God of second chances allows us to rebuild after implosions

Using the analogy of a building imploding on itself---planned and carefully prepped for the event, Eric Geiger walks us through the process of a life being ruined, and yes, imploding.  He reminds us that although the implosion of a building occurs within seconds of the button being pushed, a lot of work has gone into prepping the building for its demise. Often months’ worth of planning, with steps being taken to weaken the foundation are involved. And so it goes with the imploding life.  It doesn’t just happen.  

In How to Ruin Your Life: and Starting over when You Do (B&H Books, 2018) Geiger walks us through the process- it probably starts small, and seems innocent. A casual flirtatious comment, a party with friends where things get a little out of hand, maybe a random pornographic image popping up on the computer screen-followed by a deliberate search for more of the same.  Over weeks, months, or years, the behavior continues. Theoretically no one knows what’s going on. But then there are whispered insinuations, snide comments, and lots of flapping jaws, until suddenly the open secret is secret no more, and the world as you know it ceases to exist. Family, job, reputation gone. They disappear quickly, but it’s been in the works for some time.

But the good news is that we serve a God of second chances, and we are given the opportunity to start over, we get the ‘redo’.  When buildings are slated for destruction by implosion, a lot of planning goes into that final moment. And then the obvious work of the rebuild occurs.  And a lot of that work is obvious—the hauling away of the debris, digging the hole where the foundation will be laid, framing, adding subsequent stories, roof and walls, and then the inside work, plumbing, electric, plastering, painting, flooring and all the other small details are taken care of.  And so it is with a ruined life. It seems like the destruction may have taken only a moment, but there was lots of hidden stuff. And then the rebuild occurs, and much of that work is obvious. And it takes time. Lost trust is not recovered overnight. A ruined reputation is not quickly restored.

We all know people whose lives have imploded. Some of them resign themselves to their new status as loser, and never recover. Others turn to the ‘God of Second Chances’ and do the necessary work to rebuild.  And they often come out stronger than before, with an incredible testimony of God's grace.

I think this book should be required reading for pastors. And maybe be re-read at periodic intervals as a reminder of the slippery slopes upon which we frequently find ourselves.

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5/5

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review

thoughts on "The Prayer Wheel"

When I saw the title The Prayer Wheel: A Daily Guide to Renewing your Faith with a Rediscovered Spiritual Practice (Convergent Books, 2018) by Patton Dodd, Jana Reiss, and David Van Buren, I was excited to read about an ancient prayer practice. Unfortunately, the excitement pretty much stopped there. Yes, there are interesting connections to be made between the Our Father, the Gifts of the Spirit, the Beatitudes, and the events of the life of Christ, but when put together in this wheel, as a way to help focus daily prayer, I found myself more and more confused, rather than focused.

                There are undoubtedly people whose minds work in much the same way as those of the authors, or perhaps a more in-depth understanding of the ancient practices would have been beneficial, but for me this book just doesn’t work.  I found it to be less of a guide, and more of a daily list of written sentence prayers. 

                I received a copy of this book from the “Blogging for Books” program in exchange for posting a review.

               3/5