Life As We Would Want It . . . Life As We Are Given It: The Beauty God Brings from Life's Upheavals

by Ken Gire

The terrain of Colorado forms a metaphor for life as acclaimed writer Ken Gire reflects upon the smooth, even terrain of eastern Colorado in contrast to the wild, uncertain, jagged terrain of western Colorado. The majestic, awe-inspiring mountains of western Colorado were born out of the most terrifying eruptions. And that is the unrelenting work of heaven, to make everything beautiful in its time. All of us would like life to be smooth with no upheavals. But the fact is that our lives are anything but. Our lives are full of upheaval, for that is life as we are given it. Gire looks at the beauty that is the result of these upheavals.

Genres: Nonfiction

151 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Ken Gire is the author of more than 20 books, including "The Divine Embrace," "Windows of the Soul," "The Work of His Hands," the Moments with the Savior series, and the Reflective Life series. He has also co-authored "The Birthright" with John Sheasby. Two of his books have been awarded a Gold Medallion. A full-time writer and speaker, Ken is the founder of Reflective Living, a nonprofit ministry devoted to helping people learn how to slow down and live more reflective lives so they can experience life more deeply, especially life with God and other people. Ken is a graduate of Texas Christian University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He has four children and three grandchildren and lives near the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Monument, Colorado.

As a bestselling author, Ken speaks primarily on the subjects in the books he has written. In the past, he has spoken at such venues as Bill and Gloria Gaither's Praise Gathering, Billy Graham's Training Center---the Cove, Laity Lodge, Wind River Ranch, Young Life, as well as a variety of denominational and non-denominational churches. He has spoken in the church service itself but has mostly done church retreats. He is available to speak for large, public events as the keynote speaker or for smaller, more private events, such as leadership retreats. In all of his talks, Ken uses a variety of audio-visuals, such as film clips, and so the host would need to have the necessary equipment and someone to operate it. His messages can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the venue. Since most of his speaking topics are from the books Ken has written, you can get a greater feel for his talks by first getting the book from Amazon.com, which carries both his in-print and out-of-print books.

Reviews

[Stella Huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book very much and would recommend it to anyone who is going through a difficult time. The author is very sympathetic and he does not attempt to provide answers to why bad things happen. For someone like me who is going through grief, I have learnt that the worship of God is the best comfort for my grieving soul. The time spent reading this book has enabled me to direct my focus away from my sorrow and to focus on the worship of God, who knows and who understands perfectly.

[Pat Roseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't mark many books with five stars. And perhaps it's where I am in life that influenced my opinion of this, but it really spoke to me. It was a very quick read (I read it in about 2 hours) but there were several places, especially in the chapter entitled "The Weathering Grace of God", that touched me deeply and gave voice to my own experience. Highly recommended to anyone who has experienced loss of any kind.

[Allen Lim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take into the area of suffering. The author basically draws an analogy between the upheavals in life and the upheavals seen in our planet. While the analogy itself is interesting, for me, this book lacked depth in sharing about the author's personal struggles, and also did not show how such an analogy could be communicated to someone who was suffering.

[Alicia Kronick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite beautifully crafted non-fiction writer who is honest caring and realistic. He puts on no religious airs but tells his innermost thoughts to make you realize you are not alone. Highly recommended-any book of his!

[Deana]

Really made me think. Unbelievable.