About the Book:
In
this powerful guidebook, the lead pastor of Fellowship Church
demonstrates how the moments that test our faith are the moments God
uses to direct our hearts to the one thing we truly desire most: a
relationship with Christ.
When
the people of Israel, those who had witnessed the most abundant and
inexplicable acts of God, grew tired of waiting for Moses to come off
the mountain, they made a calf of gold. It was easier for them to
make a new god than to continue serving a God that didn’t conform
to their schedule and expectations.
Just
like the Israelites in the desert, we are all fundamentally longing
for God… but who and what are we actually reaching for and serving?
Disobedient God
addresses
the things we do when we feel ignored, inconvenienced and frustrated
by God. What things are we reaching for in our life? Are we reaching
for porn when we long for intimacy? Reaching for success when we long
for security? We would never say that we have replaced God, but our
actions tell a different story. Whether we are trying to replace God,
trying to run away or trying to perform for Him, we have no mindset
to deal with a disobedient God. Disobedient
God is
a book for people dealing with this disappointment and interested in
properly understanding and loving the God they’ve
misunderstood.
This
is not a step-by-step instruction manual for how to react when things
are difficult; rather, it is a way of understanding God that leads
people to discover the relationship with God that they were always
meant for.
My Review:
We
hear testimonies at church when God has done something wonderful. But
what about when He does not do what we had prayed for? When we needed
Him to act and He did nothing? How do we deal with the disappointment
when God goes off script?
Tate
gives us permission to journey through grief and doubt. He encourages
us to learn about God even when we feel He is being inconsistent,
when we feel He has let us down. He helps us learn how to sit with
God in suffering and loss. He helps us identify the wrong ways we
cope, such as running from God or engaging our favorite idols. He
uses stories from the Bible and his own experiences to illustrate his
teaching.
I
like that Tate says it is okay to have questions and doubts. He
encourages us to realign our perspective to God’s. Even when God goes
off script and does not do what we expect, He is still God and still
trustworthy, Tate says. He encourages to trust God no matter the
circumstances and rest in His sovereign care for us.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
About the Author:
Albert
Tate is
the founding and lead pastor of Fellowship Church in Los Angeles
County California. He began his ministry pastoring just a few
families at Sweet Home Church in Mississippi before serving the
historic Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, California. Hearing the call
from God to plant a church, Albert and his wife, LaRosa, launched
Fellowship Church in January 2012. In its short history, this
gospel-centered, multiethnic, intergenerational church has already
established a solid foothold in the region to the glory, honor, and
transformational power of Christ. As a dynamic communicator, Albert
is passionate about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ both locally
and globally. He serves on the Board of Trustees at Azusa Pacific
University, the Global Leadership Network, and Global Church Planting
Organization, Stadia. Albert is the Founder and CEO of The Greatest
Story, Inc, and President of Harambee Ministries. He recently
published his first book entitled, “How We Love Matters: A Call
to Practice Relentless Racial Reconciliation”. Albert is the
proud father of four children: Zoe, Bethany, Isaac, and Micah.
(My
star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It’s OK, 2-I don’t like it,
1-I hate it.)
