What the book's about: Jesus is Better Than You Imagined is about how the God we've construed (oftentimes in our image) compares to the God of Scripture. It's a book that juxtaposes Jonathan's own stories of Jesus with those found in Scripture and in the process, helps God to come alive in new ways.
Why I read this book: I read this book for two reasons. First, I enjoyed Jonathan's previous book, A Faith of Our Own and as a result, was eager to read more by him. Secondly, I read this book as part of the research for writing my own book, The Jesus Gap .
My favorite quotes from the book:
- "God wanted to remind me that He is everywhere despite my best efforts to contain Him."
- "God wanted to wow me and woo me and love me and surprise me, but I wanted to manage Him."
- "I claim to believe in a God who can and wants to work miracles but my prayers rarely probe those places. I keep my requests limited to tasks I can well accomplish myself, perhaps because I'm afraid God won't come through."
- "Following God is an imaginative exercise, which is to say it means living in a posture where I am always envisioning new realities that more closely align with the world God desires."
- "Pursuing a life of honesty means to reveal who I truly am and assert that my story too belongs at the table."
- "Faith is not just about trusting God for the what, but also the when and how."
- "Church was not a landing place but a launching pad. Not a finish line but a starting block. I had made the church my single source of spiritual vitality. But the church is not the source but a conduit."
Thumbs up or thumbs down? Thumbs up.
Who I'd recommend this book for: This is a book for anyone who wants to reexamine their faith. Because of the personal nature of the stories that Jonathan shares, I think it would work exceptionally well as a book for small group discussions, enabling people in them both to explore the God of Scripture and their own stories of faith.
Tags
Latest Posts
- Jesus chooses you and so does the church
- Teaching kids to worship
- This is 44
- The gift of VBS
- 7 Reasons Why Group May Not Be the Easy VBS
- 4 Things I Appreciated About Group’s SCUBA VBS
- Honey, I love you
- 12 Books You Should Read
- A blessing for youth leaders nurturing faith beyond youth group
- 8 ways to help mission teams conclude more than “poor people are happy”