Saturday, 20 December 2008
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Understanding God's Will by Kyle Lake- Book Review
The tag: How to hack the equation without formulas
From the back cover: Do you struggle with knowing God's will for your life? For years, the subject of God's will has been presented more like a mathematical equation rather than the extraordinary, liberating, challenging — even risky — journey that it actually is.
In Understanding God's Will, pastor Kyle Lake takes the fear and the mystery out of pursuing your life dreams and reveals simple and practical ways you can live in God's will on a daily basis. So quit pulling your hair out. If you're ready to get answers, take a seat. Class is about to begin...
About the author: Kyle Lake was the pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, for seven years. He passed away in October 2005 at age 33 and is survived by his wife Jen, and their daughter and twin boys. Lake also wrote a follow-up book called (re)Understanidng Prayer.
(For David Crowder*Band fans, the name may be familiar. He was the pastor of David Crowder's church and died right before DC*B's tour for the A Collision album.)
My Take: Overall, a well-written, funny, easy to read, relevant, and honest book about God's will and what that really is. Lake has a gift for clearly teaching a topic as complex as the will of God. On top of that, he's very funny, sarcastic, and a little self-deprecating. This isn't a stuffy exegesis on theology and scripture written by some guy who's long gone. He wrote this for Christians of today's generation, using examples that we can all relate to and jokes that keep the tone light. Yet he doesn't water down his message, and manages to tackle the topic seriously.
To be clear, this book is not going to give you a step-by-step guide on how to discover God's specific will for your life. It's not like a "get rich quick" scheme or late-night infomercial. The short of it is that God's will is for us to become more and more like him. That may sound like a copout answer to some of you, but I hope you'll take the time to read this book to see how Lake comes to this conclusion. I found it very eye-opening as it caused me to examine my own life, decisions, and hopes to determine if I was living in God's will.
The aftermath: The book had an especially powerful effect on me because of my current situation; being inbetween jobs and trying to figure out what to do with my life sure makes a girl wonder about God's will a lot. Have I figured everything out after reading this book? Of course not. But it took me one step closer to understanding God a little bit better. And I have something new to mull over and work out as I make more decisions and consider my hopes and dreams for the future. It also lead me to listen to more sermon/podcasts on this topic and investigate what other pastors had to say on the matter. All in all, I'm glad I read it. You can buy "Understanding God's Will" here.
Have you read this book? Any recommendations for new Christian books?
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Comments (14)
id like to read this. I am always interested in God's will. for my life and for others too.
I haven't read this book, but maybe I will! Great review!
I don't know. I'm always skeptical of "man" written self-help guidance books. Especially those talk about the Bible. It might be worth a read, but reading the Bible is probably a safer route. Why do we go to others to figure out God and his will? We should be going straight to the source. And even if he states this in the book, why does it take a whole book to get that message across?
"The short of it is that God's will is for us to become more and more like him."
A copout, vague, unsatisfying...this answer to the question of "what is God's purpose for us" is all that, but it's the truth. As we get to know God personally, we'll by default become more and more like him; and also as we get to know him and become like him, he'll begin showing us what he has for us.
As a young believer and a product of the quick-fix generation, I didn't necessarily like this answer, but it really is the truth.
Thank you for posting this.
@Celtic_haven@xanga - I understand what you're saying about reading Christian non-fiction in addition to the Bible. In saying that, I am not advocating the former in lieu of the latter, and I feel any good author of Christian non-fiction will continuously be pointing the reader back to the Bible. It must always be remembered that these authors are human, and we don't know if they're under the leading of the Spirit as were people like Paul, Timothy, James, etc.
).
That said, I appreciate many Christian authors for their ability to bring clarity and a relativity to God's word. Just because they're words aren't part of the Bible-proper, they may still have the words of God in them (I believe God still talks to us, though I understand not all Christians do...and that's okay. As long as we all believe what the Bible says about Jesus, right?
One thing I noticed about the Apostle Paul was that his letters to various people/churches brought that same clarity to them of the Gospels and what Jesus taught. He often is seen breaking down those things and applying them to the churches.
I've often thanked God for Paul because he's helped me more deeply understand things previously recorded in the Word.
This is long...and why do I feel it took me so many words to spell out what you did say in a sentence? --Laura
"God's will is for us to become more and more like him."
Doesn't sound like a copout answer at all. I'll have to read the book to understand why and how Lake came to this conclusion. Thanks for the recommend!
wow..
maybe if ppl read the bible and not this book, they will find out what God's will for their lives are from the author himself...sounds like Lake's book is a waste of time.
