FISCHER DOES IT. . . AGAIN
I realize now that for a good portion of my life I was missing it. . . . or more accurately, I was missing Him. Growing up as a card-carrying member of the evangelical American subculture led me to believe that following Christ was more about avoidance than engagement, more about the
"don'ts" than the "do's." Consequently, I believed that I was spiritually mature when, in fact, I was spiritually sterile. My faith was for me and I unconsciously yet effectively forfeited my influence on the world and opportunities to see God working in places I thought He never belonged. Sadly, my skewed perception of what it meant to follow Jesus is the rule more than the exception in the church today. And if we continue to disciple our children and teens into that type of faith, it's no wonder the world can't hear what we should so desperately be trying to say.
What changed me? I was fortunate to learn early on in my post-college life - through study of the Scriptures and dialogue with those who had done the same - that the way we erroneously segment our world into the "sacred" and "secular" is not the way the Creator intended it to be at all. When we do, we limit the pursuit and fulfillment of the Great Commission. John Fischer - who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers - addresses these concerns in an engaging, thoughtful, practical, challenging, and easy-to-read manner in his latest offering, Finding God Where You Least Expect Him (Harvest House, 2003, ISBN #0-7369-1058-1).
Fischer puts meat on the bones of the forgotten yet vital doctrines of general revelation and common grace, by challenging readers to look for God where He is, that is, everywhere in Creation. He says, "there is something about God hidden everywhere, and in searching out virtually anything, something about Him can be found." He encourages us to break free of the trappings of being "cultural Christians," to become the "Christians in culture" God intends us to be.
Finding God Where You Least Expect Him is a must-read book I'm committed to pushing to everyone I meet - parent, pastor, educator, youthworker. Its message will revolutionize the way we parent, disciple, and live.
-Walt Mueller
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