Close Enough to Hear God Breathe: The Great Story of Divine Intimacy [Paperback]

 

 

Create your own review

In "Close Enough to Hear God Breathe", we are told that we will "encounter a rich message that recounts the story of a God who has been inviting all of humanity, and each individual, into his tender embrace since time began". "The message that I want people to hear is this," the author states, "I think it's very clear that the whole message of scripture, and the whole message of the human life, is that God is saying to you, 'You are my child. I love you and I'm pleased with you'." It is a book that he sees dealing with "love, faith and belonging".

The author, Greg Paul describes the book as "general theology couched in stories". It is a collection of family stories including ones about Paul's four grown children, his family and ministry at the Sanctuary street mission and stories from scripture. Paul, certainly brings his captivating experience into the writing of this book. He describes Sanctuary as "a ministry where the wealthy and poor share their experiences and resources daily and care for the most excluded people in the city, including addicts, prostitutes, the homeless, and gay, lesbian, and transgendered people".

His experience with difficult circumstances has certainly affected his writing style. Paul says that the world we live in conditions us against believing that we are unequivocally loved by God--or in fact that we could be unconditionally loved by anyone. "They are very strident voices and we hear them all around us: in our work places, in our families, on television. Voices who seek to define us for their own benefit. Equivocal voices who tell us 'You're good if you do this. You're bad if you do something else.' Driven by someone else's profit motive, a thirst for power, neediness. We get conditioned to think God will only love us if we do what he requires.". Unfortunately this "unconditional love" does not bode well with the necessity of repentance. His statement that "my Father does see me as very good" (p. 39) here and elsewhere do not really wrestle with our bondage to sin and need of redemption. We are "very good" in terms of being in Christ, but this must be explicitly stated, else we are left with a very erroneous misunderstanding.

Further on this: "The voices that my people have heard--the people who are part of my core community--are voices who say 'You were beaten or raped because you're bad, and that's all you deserve.' The last thing they need to hear is that they are a dirty, rotten sinner on their way to hell. Because whether or not they understand that theologically, they already feel it in their bones. "What they need to hear is the same thing you or I need to hear. That God says, 'You are my child, and I love you, and I delight in you.' "If people begin to hear that, it's an incredibly healing word to them. It's the only healing word.". Yet, the message of the cross is that we all deserve God's wrath. But the grace of God is extended for those who believe. I would disagree that people already "feel it in their bones" that they are sinners. Although some of the most difficult situations that Paul deals with most likely have a very desperate outlook, if you were to ask most people, they would respond that they believe they are basically good.

He has an interesting approach to scripture: "The idea that reading scripture can be an intimate experience is something that's been nagging away at me for a long time," he says. "I've become more and more convinced that the whole gig--whether you're leading a church, or raising a family, or dealing with street level people--the whole thing is about intimacy with Jesus". Unfortunately this "intimacy" does not seem to extend to too much biblical interaction.

The promise is that "the reader learns to hear the voice of God speaking in the ordinary events and relationships of life, as well as in the broad, deep current of Scripture". If this were the case it would have been a captivating read, but Scripture is not presented forthrightly. The author claims that "reading the Bible ought to be like putting ones head on Gods chest. Close Enough to Hear God Breathe will help readers do just that. And when they do, they'll hear him whisper, You're my child, my love, my pleasure". Yet, the reader is left to read scripture on their own time for "Close Enough to Hear God Breathe" only indirectly refers to Scripture. The best you might get is which chapter of a book a reference is from. When Biblical characters are referred to, how they exactly "heard from God" is not really explored.

For the format of the book, don't expect much explanation from the chapter titles in the Table of Contents, for they are vague and do a poor job of linking with the overall theme. Chapter six, is as good as any for showing the overall format. Entitled "Hammer and Nails", Paul describes a time where he was renovating his house and his son, who was five-years-old, wanted to help. Paul gave his son a hammer suitable for a child and let him pound nails into boards, while Paul himself worked on the renovation. Paul's son was so interested and so intent on his "work", and while they weren't exactly productive, it was such a pleasure for Paul to share these things with his son. Paul goes on in the chapter to parallel this story to God letting us help Him with his work, and how we are like children compared to how God would do things.

As toughing as this story is, his "theological" discussion around this story was so misrepresentative, I am quite surprised that the publisher let it go. Paul completely misstates what Reformed theology is. He states that Calvin started "his famous TULIP theological system with the letter T- T for total depravity...I just think his theological system starts too late, essentially ignoring the foundational value of the creation story" (p.55). A first year theology or history student would tell you that the TULIP was an abbreviation in response to Arminian challenges. Reformed theology starts the story with the Glory of God and His purposes in election, which is well before creation. Paul seems completely ignorant of Reformed theology and this misrepresentation should not have been allowed to pass by the publisher.

Yet, there are occasional insightful treatments, like his treatment of redemption. He distinguishes how someone "deems" something to have a judgment on his and to then "redeem" to render a new judgement (p.104). He ties entomological treatment to popular media, and situations in Job, and Galatians. What I found fascinating, was his previous critique of Calvin in having a flawed system yet Paul completely misses the great Romans 8 chain of salvation.

