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Selling Water by the River: A Book about the Life Jesus Promised and the Religion That Gets in the Way
by
Shane Hipps
Work, sex, ice cream, religion-they all promise fulfillment. But what they deliver is fleeting.
Jesus knew about this quest. He came to show us that peace is possible in this life, not just the next one. Yet Christianity, the very religion that claims Jesus as its own, has often built the biggest barriers to him and the life he promised.
Celebrated speaker and pastor Shane...more
Jesus knew about this quest. He came to show us that peace is possible in this life, not just the next one. Yet Christianity, the very religion that claims Jesus as its own, has often built the biggest barriers to him and the life he promised.
Celebrated speaker and pastor Shane...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
October 16th 2012
by Jericho Books
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I read this book because Peter Rollins recommended it. Here's the excerpt that caught my attention and made me want to read it:
"The desire begins with the first breath.
The moment life first dances in the body, a longing is born in the human heart.
A desire so simple and powerful that it drives a singular quest. This longing is baked into our being whether we want it or not. The longing is as innate to us as our thirst for water.
The object of our thirst goes by many names. Some call it love, ot...more
"The desire begins with the first breath.
The moment life first dances in the body, a longing is born in the human heart.
A desire so simple and powerful that it drives a singular quest. This longing is baked into our being whether we want it or not. The longing is as innate to us as our thirst for water.
The object of our thirst goes by many names. Some call it love, ot...more
This review contains spoilers.
Shane brilliantly uses metaphor. This book is packed full of metaphor all of which are his own. There are no end notes and no bibliography. These are Shane’s thoughts on scripture. I found many of these metaphors to be stunning and well thought through.
I have seen the typical ugly reactions to Shane’s promo video online. While I wasn’t a fan of his promo video (at all), I think it brings up an important point that Hipps makes regarding the lenses through which we vi...more
Shane brilliantly uses metaphor. This book is packed full of metaphor all of which are his own. There are no end notes and no bibliography. These are Shane’s thoughts on scripture. I found many of these metaphors to be stunning and well thought through.
I have seen the typical ugly reactions to Shane’s promo video online. While I wasn’t a fan of his promo video (at all), I think it brings up an important point that Hipps makes regarding the lenses through which we vi...more
The NEW Blue Like Jazz.
I read Blue Like Jazz and it changed my life. It helped me organize my frustrations with the Church in ways I hadn't done before. Since then I have read more books and been frustrated with different things about the Church, but true to my narrative, BLJ helped me wrestle with the Idolatry of Christianity that I had once experienced.
I call it the NEW BLJ for a reason.
It's better. The writing style is similar, but instead of just writing about how the church has hurt him, H...more
I read Blue Like Jazz and it changed my life. It helped me organize my frustrations with the Church in ways I hadn't done before. Since then I have read more books and been frustrated with different things about the Church, but true to my narrative, BLJ helped me wrestle with the Idolatry of Christianity that I had once experienced.
I call it the NEW BLJ for a reason.
It's better. The writing style is similar, but instead of just writing about how the church has hurt him, H...more
A thoughtful reflection on faith and religion. Hipps does an admirable job of helping the reader reflect upon Jesus as one who helps us discover the intimate and immediate qualities of God's presence in our lives. Painfully missing is any real sense of the community aspect of life. One could easily 'assume' that community is that which gets in the way. Still this is a book that can be helpful in sorting out that which can be helpful or harmful to ones personal walk.
Excellent use of metaphor and word-pictures...ones that have stayed with me and I continue to use in counseling. This booked gave me language and pictures for ideas I was wrestling with, and I am very thankful for that. The first half of it was better for me than the last, but still very good. Great book on the bigness of Jesus beyond the institutions we try to limit Him to, and His availability to meet the deep thirst of everyone who is willing to open to Him.
What is it about former marketing executives having a way to relate the Christian faith in a way that is fresh and appealing? Was I just sold something?
I think I must have highlighted about half of this book. Good illustrations of God, religion, and faith. A bit too loose with theology for my taste (and I'm pretty loose) but a quick, enjoyable read nonetheless. Like his former fellow pastor at Mars Hill, Hipps is a great communicator.
I think I must have highlighted about half of this book. Good illustrations of God, religion, and faith. A bit too loose with theology for my taste (and I'm pretty loose) but a quick, enjoyable read nonetheless. Like his former fellow pastor at Mars Hill, Hipps is a great communicator.
Shane Hipps is an incredibly talented writer, teacher and thinker. I am so grateful for this book and for what Shane is sharing. As he so eloquently illustrates, the church can sometimes get in the way of our faith in Jesus. Shane takes it back to the source and starts from there. This is a great book to give to your friends -those who might have walked away from 'religion' but still hold out hope for Jesus.
I liked the central metaphor - God is the river, religion a merchant that sells water by the river. The merchant isn't the river.
Some good stuff here, but I got a little bored towards the end. I felt like I wanted more about the metaphor - how does religion get in the way? How do we DO religion in a way that leads people to the river and doesn't get in the way?
Some good stuff here, but I got a little bored towards the end. I felt like I wanted more about the metaphor - how does religion get in the way? How do we DO religion in a way that leads people to the river and doesn't get in the way?
Buy this book when it comes into circulation in October 2012. I read an advance copy courtesy of Jericho Books. Trust me, it will breathe life into your belief and reduce the neurotic tendencies so prevalent in Christian faith as practiced in much today's churches in North America!
Refreshing and freeing of so much of the religious guilt many of us are brought up with. Shane creatively reminds the reader of the gift of life Jesus offers and he starkly points out how often we miss out on the river because we buying from vendors standing next to it. My favourite quote: 'He (#Jesus) didn't come that we would become more religious or even more spiritual. Jesus came to show us what it truly means to be human - to live life conscious of the exquisite gift we've been given. He ca...more
Beautiful writing and imagery from a gifted teacher.
Thought provoking.. Great read!
This book will make you rethink several things about Christianity, but I think in a good way. The gist of it is that we should be focusing more on bringing heaven to earth as much as we can rather than the heaven after we die. That is important, but not the end all be all. I am probably not doing it justice because it is a wonderfully complex book.
An inspring book for followers of The Way and those who are curious. Easy read.
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