The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love With the God Jesus Knows

Living in a world filled with so much bad and ugliness, it is refreshing to be reminded about someone who is truly and totally good and beautiful...in nature as well as in action. In his book, The Good and Beautiful God, the author, James Smith, reminds us of the fact that there is someone in our world who is good and beautiful and that person is God. In his book he does a masterful job at explaining for us just how GOOD and BEAUTIFUL God really is.

All of us have our own "narratives" about God as the author relates in his book. For most of us, the narratives that we have in our minds about God are false. For example, one false narrative that many people believe is the "cultural narrative of earning" that is carried over into our spiritual lives...that somehow we need to work harder, and just be better to "earn" favor with God. As the author emphatically states in his book, this narrative IS false. The true narrative is the one that Jesus would want us to know, I mean, really wrap our minds and hearts around, and that is that we cannot earn favor with God. It is humanly impossible. We can never be good enough or do enough to merit the favor of a holy and righteous God. As the author shares, the God that Jesus wants us to know and love has provided us a way to gain his complete and unconditional favor, and that way is through having faith in his son Jesus Christ....Nothing more and nothing less. Now, the author and I do not want you to think for one minute that having faith in in Jesus Christ is all that there is to the "Christian" life. God forbid it. Quite the contrary is true. The person who has found favor with God through faith in Jesus Christ will manifest a transformed life in that there will be works produced...but the works are not done to earn God's favor, but rather, they are done out of love for him and for all he has done for us and given us through faith in his son Jesus Christ.

The book is composed of 9 different chapters with a small group discussion guide at the end of the book. The book is written in such a manner that individuals reading the book can benefit from it being challenged spiritually by it, or, small groups or home church groups can use the book as a study book with great benefit.

The beauty of this book is that in it the author shares invaluable spiritual truths and narratives in an easy to read and understand fashion to help us mature spiritually and to build us up in our faith. Also he provides us with different exercises to challenge us to stretch ourselves and our faith so that we might be more like the God that Jesus knows...and wants us to know and love. In his book the author tackles such practical issues as sleep and how important adequate sleep and rest are for our physical, emotional and spiritual health. In chapter 9 of the book, How To Make A Pickle, the author addresses the issue of slowing down so that we might be cured of a condition known as "hurry sickness" sharing with us the need for us to "ruthlessly eliminate hurry."

The Good and Beautiful God is a book that is jam packed with practical and understandable spiritual principles as well as doable spiritual exercises that will help all of us fall more and more in love with the God Jesus knows. The Good and Beautiful God is a book that is jam packed with practical and understandable spiritual principles as well as doable spiritual exercises that will help all of us fall more and more in love with the God Jesus knows if only we will stop and take the time to do so. I give this book a rating of 5*****!

I have received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it.

Do you want to see the matrix??? Have you asked yourself what am I doing here? There is something more to knowing God than attending your local church. . . . like getting to KNOW GOD. Absolutely revolutionary! The spiritual practices are very eye opening.

I bought the audio CD to listen to driving to/from work. I loved it & so much I plan to buy the book also so I can underline all the Bible verses he states when explaining things.

I am reading this book with a small group from my church. It is written so the normal lay person can understand it with many real life examples. Each chapter ends with a "soul training" exercise to help you draw closer to God. I Love this book.