The Upside of Adversity: Rising from the Pit to Greatness

I read 15-20 books a year and to date have never taken the time to write a review about any book. But if you have ever been through a prolonged season of trial....this is a must read book. There simply is no other way to put it. My story is similar to his and I had gotten to a point where I was ready to walk away from God. But this book gave me new hope and really helped me to understand what was REALLY going on. Particularly if you are in despair, you need to read this book...it will change your life, or actually, make you aware of the fact that God is in the process of changing your life.

A book that brings encouragement, perspective and hope. I could not reccommend this book more strongly for people who have hit the wall and feel like their faith has failed them and their hope is waning. I have had the distinct pleasure of buying 6 copies and giving them away as gifts. Nick Burton

I read it once and knew it had my name on it. I read the last page and turned right around and started it again. I am finding things I never saw the first time. It has been an amazing journey and an incredible comfort during my own Joseph Pit experience.

The Upside of Adversity delivers a much-needed message to a culture that seeks comfort, convenience, and ease. In this post-modern era we rarely hear that adversity builds strength, character, and a reliance on God. But some special people have a Joseph Calling on their lives. The author of this book, Os Hillman, is just such a person. In The Upside of Adversity he draws parallels between Joseph in the Bible and his own trials and tribulations which took him from a successful marketing career to his current global ministry of Marketplace Leaders [...]. In this book you will learn such powerful principles as, "The pathway to leadership almost always takes us through the valley of adversity." You will learn how that God often uses the "desert places" in our lives to speak to us. You will learn about the Judas Test, the Integrity Test, the Perseverance Test, and the Test of Success. You will also learn to identify and demolish spiritual strongholds in your life. This is a book for any Christian who has experienced adversity in their lives. In other words, this is a book which every Christian should read. Everyone who lives in this fallen world will experience adversity. If you would like to change your adversity paradigm so that you can see the positives that can come from your pain, this is a book you should read. Those who have been blessed by reading Os Hillman's daily devotionals from Today God Is First (Destiny Image 2000) will not be disappointed by the insight and wisdom found in this powerful book.

If you have ever said; "God, where are you?", or "God, why have you forgotten me?", or "God, why are you punishing me?", or "God, please take me home now!", this is a must read. For anyone who has been in an extended period of trial where nothing seems to work, and lots of things are going wrong, Os Hillman's book will give you tremendous hope and encouragement for the process and the future. You will see yourself on these pages, and you will also see David, Joseph, Paul, the other apostles and Jesus Christ himself. You will learn how your time of trial is actually a period of transformation from the old you to the new you that God is going to work through for his glory. You have been specifically chosen by God because he loves you and recognizes who you are and what your potential is. You are that precious and important to him that you have been selected to be refined by the fire, and go through God's training program in order that you might fulfill the destiny God has planned for you. Much as a caterpillar has to on its own struggle to emerge from its chrsyalis to become a beautiful butterfly, you will see how we have to struggle on our own through a similar process before we emerge as the beautiful creation God meant us to be. If you yourself or someone you know is going through an extended period of trail, buy this book. You will not regret it.