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“Godology”
by Christian George
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Foreword by J.I. Packer

Price Range:  from $8 used to $11 new at Amazon.Com.

Godology (noun):  1.  Because knowing God changes everything

One of the goals I setup for 2009 was to read more books.  I shared this with the “Our Creative Community” site and so far have already finished three books this year … more than I would typically read in an entire year or two.

I’ve just finished reading this new book by Christian George, author of “Sex, Sushi, and Salvation“.  (read my thoughts on Sex, Sushi, and Salvation) As I read the Introduction I was already hooked and eager to dive into this book.  He immediately grabbed my attention and signaled my need to read further when he said “In a time where discipline sounds like a four-letter word, these responses to God’s nature will help us know Him up close and personally”. Then he lists some of the responses that will be discussed, including:

• Prayer
• Obedience
• Art
• Journaling
• Silence
• Fasting
• Vow Making
• Meditation
• Solitude
• Labyrinth Walking
• Practicing God’s Presence

Without question, Christian has an incredible gift with words.  He blends words and phrases together with such creativity that you begin to wonder how many more times a simple truth can be put with such an eloquent twist or creative comparison.  The “creative comparison” is one of my favorite ways he writes, consistently  tying a truth together with some relevant, cultural entity that you will relate to at first read.

The book was a light, enjoyable read for me.  We talked about all of the spiritual disciplines and Christian always has a memorable story to communicate his points.  Reading the book makes you feel as if you’ve grown up with Christian and walked alongside of him through these encounters and stories.

Below are some quotes that jumped off the page for me.  Check them out, then go pickup this book at Amazon.Com or your favorite bookstore.

Regarding Prayer:
“And if we truly believe that God is truly with us, in every room, at every moment, prayer becomes less activity and more an attitude”.

Regarding Obedience:
“Obedience must become a discipline for us because it is unnatural …. they key is self-abandonment”

Regarding Art:
“When it came to tent and temple artwork, God had a no slackers policy”.

Regarding Blogging and Journaling:
“Journaling is an inward practice that reminds us of an upward reality – that God glued Himself to our planet”.
“So if our memories can’t sustain our professional lives, why do we trust them with our spiritual lives”?
“Journals are blogs for the soul.  They’re chronological records of our hopes, songs, prayers, fears, regrets, meditations, and insights”.

Regarding Holiness and Silence, Holy Places:
“Even in our churches, silence is an unwelcome visitor.  Though well intended, our performance-driven gatherings hush our sensitivity to silence”.
“God is always talking but our ears are full of wax.  Silence is the Q-tip”.
“Silence is difficult for the body, but chocolate for the soul”.

Regarding Fasting:
“We medicate ourselves with food and govern our lives around meals”.
“Fasting weans us from the world by removing the frivolous and the fluffy from our lives”.
“If our physical lives are undisciplined, our spiritual lives are probably rusting too”.

Regarding Vows, Prosperity, Promises, and Holiness:
“If hell really exists, it would be the cruelest thing in the world to keep it a secret … a sinless sermon is the quickest way to get a monster crowd”.
“True prosperity is a life totally surrendered and rendered to God”
“Never in history have Christians needed headphones more than now.  We’ve become so melded to the world’s mentalities that it’s difficult to tell where Christianity begins and secularity ends.  God’s song is so faint that whatever happens to be on the radio drowns it out.  And all the while, our true love, our first love, is forgotten”.

Regarding Meditation, and God’s Word:
“But today we bleed John Grisham, Stephen King, or that latest chick flick to hit the shelf.  We need a blood trransfusion.  We need to dig again in the Ancient Book, to bathe in the Bible – to soak in the Scriptures …”
“The discipline of meditation moves us into a deep and penetrating presence of God”.

Regarding Solitude:
“The discipline of solitude increases our patience and prepares us to engage the world”.
“It’s not about the location.  It’s about who shows up at the location”.
“The key to solitude is not escaping to the mountain, but rather transporting the mountain to the valley.  We must smuggle our Alps into our everyday lives”.

Regarding Labyrinth Walking:
“The discipline of labyrinth walking is a tangible way to focus our thoughts on Christ and center ourselves on God”.

Regarding the Practicing of God’s Presence, Rules of Living:
“When we practice His Presence we become aware of His awareness, and we can savor the Savior”.
Throughout the history of Christianity, many pilgrims have benefited from writing and following a Rule of Life – a set of practices that directed their steps”.

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed the book. It was an easy read, the chapters weren’t too long, and because each chapter deals with a different response to God or discipline, it’s easy to read in “parts” or “chapters” without feeling the need to “back up and re-read” if you put the book down for a few weeks.

Christian and the great folks at Moody Publishers have graciously given me some books to giveaway – one was given away on Twitter yesterday … comment below and your name will be entered into a random drawing for more giveaways!