Far from Home: The Soul's Search for Intimacy with God

This was a gift given to me by a best buddy of mine. Hey, the thing's less then 200 pages, I should finish it in about 2 days. WRONG! I think people are going to find that when this points at them, kind of like looking down the barrel of a 44 magnum, it won't be so easy. It made me look at some issues that aren't always so simple. So if you think you have a great intimacy with God, you may be right. But you might not have it all together either, which I knew I didn't. I just didn't realize it would be a little more difficult to face. Stowell takes a few simple chapters concerning intimacy with God, and combines it the "The Prodigal Son" parable. Like I said, it seems like a real piece of cake, and it isn't always. Sometimes the difference between God's will and our will is like pulling teeth! Stowell took a few lessons from Steve Farrar, which I really enjoyed, and put them in this. He took a few places with King Jehoshaphat, and showed how God was in control. That was pretty awesome! He showed great examples through the life of Job, through the Psalms, and through some great teachers today. The chapter that got my attention more then any other was one called, "Connectedness." Quite frankly, at first I was like, SO WHAT? It was really quite simple, connecting with God, yet it was the longest chapter in the whole book. And it was quite relevant. In that chapter, it had some great testimonies from people like Bill Bright, Joni Eareckson Tada, Dr. Adrian Rogers, and a few others. Good examples the whole way through. So, are you ready to come home? Do you dare crack the first page and find out a little bit about yourself? You might even surprise yourself. Joseph Stowell has something to say, and he probably has some experience to back it up as well! I really enjoyed this.

Once again, Joe Stowell has brought the gospel to life! This book came along at a point in my life when I really needed to be reminded of the importance of developing that intimate connection with God. I needed to be reminded that God has not moved, it is we humans who have drifted off of the path that God has designed us for. I appreciate the conversational and heartfelt tenor of this book. A must read for anyone who is looking to recapture the orignal passion of the Christian faith, or for those who are struggling to discover the central issue of the faith... that being finding our home with God and no where else!

This book is a wonderful synopsis of the true meaning of a relationship with the living God supported, not just by the author's experience, but based on scripture. Few seek after this type of intimacy and it is sad because few find it as a result and this is stated through out the book. It is a wonderful book of encouragement for those that know or want to know the loving God that we have and how much He has invested so that we can have a relationship with Him. All we need to do is "draw near to Him and He will draw near to us". A simple but profoundly true statement