It is one of the greatest desires of the human heart to know and be known--to hear that we are loved--by family, friends, children, brothers and sisters. How much more so, do we long to hear words of affirmation from our Maker. We long to know that we matter to Him. Our stories matter to Him. In the Christian walk those moments of pure love can seem few and far between, but when they come, we hold onto them. We don't want to forget. Close Enough to Hear God Breathe by Greg Paul explores, in beautiful prose and Biblical stories, the moments when God speaks into our lives--the moments we want to remember. Paul's insightful reflections will help you hear God's whisper in the day-to-day business of life, that He loves you and is pleased with who you are.

Close Enough to Hear God Breathe is the winner of the 2012 Christian Book Award for Non-Fiction.

THERE ARE A THOUSAND VOICES TELLING ME WHO I AM, OR WHO I SHOULD BE.  I WANT TO HEAR WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY.  I WANT TO KNOW THAT HE'S REALLY THERE. I WANT TO KNOW THAT IN THE WHOLE GRAND, TANGLED SWEEP OF THE HUMAN STORY, MY LITTLE STORY MATTERS.  I NEED TO HEAR HIS VOICE, SPEAKING TO ME, IN MY OWN EARS...

In Close Enough to Hear God Breathe, acclaimed author Greg Paul shows readers through beautiful prose, powerful stories, and inventive teaching a rich message that recounts the story of a God who has been inviting all of humanityⷕand each individualⷕinto a tender embrace since time began.

God longs for a relationship with each of His children. Our stories matter to Him. Your story matters to Him. Reading the Bible ought to be like putting one's head on God's chest and listening to His heartbeat. Close Enough to Hear God Breathe will help readers do just that. And when they do, they'll hear God whisper, "You are my child.  I love you. And I am pleased with you."

Greg Paul is a pastor and member of Sanctuary (Toronto), a ministry where the wealthy and poor share their experiences and resources daily and care for the most excluded people in the city, including addicts, prostitutes, the homeless, and gay, lesbian, and transgendered people. (www.sanctuarytoronto.ca)

A former carpenter, Greg is the father of four and married to Maggie. He is the author of two books: The Twenty-Piece Shuffle and God in the Alley.

Weaving earthy realism about topics like addiction, divorce, and death with lyrical meditations about God’s profound wish for closeness with human beings seems like a high-risk approach to Christian spirituality, but Paul (The Twenty-Piece Shuffle) makes it work. A pastor in the Toronto-based Sanctuary community, he has spent decades working among the homeless and doesn’t shrink from drawing narratives from his experiences to illustrate his perspective on God’s love. He sees it revealing itself in dire circumstances–addicts who gather around a dying friend, a mother who shows a gritty bravery at a memorial service for her son, the writer’s long estrangement from his own family over church-related conflict. Rich in stories of family and friends, the book moves from the beginning of the scriptural story of creation, through Adam and Eve’s disobedience and expulsion from Eden, to redemption and consummation, assuring readers that in every circumstance, no matter how terrible, they are still part of a divine mosaic and purpose. (Oct.)Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.

http://www.christianbook.com/enough-breathe-great-story-divine-intimacy/greg-paul/9781400203000/pd/203003

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