Down-to-Earth Spirituality: Encountering God in the Ordinary, Boring Stuff of Life Paperback – February 13, 2003
by R. Paul Stevens (Author), Charles Ringma (Foreword)
3.9 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
Most books on spirituality focus on disciplines like prayer and Bible study. But this can mislead us into thinking that God can only be experienced when we are doing something "spiritual." Apart from private devotional times or church on Sundays, God may seem distant and even irrelevant to our daily lives. R. Paul Stevens has a radically different view of Christian spirituality. True spirituality, he says, is down-to-earth--we encounter God in the ordinary, common stuff of everyday life. Taking his cue from the biblical story of Jacob, Stevens explores the Genesis narrative and uncovers how ordinary moments are made extraordinary, transformed by the presence of God in the midst of the mundane. Dreamer, schemer, worker and entrepreneur, Jacob embodies a multifaceted life of earthy passion and gritty spirituality. Jacob encounters the sacred not only through visions of ladders to heaven and mysterious wrestling matches with angles. Jacob also meets God at home and at work, at meals and in sleep, in solitude and in relationships. From birth to death, through every passage of life, Jacob sees God in the routine details of his everyday experience. "Everyday life is the spiritual discipline in which God continuously and graciously meets us," Stevens writes. And in this book, Stevens helps us see that what appears commonplace on the surface actually has great spiritual significance. When we least expect it, God surprises us by re-enchanting our daily experience and making every moment an opportunity to experience his blessing.
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Editorial Reviews
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"Paul Stevens's passion for the wounded patriarch Jacob has found its full expression in this, his latest work, Down-to-Earth Spirituality. Stevens's unique approach of blending theological themes with the narrative story gives the book a heightened relevance for the modern reader. After decades of study and reflection, Paul gives us the fruit not just of Jacob's journey but, as a patriarch in his own right, of reflections from a lifetime of wisdom. Thus he is able to speak with authority regarding all the "earthly" contexts where God shapes the human soul. Who cannot identify with Jacob's longing to see God's face in dysfunctional families, oppressive work environments and in marriages where love has grown cold? I found Paul's book so valuable that it became my primary tool to train lay missionaries who will be teaching Jacob's story in Romania." (Brian Morgan, pastor, Peninsula Bible Church, Cupertino, California)
"A thought-provoking, heart-searching excavation in the rich narrative mine of the second half of Genesis. The family focus and the corrective and directive wisdom are brought out most strikingly." (J. I. Packer, Board of Governors Professor of Theology, Regent College)
About the Author
R. Paul Stevens is professor emeritus of marketplace theology and leadership at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, and a marketplace ministry mentor. He has worked as a carpenter and businessman, and served as the pastor of an inner-city church in Montreal. He has written many books and Bible studies, including Doing God's Business, Work Matters, Marriage Spirituality, The Other Six Days and Spiritual Gifts. He is coauthor (with Pete Hammond and Todd Svanoe) of The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography.
Ringma (Ph.D., University of Queensland) is professor of missions and evangelism at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Product details
Item Weight : 9.3 ounces
Paperback : 208 pages
ISBN-10 : 0830823832
ISBN-13 : 978-0830823833
Product Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.48 x 8.5 inches
Publisher : IVP Books; PRINT-ON-DEMAND Edition (February 13, 2003)
Language: : English
Best Sellers Rank: #1,750,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#26,713 in Christian Spiritual Growth (Books)
Customer Reviews: 3.9 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
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Brian G. Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Jewel Integrating the Art of Biblical Narrative with the Human Story
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2009
Verified Purchase
Paul Stevens' passion for the wounded patriarch Jacob has found its full expression in his most insightful work, "Down-to-Earth-Spirituality." Paul's unique approach of blending theological themes with the narrative story gives the book a heightened relevance for the modern reader. After decades of study and reflection, Paul gives us the fruit not just of Jacob's journey but, as a "patriarch" in his own right, reflections from a lifetime of wisdom. Thus he is able to speak with authority regarding all the "earthly" contexts where God shapes the human soul. Each chapter traces an essential theme within the human story - birth, eating, family, sleep, courting, marriage, work, conversion, sex, home, calling, dressing, finishing and death - through Jacob's journey from deceiver and dreamer to entrepreneur and elderly grandfather. Who cannot identify with Jacob's longing to see God's "face" in dysfunctional families, oppressive work environments, in marriages where love has grown cold, and finally in the reconciliation of lost sons? We found Paul's book so valuable it became a major tool in training lay teachers who taught Jacob's story in Romania. Another pastor friend in Albania found it so helpful, he is hoping to have it translated into Albanian for the benefit of his people.