When we begin to simplify what God's will is, we're in danger of taking the mystery out of God and the majesty of God. (After all He is GOD, isn't He?) His ways > our ways.
"This isn't a stuffy exegesis on theology and scripture written by some guy who's long gone."
This comment gives me pause. I'm a big fan of exegesis. We cannot neglect the Scripture when in it are the very words of life. We must begin and end with theology and Scripture. Anything we're reading must be checked against Scripture.
Most are familiar with Paul's words to Timothy.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Look at the gift the Bible is to us. Yet how often do we neglect it!
The Word of God is living and active...that cannot be said about the mere words of men.
The Scripture has got to be our main source of truth. The Scripture alone is God-breathed and God-inspired. The Scripture alone is infallible.
We can read books besides the Bible (and I do), but we must always be checking what the authors say against the Bible itself.
I think we're in such an instant society, it's become easy to go to the bookstore for yet another book, rather than opening up THE Book we already have on our shelves, THE Book which too often gets neglected. Authors will come and go, but the Word of God endures forever.
@AshleyKnows@xanga - I've not read Lake's book but here are a few verses that come to mind to answer your question.
Romans 8:29: We are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.
I Thes. 4:3: God's will for us is sanctification.
I Peter 1:14-16: God commands us to be holy as He is holy.
Philippians 2:1-8. We're to be humble like Christ.
God saves us not only so we will have eternal life with Him in heaven one day, but we have eternal life right now, as His Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, has come to dwell in us, to transform us, to make us new creations, so we might will and do of God's good pleasure. Prior to salvation we had no ability to do His will. We were dead in our sins. We were enemies of God. But when we were saved Christ's life came to dwell in us so we might live like Christ.
I have that book. I think it's a great topic because we all struggle with understanding God's will.
@naphtali_deer@xanga -
"When we begin to simplify what God's will is, we're in danger of taking the mystery out of God and the majesty of God."
I think the point is to take the mystery out of God. Instead of having him sit forever over my head on a gold throne surrounded by a light so blinding that I may never reach him, that I may never fully know him...I may as well roam the earth forever with a book as a handbook to a mystery. If we do not take the mystery out of things, even earthly things like human relationships, we will always be at a distance from one another, held at arm's length...I hope that this is not the relationship with God that I am forever to have.
To know him, to live with him, to be in close relationship, to become one, I would give up all the books in the world, including the Bible, because in the end, there is no greater knowledge than direct experience.
As for your reply to my comment, "God saves us not only so we will have eternal life..." I can understand that, but to live like Christ, to me, is to live like God. As Christ says, "I and My Father are One."
@naphtali_deer@xanga - yes, good point. i don't have anything against exegesis and thorough scriptural study. they're important, but sometimes they are 'stuffy' and moreso, just intimidating. i just wanted to note that this book wasn't like that, for those who want to read up on the subject but don't know where to start or are intimidated.
i should clarify that Lake does base the book on scripture. he's just really funny about it too. sometimes i find that is a hard balance to achieve. there was one passage in particular about the definition of eternal life in the book of John - it was very eye opening. definitely a good explanation of scripture and a reminder of what the Bible actually says. but i was just able to process it more easily b/c of his writing style.
@misshibiscus - As i was writing, I almost thought of reediting. Thanks for your gracious response since I don't know you personally and was making more of a broad statement regarding the Church and her neglect of Scripture. I will beat the drum all day for the need for the Church to be Scripturally based/rooted. We need to be continuing in the apostles' doctrine and teaching...if we don't have that, we have no foundation.
*off soapbox*
I'm very glad the book is Scripturally sound and it was helpful to you. Anything that can help us to walk in obedience to God is a gift of God for sure. It sometimes seems speakers and writers can be entertaining but when it's all been said and done, you don't come away with any real solid food in the end. A speaker/writer who can hold your attention and give you meat is a wonderful combination.
I think the test of good teaching is this: Do you come away and only remember the anecdote or story, or do you remember the Scriptural principle and some Scripture itself? I think we can't underestimate the power of the Word of God.
@AshleyKnows@xanga - I'd written a response to your comment and it did post, but then my response got lost. Would you please let me know if you've received it? Thanks much.
@naphtali_deer@xanga -
I did receive it...thank you for writing it out! It was a very thoughtful response in spite of the "rambling" ;) , and I agree- to know God requires continuous abidance. I don't believe in shortcuts or copout answers either. In fact I thought Lake's proposal, though it sounds easy enough, is actually a tough proposition which is why I could not dismiss (without reading it) to be an instant quick fix. I haven't read the book, but I can only surmise that to know God ultimately is to give up everything (Lake passed away at 33), and that cannot be easy in spite of the wording.