Lost in the Middle: Mid-Life Crisis and the Grace of God

Lost in the Middle is the only book I have read so far that gets to the heart of us who have traveled the road long and seemingly come up short. It also hits home for those whose journey is still in process, but big cracks in the road have appeared and nearly swallowed them. Paul David Tripp gets at the heart of the human dilemma: focus on self rather than on the Creator. Somehow we get it backwards and think that all things need to work out for us, but it's not about us. When we think we are in control of our lives, we make ourselves like God, and, that, we aren't. Through the exercise of repentance, seeking forgiveness, and acknowledging the Sovereignty of God, we can rekindle the reason for living and finish well. I strongly recommend this book to us who are in the 4th quarter, AND to those who have blown it and need a leg up. Thank you Paul, for leading the way.

While not officially in in mid-life, I found this book an excellent critique of my idols (our culture's). What I found fascinating is that, like biblical writing, Tripp's message is so simple yet so profound. If you struggle with sin, lonliness, depression, inadequacy, this is a good book for you. Grace to you.

This book is a five star gem. Tripp writes like an angel: even when he is presenting truths you've heard a hundred times, he captures your heart with his crisp prose and brilliant illustrations. He starts with a robust realistic view of what we are like and how this life pans out for us; he analyses our responses to the trials of life, especially middle age, with a deep insight into how our hearts actually work. Then he brings all that under the redeeming light of the gospel. Quite wonderful to read. Unreservedly recommended to anyone over 30 - and under 30 too.

I absolutely agree with the previous reviewer. Paul Tripp's book is one of the most profound, yet practical modern Christian books I have ever read. It's theology, deeply rooted in Scripture, is right on the mark and provides the reader with amazing insights into how the Christian should and must understand the process God uses in our 'middle years'. Even if you are not experiencing any 'midlife crisis' (or think that you aren't), you MUST read this book. And I would highly recommend it for all 20- and 30-somethings as well. It is a book of great depth and of tremendous encouragement. Ponder deeply the principles contained in this gem, and thank God for the fruit that comes from being 'lost in the middle'!

This book is the God-send that an entire generation needs to read, and I say that with no exaggeration. Americans deal with the midlife dilemma in such a superficial way. We think that if we can laugh at ourselves, joke about our circumstances (and maybe undergo a little cosmetic surgery or buy a sports car), then we'll get through it okay. That's just about the only approach to the midlife crisis I've come across, anyway. But Paul Tripp isn't interested in palliatives. As always, he wants to get to the heart of things. Or, more accurately, he wants us to see that God gets to the heart of things, using the indignities of aging, the accumulated load of life's regrets, the rising fear of life's end, to wrest our attention away from this empty material world. It is quite simply life-changing to view midlife from this perspective. This book, with its emphasis on the grace of God, is so life-affirming, so filled with words of hope, that you'll never again look in the mirror with such despair. And it's only in midlife that we are ready to hear this message; in our youth the word mortality is hardly even an entry in our inner dictionary. Read this book, and then read it again. Don't go on to the next new, new thing on the Christian bookshelf. This is too important. Thank you, Dr. Tripp. May God continue to richly bless you.