Saturday, January 9, 2010

Book Review - Leaning into God by Robert A. Schuller

Leaning Into God - When Life is Pushing You Away by Robert A. Schuller
Published by Faith Words (Hachette Book Group)
ISBN: 9780446558358


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Robert A. Schuller explores the various ways individuals lose or experience interferrence with their connection to God. He explains that emotions such as shame, regret, fear and disappointment can stand in the way of intimate association God wants with His children.


The good news is that when His people are struggling, God stays close. There are many ways to reestablish a dynamic connection with Him. Schuller calls these "Connection Corrections" and leads readers through identifying communication barriers and how to break them. Each chapers delves into the reasons readers fail to connect with God, how to being repairing the broken wires, and the life-altering benefits of restoring a positive, power-filled relationship with Him. Readers who feel adrift from God will find that no barrier is too big to keep them from a close, loving relationship with Him.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert A. Schuller is the former senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. He has written twelve books, including "Walking in Your Own Shoes". His latest book, co-authored with Dr. Douglas DiSiena is intitled, "Possibility Living". Schuller has four children and resides in Laguna Beach, California, with his wife, Donna.


MY REVIEW:

I have to admit that I wasn't sure that I wanted to read this book. Afterall, this is the son of Dr. Robert Schuller, the founding pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. I don't find Dr. Schuller's teachings to be Biblical and thought his son would probably be the same. I was wrong.


I enjoyed this book so much and found myself hard-pressed to put it down. It was not some "feel good" book where you chant a few positive thoughts as a cure all. No, this book is full of sound, Biblical advice and I know I could relate to it on so many levels. Each chapter discussed different ways that we can disassociate ourselves from God and how to get back to and with God using the Bible as the key to the pathway. I also loved the fact that at the end of each chapter, there were thought-provoking questions that we could ask ourselves in an effort to understand ourselves and our relationship with the Lord.


I think one of the reasons I did chose to review this book is because of the struggles Mr. Schuller has gone through in recent months. He was removed first from the "Hour of Power" television show and then removed as Senior Pastor of the Crytal Cathedral. I wondered how he was going to handle this because, lets face it, being removed from your father's church is no small matter! I had read some of his comments online about the situation and was very impressed with his thoughts about the whole thing. He truly is leaning into God during this hard time in his life and is following Biblical principles - not some positive thinking, feel good slogan.

I felt that he could understand my struggles because he's been though so much of his own and that the book was a reflection of those struggles. I knew he believed what he was writing and had probably used these same principles himself. There's something much more reassuring when the person writing the book understands what it's like to walk a mile in my moccasins!


This is definitely a book that will remain on my book shelf as I know I will refer to it again and again. Sometimes during the hard times, we need someone to point the way to the right scriptures and this book definitely fills that need. I highly recommend this book!


(This book was provided to me for review by Hachette Book Group)

You'll find a link to this book on my Amazon.com widget.

God bless you - Julie



3 comments:

  1. I saw your comment at Diane's place and stopped by to view your blog. So glad I did. We catch the Hour of Power program from the Crystal Cathedral here in the tropics.

    The only book I have ever read which is written by R.A. Schuller is 'Tough Times Never Last, but Tough People Do'.

    I will certainly try to obtain a copy of his latest Leaning Into God..

    Thanks for the post and book recommendation.

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  2. That was a very good review Julie. The book sounds really good too. I hope that you are doing well. How are your knees and back? I think of you often but haven't asked you in a while. I hope the pain is at bay at least for a while.

    May you have a blessed week!
    Joyce

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  3. Hey Julie, I have just given you a Beautiful Blogger award...come to my blog to get the details.

    Joyce

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