Skip to main content

Review: Simply Open: A Guide to Experiencing God in the Everyday by Greg Paul



Review: Simply Open: A Guide to Experiencing God in the Everyday
Greg Paul
Thomas Nelson
2015

The key to this approach is indeed simple openness.  Openness of the senses to the small prompts that are constantly around us through our senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.  And he included the heart and mind within the list as well.  I admit that I resisted the idea of smell and experiencing God being in any way linked.  The author won me over.  

Through a simple prayer of opening the sense, releasing what that sense has accumulated that is a hindrance, receiving what God has to offer, and becoming the person to use that sense in a Godly manner,  a person can experience the ever present presence of God in the moment.  The simplicity of this approach is not necessarily easy, but it is effective.    The introduction is key I think.  It reveals the way the author and at least one other person, i.e. me, approach things.  Please hear the author out on this one.

Told in an honest, easy reading style Paul invites the reader into the practice of being open.  I recommend this book to you. 

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: When God’s Ways Make No Sense by Dr. Larry Crabb

Review: When God’s Ways Make No Sense Dr. Larry Crabb Baker Books 2018 I chose this book because the title intrigued me.   When God’s Ways Make No Sense.    There have been plenty of times when that seemed truer than I’d like to admit.   Are we even allowed to say something like that?   Even if we think it.   So, an author willing to take on that topic had my attention. And mostly because I wanted his take on what to do about it? As it turns out Crabb pretty much gave away his case very early on in his book with a single scripture quote.   The basic idea is God is GOD and we are not.   His motives and actions are incomprehensible to mankind and He owes no explanation for them either.   Crabb admits near the end of his book that he is not a theologian which I knew going into this book, but his arguments are theology.   Or at least I think so.   I found his repeated circling the topic a bit frustrating. ...

Buntings and Books

Time to blog says the calendar. So OK let's blog. What about? Oil spills? Court nominees? Euro problems? Weather? The last one is the easiest to go with it looks like. Cold and windy again. What is this about? Not more than a week ago it looked like summer. Even needed fans to cool the place. Well, the fans are off now. Nature has provided some pre-cooled forced air for a few days now, complete with humidity adjustments ie rain. Keeps the ground cold and the urge to garden at bay. Protection for those of us who aren't in the best physical condition. The weather has the birds on the feeder more often and that included a new one in the area. We've decided to call it an indigo bunting. Matches the picture in the book so that's got to be who he is. Pretty little guy, all decked out in his breeding plumage. Haven't seen those colors since the last peacock came around. Just read that cowbirds like to use them to raise their chicks. Yet another reason t...

Review: A Hole in Our Gospel

The Hole in Our Gospel Richard Stearns Thomas Nelson 2010 Disturbing is the best word I know of for this book. There are already hundreds of reviews for this book in its hardbound version and now the soft cover release invites more. The paperback added color photos and a study guide to the text. So for my money that is a plus. Why did I decide to call the book disturbing? I could have called it challenging just as easily but challenging is easier to dismiss. Disturbing gets into your soul and is much harder to root out. If that’s what you want to do after you read this book. Mr. Stearns tells his story to the reader while motivating that person to consider what action the reader could take to join in the world wide efforts of World Vision or another similar organization. For those that believe there’s more to Christianity than staring at the back of someone’s head for an hour on Sunday morning this is a great place to start a quest for whatever that something more might be. On...