When God Takes Too Long

Not sure exactly where said reviewer is coming from, especially since the exact same review has been posted by him/her for yet another book by a different author! This sounds like more of a soapbox than a fair review of the book. You can't compartmentalize the spiritual from the material aspects of our lives, and I think this is what this book makes clear. The things we see within our own human perspective aren't the whole of reality-- if anything, this book reminds us that our own ideas of success, failure, good and bad are pretty relative in the scope of eternity. If you can't compare the details of our 21st century lives with Biblical characters, you're boxing the Bible in and overspiritualizing the omnipresence of God in all the details of our lives. And there's no way the author is making all the mistakes M. Galishoff is pointing out-- just read the last 2 chapters and you'll hear about Scriptures imcredibly hard for Western American Christians to deal with, such as Hebrews 11 (all the people who never got to see the ultimate ripple effect of their lives or the 'rewards' for their faith and yet lived for what they couldn't see) and passages in Paul's letters about how eternity makes the present pale in comparison. Seriously-- you can't come away from this book thinking that it's 'all about me.' Clearly, it's all about God-- learning to live in surrender to his ways that are totally different than ours.

A friend gave me this book during a waiting period in my life otherwise I probably would have taken a look at the title and decided I could skip it. Had I skipped it, however, I would have missed some really wonderful insights. Joe Bentz takes the stories we so lightly read over in Scripture and delves into them pointing out the silences in the stories that are so important and yet so easy to miss. I especially appreciated the "Almost, not yet" sequence with Moses and the plagues. On a practical level, the book is divided into comfortable sized chapters/sections that make it work very well as a daily devotional. It's a book that will make you want to keep reading, but it's best taken one bite at a time (with plenty of time in between to chew and digest). If you want a new perspective on all those waiting times from stop lights to career moves to retirement, this is the book to read. It will almost make you grateful for that red light!

Bentz has an incredible relevence in this book to those of us who feel like we are waiting! I highly recommend this book and this author. He writes with a wisdom and clarity of understanding. His words are helpful and illluminating. A worthwhile read.