Finding God in Unexpected Places

Philip Yancey

When we think about seeing God at work, we Christians usually think first of the obvious miracles - Moses and the flaming bush, Ezekiel and the flaming wheel, Jesus' resurrection and later ascension, Paul's conversion, healing from cancer, or the birth of a baby all qualify. In Finding God in Unexpected Places, Philip Yancey shows the many ways that we can find God in less obvious ways. Some are not surprising, for example the reverence at Ground Zero as search and rescue efforts were going on or in the converted inmates at some of the worst prisons in the world. But others are not as obvious - such as dieting and reading G.K.Chesterton or the nonviolent protests in Eastern Europe that led to the downfall of Communism in the late 1980's and early 1990's.

This small book has a lot to consider in it. It's easy to read - full of stories and anecdotes both from Yancey's own experiences and those he heard second hand. He not only addresses finding God, but living a Christian life within our current culture in North America. I especially like the moral of the inmate who murdered a fellow prisoner so he could get the death sentence and ultimately out of jail and this life. As a Catholic, it is immoral to commit suicide and be sent to Hell. By committing murder he would spend longer in Purgatory then still go to Heaven yet still die sooner rather than spend longer in jail.

This book is divided into five sections - 1) Finding God Without Really Looking, 2) Finding God on the Job, 3) Finding God in a Fractured Society, 4) Finding God Among the Headlines, and 5) Finding God in the Cracks. Yancey not only discusses finding God as a Christian, but also compares and contrasts the Muslin and Jewish faiths in some places. He has traveled the world, so is able to portray how American Christians and Christian America are viewed outside of our country.

This is a good, thought provoking book. It's one to be re-read. I'm sure I will learn something different each time I do.

Notice:  Non-graphic violence