's left is a deepening hunger for a relationship with God with little idea of how it comes about...[Stafford] offers a refreshing and practical understanding of what it is to know God beyond just what we know about Him. (P.A. Kochenburger, Christian Retailing, March 25, 1996)

This was not an easy book to review. As I read it I was drawn into the author's thought process. His struggle to know God on a personal level became my own. This is not light reading. It's for those desiring-and being willing to risk-developing closer relationship with God. The author notes that even the most mundane, everyday tasks become opportunities to encounter God. In the process he helps us discover how we can encounter God in our conversations or during our meals. Then Stafford underscores that discovering the mystery of God is an ongoing process, and I couldn't help but pause along the way to ponder my own spiritual journey. -- Youthworker, November/December 1996

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Product Details

• Paperback: 249 pages
• Publisher: Navpress Publishing Group (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891099344
• ISBN-13: 978-0891099345
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,000,233 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most honest book about Christianity I've read, November 25, 1998

By A Customer

I found the first edition of this book on sale at a Christian bookstore and bought it on a whim. I've reread it three or four times, and each time I am impressed. No other book deals as honestly and as in depth with the subject of having a personal relationship with God. I'm not sure why the editors switched Parts I and II for the second edition--I thought the original sequence was perfect. If I could only read one Christian book besides the Bible, this would be it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life With God is Relationship, February 20, 2002

By	Matthew R. Green (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I first found this book many years ago, I was looking for a quick fix. This book disappointed me. But it didn't disappoint me without good reason. There are no quick fixes. There are no distinct steps to follow or techniques to employ that will provide a roadmap to relationship.

And that relationship is what Stafford is trying to demonstrate. Once I realized that, I discovered that this book has more to say on living with God than most others I have seen. No techniques, but rather honest appraisals of how to build intimacy with God, an intimacy that is similar to, but yet must be different from those with human beings. It is a vulnerable book. Stafford must take off some of his masks to tell his journey, and the reader must take off his or her masks to embrace the full scope of the text and live life with God.

It is a book I have read several times, and each time, I am humbled by the task set before me - to know the infinite God. But I am also overjoyed by the reward - to know the infinite God.