God of Surprise

First sentence: But God . . . In the film version of C. S. Lewis’s classic fantasy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a fascinating scene occurs as Aslan—the mighty lion that pictures Christ—is walking away from a celebration in Narnia’s palace. Lucy Pevensee, a young girl miraculously transported into Narnia, is standing with her friend Mr. Tumnus, the fawn. As they watch Aslan depart, she wonders aloud about Aslan and when they might see him again. Mr. Tumnus responds, “You mustn’t press him, he isn’t a tame lion.” Lucy’s response? “No, but he’s good.”

Crowder examines six "but God..." passages in his newest book. There are six main "but God..." passages--each receives its own chapter. But within each chapter, he sometimes elaborates more and shares others "but God..." verses.

Some of the passages examined are Romans 5:7-8; Acts 2:23-24; 1 Corinthians 1:27; Psalm 73:26, Genesis 50:20; 2 Corinthians 7:6.

The lessons he draws from these passage are good, solid, foundational.

He does share plenty of scripture. But he also packs in a lot of stories and story illustrations. In my humble opinion, there needs to be a balance of the two. If there are more stories than scriptures, it's like a top-heavy, icing/frosting heavy cupcake--not enough cake. Some people prefer more frosting to cake, that's true, you might argue.

This one worked for me--especially if you classify it as a devotional. I think if you were to try to classify it as theology, then it would come across as a bit too light and fluffy--in comparison. But as a devotional, there's enough substance to provide needed structure and instruction.

Favorite quotes:
"Death was conquered by resurrected life—bringing joy out of grief. The point of all this? By Jesus’s resurrection . . . Death is conquered—to give us life now. Death is conquered—to give us life forever. Death is conquered—to restore the created order. Death is conquered—to provide hope in our seasons of grief. The surprising truth is that the only way to defeat the power of death was for someone to die—and come back to life again."

"Contentment for the child of God is not based on what we have but rather on whose we are and who He is. It is this fundamental reality that fuels how our hearts are to process life in an often unfair world."

This book is a good reminder that God is always at work, even when we don't see it. He is sovereign and we can trust Him.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of an honest review.

Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege to review this book. It could not be more of a timely read! I'm a Christian and while I know that God is there, this book is a great reminder and spoke to my heart in regards to how the mysteries of God work for the greater good. I love the stories Crowder tells and how each one ties into the Bible verse of the chapters. So inspiring! I definitely plan on recommending this book to everyone at my church.

4 stars
God of Surprise by Bill Crowder
This is a phenomenal book. It really made for a good solid read about the character of God, especially while we live in these trying times. I loved the author's use of all of the different times in the Bible the term “But God” is used and how God guided and loved those within the pages of the Bible and now.
This is a short six chapter book that would be perfect for a small group or Bible study
I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own.

This book recaps and analyzes six stories from the Bible where the words "But God" appear. It's a reminder that God always has the best interest of each of His children in mind, even when we can't see the larger picture, and surprisingly grants us much more than we could hope for.

For me, this was a so-so read; it could be timing, or any multitude of reasons. It happens. Other reviewers were much more impressed with the book than I was. Ultimately, you must decide for yourself.

My thanks to NetGalley and Our Daily Bread Publishing for the opportunity to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions stated are my own.

God of Surprise by Bill Crowder.
Publication Date: MY 5, 2020. Out Today!

Description from NetGalley...
“Find a new sense of hope and security as you witness the thoroughly unpredictable ways God intervened in the experiences of men and women in the Bible. Examining six “But God…” moments in Scripture, popular Our Daily Bread author Bill Crowder focuses your hope on the eternal wisdom and perfect purposes of God in every situation.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Our Daily Bread for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
This book is an easy read, that has a conversational type of narrative. It uses different human interest stories to establish a point of where God is in our lives and the grace he gives us. It’s a good book for new Christians, as the author highlights several scriptures that could be a guide for further scripture reading. Also a helpful book to remind us that our trust should be on God. It’s not my preferred type of Christian book, but it will certainly be helpful to someone.

This is a very good book. I can relate to certain circumstances because I personally experienced God mercy on 21 April 2019. I was in a deadly car accident and God saved my life. So I know God is truly is a God of surprises. The author did a very good job of using biblical references throughout his book citing God promises to supply our needs, give us grace, favor and blessings.

“In order to wrestle with God’s mysterious workings, in this book we will consider in detail six of those “But God . . .” moments. In those surprising, unpredictable interventions, we can see how God turns life on its ear while accomplishing His wonderful purposes. We can see how our wise God sometimes surprises us with His wisdom. And we can see how our God’s designs can be both surprisingly counterintuitive and deeply comforting.” (Quote from the introduction to the book)

This book has only six chapters, but each chapter is filled with encouragement and wisdom from the Bible. Bill Crowder’s writing style makes it seem as if the reader is part of a personal conversation with the author, listening to him sharing insights on these six “But God” passages. I liked the illustrations he used throughout the book, especially his personal stories. I’m glad to have this book so that I can read it again and take my time mining the truths in each chapter. This is just the book we need for the turbulent times we are currently experiencing.

This book would be great for a small group or Sunday School class, going through the six chapters as a six week study.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

#God of Surprise by Bill Crowder # is a Christian living book. Bill is on the staff of Our Daily Bread and He is a teaching pastor at a church in Southern California. This book explores 6 but God moments. He shares these moments and then follows the story with a personal story that can be applied. The book is practical, helpful especially during these difficult days. The book is encouraging and easy to read. The reader will feel like God is near to them in their times of struggle. Thank you to Our Daily Bread, netgalley and the author for allowing me to read and review this book. The opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from Our Daily Bread Publishing, via NetGalley. This review is my opinion.

In this book Bill Crowder take us to six different But God moments, and the necessary remainder and application to our situations. In this book, we see an unexpected facet of God. We all think life and problems should solve in a specific way. In this example, we find that God although is not subject to our timetable, toughs, and ways. He is indeed above all that, in this book we can see a God doing many: Wow I didn’t see that one coming! Who we are is all because of His grace and favor toward our lives, Bill Crowder with an inspiring and Biblical center gives hope and answer to questions unanswered. Especially during hard times.

My favorite quote was this one “His infinite patience is behind everything He does—in our rescue, in giving us life, in using us to accomplish His work, in sticking with us for the long haul, in being our great provision, in showing us His comfort. The God of surprise is also the God who waits so we can learn to walk by faith. So we can learn to live in His love. So we can learn to trust His purposes. He is the God of surprise—and the God of surprising patience. You can trust Him.

Although short, but with a powerful and encouraging message. I believe this book could be a blessing to many. A great choice!

A bit one-sided in its desire for the reader to gain blessings from God. From a theological standpoint, I have some disagreement with the author, but others will agree with his position and greatly appreciate this book. As for me, I will contemplate the author’s words in the light of my theology and take from the book the points I find palpable with my tastes.