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Noticing God
paperback
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- Length: 189 pages
- Dimensions: 5.5 × 8.25 in
- Published: April 13, 2012
- Imprint: IVP
- Item Code: 3821
- ISBN: 9780830838219
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Other Retailers:
Amazon*
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Where is God? How do we encounter God? How do we know it is God we encounter and not some figment of our imagination? Is it possible to know God in some sort of relational way?
Richard Peace believes it is. But it requires a certain level of awareness, a certain discipline of the heart. Peace calls it the "spiritual discipline of noticing God."
In this book he unpacks what it means to make a conscious practice noticing God in daily life. He explores the various ways people experience and recognize God's presence, including mystical encounters, ordinary daily life, within our hearts, through other people, through Scripture, nature and the church.
Throughout he returns to the question of discernment, helping you understand how you can know that it is indeed God you are meeting in each of these places, not just some fanciful figment of the imagination.
God is deeply present in our world, and you can actually encounter him. Here's how.
"The spiritual discipline of noticing God quickly grabbed my attention the very first time I heard Richard Peace invoke the phrase some 12 years ago. This book is the culmination of his years of teaching and practicing such discipline--a discipline I'm mighty proud of learning firsthand from him as my Ph.D. mentor. Noticing God is thoroughly engaging, practical and insightful! Definitely a compelling read if we want to cultivate presence with the Divine Presence!"
"I enthusiastically recommend this book for you to savor and enjoy! Dr. Peace artfully mixes the human and the spirit, contemplation and activism, ancient disciplines and contemporary rhythms, the natural and the supernatural, the divine encounters with God, as well as the normal, ordinary moments with Jesus. It's a spiritual disciplines book that provides proven, honed tools for the journey! Yes, buy Noticing God! It'll be worthwhile engagement with one of the sage spiritual leaders of our times who humbly shares his walk with God."
"It is paramount that contemporary people know they can experience and enjoy God in ways that are not trumped up, mere preconditioning or irrational fantasy. This fine book will show you that this is not just possible--it is the entire goal of healthy religion!"
"This is as timely and welcome a book as any Christian could hope for. In his thorough but reader-friendly overview of the spiritual experience and implications of being Christian, Peace speaks directly to questions and concerns that are central to our era. It is his personal candor, his humility as a teacher and his generous coverage of a broad spectrum of Christian spiritual experience, however, that make Noticing God as welcome as it is unique."
"Scholars and educators interested in connections between spirituality and cultural analysis will welcome how this book's exploration of ancient and new forms of spiritual practice represents well the fruitfulness of interdisciplinary dialogue. Practitioners will benefit by being alerted to the transformative effects of Noticing God, the discipline underlying all spiritual disciplines."
"[Peace] writes with a welcomed style and depth on how we may notice God. . . . This is a very good work, and is highly recommended."
CONTENTS
Introduction: How Do We Notice the Presence of God?
1. Mystical Encounters
2. God in the Ordinary
3. The Still Small Voice
4. The Power of Community
5. The Written Word
6. Creation, Culture and Creativity
7. Church
Conclusion: How Do We Know It Is God?
Acknowledgments
A Guide for Personal Reflection and Group Discussion: The Spiritual Discipline of Noticing God
Further Reading
Notes
