When God Interrupts: Finding New Life Through Unwanted Change

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.

Highly edifying book. It ministered to me in ways I least expected. It opened up other dimensions that have crossed my mind from time, but I never had a witness like this. I would recommend the book to believers who are beginning to be come confused with the practices of the present organized church. Those passing through tough times. Those who have prayed and are still expectant. For those who are hoping against hope. In this book, I find a perspective that is least expressed in the organized church - at least the ones I have identified with. Craig is a blessing to the Body of Christ. Thank you.

Best. Highly recommended. Came at the perfect time....right when Social Distancing began. Just what I needed. Great book to be read more than once.

Our lives are full of "interruptions" from God. Craig Barnes, a pastor himself, presents a wonderful tapestry of examples of why these interruptions occur and how we should respond, by looking for the spiritual lessons that a loving father is teaching. As a person who is now in the role of caregiving and parenting a parent, I found the book a true gift for this time in my life. I loved this book so much, we are using it this summer in our church as a study for our ladies class. His message of being grateful to God for all things, even things we perceive as trials, was very resonant with me,

One of the best books I've read this year! Some authors attempt to "write in stories" to extend their point. Barnes extracts stories from his ministry. Nothing contrived or embellished, simply how life is lived out by people of faith. This is my first experience with this author, but will definitely read more. I highly recommend this book if sometimes your life doesn't make sense. If you've got life all figured out, then the book won't make sense.

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!

A good book to get you to take a reflective look at what is happening in one's life. Not just looking at what a person is doing, but looking at What God is doing in sharing His Grace story in and through your life.

Changed my life, best gift one can give

Good

Thought provoking book of truth. Good book.