God In Slow Motion By Mike Nappa Book Review

/ / G o d   I n   S l o w   M o t i o n / /

 

{Review By Madi}

 

Title: God In Slow Motion

Author: Mike Nappa

Source: Review Book

Number Of Pages: 217

ISBN: 978-1-4002-0462-5

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: 2013

Madi's Rating: 5 Out Of 5 Stars

 

/ / Book Description / /

 

Jesus was not in a hurry.

He had only three years of public ministry--three years to heal and teach and change the world--but the Bible never tells us he was rushing through them.

We are the ones who rush through them. Catching the gist of this parable. Smiling at the punch line in that dialogue. We can race through the Gospels in hours, fully briefed on Christ's life, but hardly changed.

Until we sit down with Mike Nappa's "God in Slow Motion." Nappa hasn't carved up the Gospels for quick review or sliced them into tiny pieces for academic study. He has taken ten important moments from the life of Christ and reveled in them, chewing on their words, relating them to life, comparing them with modern culture, allowing the Spirit to work, and letting Christ change him.

The result is a rich, personal, and biblical narrative about Jesus and how His purposes unfold, then and now. See how God is sneaky about his glory. How he presents evidence for belief. How he can be comforting and terrifying at once. This is the "good news" in all its many-splendored wonder: the life of Christ, frame by frame.

And it is worth every minute because it will change you too.

  

/ / Madi's Book Review / /

This was probably the best book that I have read this year. When I read my Bible, I so often overlook the little details that can make all the difference. Sometimes, I gloss over that one short sentence that defines a passage. In this book Mike Nappa takes a closer look at some of the experiences of Christ, and he makes you take a look at the smaller details that truly convinced me of God's great love in a whole different way. Some parts of the Bible aren't discussed in church as much as others, and often important parts of Christ's ministry is left untaught. I can tell that Mike spends a lot of time studying his Bible. He would have to in order to write a book like this one. I have made it a personal goal to spend more time in God's word daily over the past year or so, and I wish that I could have read this book when I was going through the gospels. I received so much insight from God In Slow Motion that I will never look at certain scripture passages the same way again. I feel like I gained so much understanding of what Christ meant when he was doing little things of service toward others.

 

One thing that I really liked about this book is that the author gave great comparisons, so that I could better understand what doing something like what Jesus was doing could be interpreted. For example: When he was touching on the passage where Jesus was washing the feet of his disciples, he compared it to ordering a cup of coffee. You wouldn't just walk up to someone and say "Hey! I would like a mocha latte with chocolate and caramel drizzled on the top. And make it snappy." That would be insulting. Back in the days of Jesus' life on earth washing some ones feet was even worse. It was more along the lines of "scrubbing prison toilets". When people of that era wanted their feet washed, they would usually take care of it themselves. But some of the more wealthy would require their servants to do the dirty work of scrubbing out the mud from between their toes. Nasty, huh? They wouldn't even let certain servants take on the chore. The Jewess servants stood aside while the lowly esteemed servants washed feet. But Jesus did that for His disciples. Not because He wanted to prove to them that He was great, because, hey, He is God after all. No, He washed their feet because He already IS great.

 

That is just one example of the many things I learned through reading this book, and I hope to find another book like this one soon. Jewels like this don't come around a lot you know. I would encourage anyone that is trying to deepen their relationship with Christ by understanding him better to read this book. I promise you this; you won't be disappointed. I'm so grateful to have this book on my shelf. I know that when the goin' gets rough, this is one that I will reread. It's such an encouragement!

 

 ~Madi For The Literary Maidens