Stop Yawning!

There was once a lion named Aslan, who wasn't safe, but he was good, he was wild, not like a tame Lion. Narnia fans will recognize the reference, and the metaphor. Drew Dyck uses a different wild beast as a metaphor for God in his book “Yawning at Tigers: you Can’t Tame God, So Stop Trying.” (Nelson Books, 2014).

The book reminds us that God is more than the kind, gentle, meek Jesus of the pictures we remember from the walls of our Sunday school rooms. Although God is love, there is also a different side to him, one that strikes fear into the heart of man. And it was refreshing to read of God as he is presented in the scriptures, and not a being that takes on different characteristics depending on what we want him to look like on any given day.

Animals in their cages at the zoo might seem tame, but watch them in their natural habitat and you quickly understand that a small confined space and 50 pounds of raw meat a day changes the dynamics of the hunt. Because we can’t fully understand God, we create a zoo in our minds for Him too. But he God of Scripture does not fit into any box that we could create for him, and Dyck does a good job of reminding the reader of that fact.

This is a fun book to read, but don’t be deceived. Scripture says that God created man in his image; unfortunately, across the millennia, man has been trying to reciprocate, and in Yawning at Tigers, we are reminded again and again that God is not amused by our feeble attempts.

Most books that I review are suitable for new believers, or they are appropriate for mature believers, or maybe they would best be left to theologians and serious scholars. Dyck has managed to write a book that is suitable for anyone who is willing to examine the difference between the God that one has put in his own personal zoo, and the God of Scripture.

There is a study guide included with this book, and it’s just as exciting as the book itself.

Highly recommended!

Disclosure: I received this book free from the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.