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In Hidden in Plain Sight, pastor and author Mark Buchanan introduces you to an age-old antidote to modern ills---the pursuit of virtue. Virtue at first may seem, as it did to Buchanan, an obsolete, restrictive, and fusty idea. "I still have moments where I think the good life is seeking my own pleasure at my own convenience, so the very thought of practicing virtue chafed me," he writes. He never imagined that it was actually the path to living life to the full, but that's what he's discovering: "a world vast, and beautiful and holy---that all along has been hidden in plain sight." Hidden in Plain Sight invites you to consider what it truly means to live the "good life." Buchanan offers a course in living with holy vigor, based on the seven virtues recommended by the apostle Peter: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.
Format: Hardcover
Number of Pages: 240
Vendor: W Publishing
Publication Date: 2007
Dimensions: 8.25 X 5.38 (inches)
| ISBN: 084990174X
ISBN-13: 9780849901744
UPC: 023755027214
Availability: In Stock
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Even for the religious, life is full of questions: What is faith? Can my life be more satisfying? How can I deepen my walk with Christ? What does it mean to be happy? These bubble and boil underneath the surface of our everyday life. And though we ignore them, we know they point us to realms of wisdom or even mystery-to something more.
Author Mark Buchanan asked these same questions. &"I want more, God,&" he prayed-and the answer was more than he was looking for. It was right there, hidden in plain sight among the syllables and syntax of a few words of advice from the apostle Peter. With time and experience, Buchanan learned to tease it out, this secret of more, and he wrote a book about it: Hidden in Plain Sight. The answer, he discovered, is an investigation of the cross. The answer is an excavation of the virtues. The answer urges us passionately to &"make every effort.&" And, Buchanan tells us, the answer is worth it.
A book on virtue may seem a thing of the past, but pastor Buchanan (Your God Is Too Safe; Things Unseen) puts a modern twist on its study and practice. ""How do I get more of God in my life?"" he asks himself. The answer has been obvious since the Apostle Peter, a follower of Jesus Christ, reputedly penned the words of the Bible's 2 Peter 1:1-9 nearly 2,000 years ago. Peter, who Buchanan describes as ""by turns rash, dithering, cocky, [and] cowering,"" lists in that passage seven virtues faithful Christians must seek to grow closer to God: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. Buchanan first digs deeply into the faith that undergirds these virtues, then studies each one in depth. He defines, explains, details and applies each virtue to the Christian life, building one upon the other with the expertise of a master. Buchanan's creative and image-filled writing brings life to what could be a dry subject, and his spiritual depth reveals Peter's heart: ""Possess [these virtues] in increasing measure, and the life of Christ can flow unimpeded through you"" (2 Peter 1:8). This is a startlingly honest, newly revealing look at both Peter and these virtues left unmined for too long. Copyright 2007 Publishers Weekly."
Hidden in Plain Sight by Mark Buchanan caught my attention with its title. I love a riddle! Even with author’s subtitle, Seven Old Things to Make Your Life New, I couldn’t make out what the book might be about. I was intrigued.
The author bases his work on a Scripture, one that was there all along, one we have heard and read and yet perhaps not realized the magnitude of; a Scripture that Buchanan claims holds the secret to victorious Christian life. Comparing the negatives of struggling against the “seven deadly sins,” he purports seeking after the seven virtues listed in the book of 2 Peter.
Sharing his own struggles and trials, Buchanan relates in his fresh, often startling, and anything but boring voice, how God brought him to see that these virtues are gifts provided for every Christian. He compares these truths to the materials of a house gathered and ready to be built. The individual must make an effort to build with these materials which God has provided in order to have victory over sin.
The first of three sections of the book deals with faith. The second section has seven parts, each discussing a godly character trait or virtue. The third section speaks of the rewards to be reaped by anyone determined to make the effort to build on his faith. Each section ends with a short story.
Buchanan is a pastor and author of four other books, The Rest of God, Your God is Too Safe, Things Unseen, and The Holy Wild. Buchanan’s writing may disturb readers with some disquieting notes, his sense of humor, and his “wild” ideas, yet it will inspire them to follow closer after God, to take the steps of faith to live fully what they believe. I like what Buchanan says in his introduction that he hopes his book disrupts readers, turning them upside down in order to help them live right-side up.
I recommend this book to Christians who find themselves struggling to grow in Christ. I think it might be especially appealing and fitting for young fathers. – Elece Hollis, Christian Book Previews.com
Average Rating: 3 out of 5 stars(3 out of 5 stars)
3 of 3 Reviews Showing: 0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Spence Newsome (Blackshear, GA), January 06, 2009 Chapter 13 is titled "A Year with Peter". In the making of New Year resolves and updating our lists of things to do, books to read etc, I suggest you add "Hidden in Plain Sight" and Peters books in our Bible to your list. Peter is so like us, for amid his many failures I found my own failures reflected. And as Mark Buchanan states in this book: "In the end the narration of his many failures makes him easier to trust. That's the irony of humility: the more a man admits his failings, the more likely we are to throw in our lot with him." .... and his Lord. 4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by J. H. Law (San Angelo, TX), April 26, 2008 Buchanan has given us a penetrating insight into Peter and how his life was changed by Christ. This commentary on Peter calls us to a relationship with Christ that leads to virtuous living in an unvirtuous world. 5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Angela McIntosh (Frederick, MD), March 05, 2008 I love the imagery of this book. Buchanan's writing is articulate, accessible, and poetic. If you always wanted the abundant life Christ offers, but do not understand what it means to get it, I highly encourage you to read this book. Write a review of Hidden in Plain Sight: The Secret of More
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