Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Overwhelmed


Whew. Perfectly timed book.

Because of Lent, it took me about a month to read this, but I appreciated it so much.
The thing I like about Perry Noble's writing style is his ability to relate to his reader. He is real with where he is at in life, and I appreciated his subject matter a lot. Too many people in ministry feel like they have to have everything together, but I like Noble's courage in tackling tough topics like worry, depression, and anxiety.

"God is a 'right now' God! Right now He is at work - no matter your circumstances, no matter how you're feeling, no matter if you can see Him" (Kindle location 390).

It's not every day you hear a church leader give an honest view of what the church has become to so many: "Somehow church has become a place where we don't want to hear about real issues or relevant struggles or sins we've been dealing with all week long. We'd rather hear obscure history lessons, Greek and Hebrew word training, and lots of quotes from dead white guys" (Kindle location 542).

My favorite chapter was seven, which includes Perry's own story. It's amazing to look at him from the outside. He's obviously a passionate man (have you ever watched him on NewSpring's podcast or seen him preach live?!) reaching people for Christ. From the outward appearance, he was a success, but inside was a different story.

If you've ever been overwhelmed in life, you know you don't want someone to say all the right things. You just want someone to BE WITH YOU. To let you know you are not alone. Perry Noble has given that gift to the world. I highly encourage you to grab this book the next time you're at a bookstore or on Amazon. If you're not overwhelmed now, you will be at some point, and Perry offers hope and encouragement.