Brian Morgan
pastor, Peninsula Bible Church Cupertino
Adjunct Prof of Old Testament Western Seminary San Jose
--
Down-To-Earth Spirituality: Guiding Your Children Into the Joy of Worship
by R. Paul Stevens
3.94 · Rating details · 16 ratings · 2 reviews
Most books on spirituality focus on disciplines like prayer and Bible study. But this can mislead us into thinking that God can only be experienced when we are doing something "spiritual." Apart from private devotional times or church on Sundays, God may seem distant and even irrelevant to our daily lives. R. Paul Stevens has a radically different view of Christian spirituality. True spirituality, he says, is down-to-earth--we encounter God in the ordinary, common stuff of everyday life. Taking his cue from the biblical story of Jacob, Stevens explores the Genesis narrative and uncovers how ordinary moments are made extraordinary, transformed by the presence of God in the midst of the mundane. Dreamer, schemer, worker and entrepreneur, Jacob embodies a multifaceted life of earthy passion and gritty spirituality. Jacob encounters the sacred not only through visions of ladders to heaven and mysterious wrestling matches with angles. Jacob also meets God at home and at work, at meals and in sleep, in solitude and in relationships. From birth to death, through every passage of life, Jacob sees God in the routine details of his everyday experience. "Everyday life is the spiritual discipline in which God continuously and graciously meets us," Stevens writes. And in this book, Stevens helps us see that what appears commonplace on the surface actually has great spiritual significance. When we least expect it, God surprises us by re-enchanting our daily experience and making every moment an opportunity to experience his blessing. (less)
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Paperback, 208 pages
Published January 13th 2003 by IVP Books
Original TitleDown-To-Earth Spirituality: Encountering God in the Ordinary, Boring Stuff of Life
ISBN0830823832 (ISBN13: 9780830823833)
Edition LanguageEnglish
Other Editions (2)
Down-to-Earth Spirituality Encountering God in the Ordinary Boring Stuff of
尘俗灵程——在平凡生活中与神相遇
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Average rating3.94 · Rating details · 16 ratings · 2 reviews
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Kyle
Oct 17, 2012Kyle rated it really liked it
I tried to read this 9 years ago, but I didn't get very far. Following the title, I thought it was going to be a book full of "down-to-earth" suggestions for how to live well, but it turned out to be more of a meandering, thoughtful reading of the biblical story of Jacob with occasional digressions into what that implied for thoughtful living today.
This broad, unusual approach turns out to be exactly what I wanted this time around, though I wasn't ready for it back then. Stevens is clearly a scholar who knows his topic well and is eager to discuss it in whatever way he can fit in as many ideas as possible, but he does so with an everyday reader in mind, not bogging things down with big words or theological disputes (though his footnotes show he knows his stuff).
I guess I'm meandering as much as Stevens, just to say that yes, this turned out to be a lovely little book after all. (less)
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RF
Mar 04, 2009RF rated it it was amazing
Shelves: apologetics-life-of-faith
I want to take this man's class from Regent... this is a main area of my interests!
This is a MUST read. The author uses the story of Jacob to demonstrate a down to earth spirituality and how God worked in the midst of a "dysfunctional" family.
Great great stuff... I underlined a LOT of this one...