The book includes a readers guide but it doesn't make much reference to Scripture so don't expect to find a full blown Bible study guide. I wish this book had been more practical and hands on in it's approach for hearing from God. This is not a book I would recommend if you're looking for Biblical instruction on intimacy with God. The readers guide would have had a better use as application points set in or at the end of each chapter. The many theological flaws and lack of any real Biblical treatment will misdirect someone to actually be "Close Enough to Hear God Breathe". Avoid this book at all costs.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group

I was first introduced to Greg Paul through his book 'God In The Alley.' Greg is a pastor at Sanctuary, in Toronto, a community that loves and includes the least of these.

Greg is a story teller. In "Close Enough To Hear God Breathe" Greg tells stories about God, about family, about people who live at street level, about love and brokenness. He tells stories from his life and ministry. In this book he paints a picture of God as father, and us as his children. He develops this theme by telling stories about his family and other relationships with others to show what it means to be in relationship with God and feel his love. He gently draws into understanding God as Father and not as judge. He makes the connection between his relationships and God's relationship with humanity. He does an excellent job of keeping his 'little' story, as he calls his life, in perspective with the great divine story that is God and man striving together.

"Close Enough to Hear God Breathe" is about more than life with the poor in the city. It draws us into intimacy with God, into that close place that sounds like a soft puff of air, an almost inaudible exhale or a quiet heartbeat deep in the chest cavity your head is resting on.

His stories are rooted in the theological story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation, not in an abstract or academic sense but from the perspective of what God's desire to be close to us means in a world that is broken.

Here's a couple of excerpts:
"The Fall, and my own willful disobedience, has broken the image of my Father in me, like a mirror shattered into a thousand shards. Yet each jagged piece still in some small way reflects an aspect of his being, and he will not dispose of it. The Fall is not the utter ruin of my relationship with him, but the proof of its ultimate inviolability. He is not sweeping those shards into a duty pile to be thrown into the trash, cursing the inconvenience. He is gathering them, every sparkling sliver. Assembling them into a new mosaic of his identity uniquely reflected in mine."

'Two things are necessary for me to be able to hear someone breathing: I must be quiet and I must be close. Paul is telling me that when I learn to hear God breathing in Scripture, it will be rest to my soul. Not merely an academic exercise or a dogmatic wrangle. And I will know that God is very near, perhaps particularly when I'm stumped by a mystery I cannot penetrate. Amazingly, I find that when I listen carefully enough to the sound of that breathing in Scripture, it echoes also through the stories of my own life.'

"Close Enough to Hear God Breathe: The Great Story of Divine Intimacy" is not a how to book on how to have divine intimacy, it's the story of Greg's journey into intimacy with God along with some of the people who make up the Sanctuary community.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson".

There comes a time when reading a few good books that you come across a bad apple, despite the expectations of a good read. Just as eagerly as I am to recommend a book, so I am in discouraging readers from a book. Greg Paul, the author of Close Enough to Hear God Breathe, uses a variety of family experiences and memories to relate to the intimacy we can have with God. I must honestly say that there aren't many books on intimacy with God, and so this immediately intrigued me with curiosity. However, despite Greg's efforts to use important biblical passages to bring to light the importance and the availability of God's intimacy along with his experiences, he does so with very little biblical accuracy when it's most needed (in fact, one of his depictions of John the Baptizer is quite inappropriate).

Though not specifically stated, his writings come across as a Christian liberalist, not so conservative in regards to presenting and interpreting the Scriptures. I have found much of what he wrote to be unnecessary additions to the biblical accounts such as in the case of presenting John the Baptist with crude humour in its depiction, this has only heightened my concern of what spiritual leaders have been set into place for our current generation. Though I am a supporter of ensuring that the Gospel be communicated effectively and relevantly to our culture, I am firmly against compromising the integrity, accuracy, context and interpretation of the Bible. You'll find my reviews to be a good reference for purchasing books, but in rare cases such as this, I recommend discarding this from your shopping bag. You want a book that will edify you, I have not found this book to come close to fulfilling that role. I believe that the author meant well, keeping the reader in mind, and putting in a great deal of effort, but in my eyes it falls short of the mark. My apologies Greg Paul, but I'm no fan of your book.

I've received this complimentary e-book from Thomas Nelson Publishing House through the Book Sneeze program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 9 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars You need to read Greg Paul
Greg Paul's book 'Close Enough To Hear God Breathe' tells intimate stories of the author's life illustrating God's great intimate story of Creation, The Fall, Redemption and... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Kevin Rogers

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Writing with Amazing Truth
I knew this was going to be a challenging book when I was crying as I read the prologue the day before Thanksgiving. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Steven Ibbotson

4.0 out of 5 stars Great reminder.
I needed this book. The title grabbed me instantly, as I imagined myself so close to my Father, my head against his chest, listening to Him draw in and exhale out. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Chelsey

4.0 out of 5 stars Needing His voice
The words written on the back cover of Close Enough to Hear God Breathe The Great Story of Divine Intimacy by Greg Paul could have come from my own heart:

"There are a... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Karin F. Fendick

4.0 out of 5 stars Close Enough to Hear God Breath by Greg Paul
Greg Paul believes that the 'heart of the matter', the important center as we consider our relationship to God, is that we are His beloved children and we need to be in a close,... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Andrew Demoline

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written picture of God's love
Greg Paul has been one of my favorites for a while now. I first read "God In The Alley" when I was working in a Christian bookstore and it woke me up to what it means to love the... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Blair Roberts

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 9 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!