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Empowered by His Presence: Receiving the Strength You Need Each Day
Pastor and dynamic speaker offers hope to people who feel they don't have sufficient strength to meet life's demands, revealing the surprising ways God can empower them to do his work.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 21, 2014
The Christian life is the empowered life. In Christ we are set free to live life and face the challenges that come our way. But sometimes we feel powerless in the face of life's obstacles. Kevin Harney, author of Reckless Faith and the Organic Outreach books has written a month-long daily devotional exploring how God's presence empowers believers. Each week of Empowered By His Presence explores a different God-given source of strength which reveal God's empowering presence. These include:
Suffering, loss & pain.
Community
Sabbath and rest
Mission
The daily devotional entires profiles a character from the Bible which explores their experience of God. Each week has a reading on Paul and Jesus, but the rest of the entries take you across the Old and New Testaments. At the end of each section in the book are a daily reading plan (which parallels the daily devotionals, suggestions for prayer, personal reflection questions and action steps. There is a discussion guide at the back of the book, designed to accompany a small-group DVD also available from Baker Books.
I really liked this book for a several reasons. First, this is a book about God's empowering presence, but it isn't esoteric or strange. Harney starts with the experience of grief and loss in Job, the persecution of Paul, Hannah's sorrow, Joseph's betrayal at the hands of his brothers, Peter leaving his nets and Jesus' cry of dereliction. Each of these people were met by God, but they came to experience his power through loss, grief and weakness. This isn't a book about the 'power of God' that never enters into human suffering. Rather Harney posits that we meet God there!
The other sections are similarly thoughtful. Community is a Christian buzzword, but Harney draws attention to the ways we mediate Christ to one another. The chapter on the four friends and the paralytic is pure gold (chapter seven). He has good stuff to say about Sabbath and Mission as well.
Second, I think the format is perfect for a small group. I am suggesting it for a small group study at my church and will likely be ordering the DVD.
Third, I appreciate the breadth of Biblical people profiled. Harney isn't stuck in the New Testament or Old but gives us a nice cross-section of the communion of saints.
Finally, I loved how solid this is. Harney has keen pastoral insights and is judicious in his reading of the Bible. I don't remember any specific passages where I felt like he fudged it
I give this book four stars and recommend it especially for use in small groups. It may also be read profitably as a small group resource. ★★★★☆
Suffering, loss & pain.
Community
Sabbath and rest
Mission
The daily devotional entires profiles a character from the Bible which explores their experience of God. Each week has a reading on Paul and Jesus, but the rest of the entries take you across the Old and New Testaments. At the end of each section in the book are a daily reading plan (which parallels the daily devotionals, suggestions for prayer, personal reflection questions and action steps. There is a discussion guide at the back of the book, designed to accompany a small-group DVD also available from Baker Books.
I really liked this book for a several reasons. First, this is a book about God's empowering presence, but it isn't esoteric or strange. Harney starts with the experience of grief and loss in Job, the persecution of Paul, Hannah's sorrow, Joseph's betrayal at the hands of his brothers, Peter leaving his nets and Jesus' cry of dereliction. Each of these people were met by God, but they came to experience his power through loss, grief and weakness. This isn't a book about the 'power of God' that never enters into human suffering. Rather Harney posits that we meet God there!
The other sections are similarly thoughtful. Community is a Christian buzzword, but Harney draws attention to the ways we mediate Christ to one another. The chapter on the four friends and the paralytic is pure gold (chapter seven). He has good stuff to say about Sabbath and Mission as well.
Second, I think the format is perfect for a small group. I am suggesting it for a small group study at my church and will likely be ordering the DVD.
Third, I appreciate the breadth of Biblical people profiled. Harney isn't stuck in the New Testament or Old but gives us a nice cross-section of the communion of saints.
Finally, I loved how solid this is. Harney has keen pastoral insights and is judicious in his reading of the Bible. I don't remember any specific passages where I felt like he fudged it
I give this book four stars and recommend it especially for use in small groups. It may also be read profitably as a small group resource. ★★★★☆
December 30, 2014
Wow. This is a great book. The format, the content, the application--all of it is a wonderful tool for the Christian's journey.
Kevin Harney breaks this book down into a four-week devotional journey (for individuals, small groups, or churches) consisting of a short reading six days a week and a "for further study" portion that can be broken down throughout the week or used for more in-depth study and discussion on the 7th day. In his introduction, Harney discusses power, its origins in our lives, and its usefulness in our lives. He also notes there are three types of people: powerful, powerless, and empowered. Our goal as Christians is to live lives that are empowered by the presence of God and the Holy Spirit.
Through each of the four sections--"Experiencing God's Presence in Suffering, Loss, and Pain"; "Encountering God in the Community of His People"; "Empowered for the Journey by Receiving God's Rest"; and "Propelled Onward by the Call and Mission of God"--Harney tells a story of someone in the Bible and often someone from current times to demonstrate the empowering of God for each step of everyday life. He then concludes every day's reading with a description of how the powerful, powerless, and empowered individual would respond in that situation.
I found these descriptions to be incredibly helpful. I tend to be self-critical and read books like this from a place of exhaustion recognizing (and quickly becoming overwhelmed by) all the steps I have to take to "arrive" at some impossible pinnacle of piety. In reading Empowered, I found each day's reading to be in turns challenging and affirming and encouraging. Then, reading the descriptions I was able to find myself in each reading and note where I need to work to deepen my dependence on God and His power for my day. Sometimes I was surprised to see where I fell; other times I was encouraged. Every time I was challenged by the faith of those who have gone before me and the desire to rest in God's power to meet the needs in my own life and in those around me. The best news of all is that this power exists and is available to each of us . . . and it is the same power and spirit that dwelt within Christ and empowered Him for His daily journey.
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers (www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers) program. The opinions I have expressed are my won, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa...).
Kevin Harney breaks this book down into a four-week devotional journey (for individuals, small groups, or churches) consisting of a short reading six days a week and a "for further study" portion that can be broken down throughout the week or used for more in-depth study and discussion on the 7th day. In his introduction, Harney discusses power, its origins in our lives, and its usefulness in our lives. He also notes there are three types of people: powerful, powerless, and empowered. Our goal as Christians is to live lives that are empowered by the presence of God and the Holy Spirit.
Through each of the four sections--"Experiencing God's Presence in Suffering, Loss, and Pain"; "Encountering God in the Community of His People"; "Empowered for the Journey by Receiving God's Rest"; and "Propelled Onward by the Call and Mission of God"--Harney tells a story of someone in the Bible and often someone from current times to demonstrate the empowering of God for each step of everyday life. He then concludes every day's reading with a description of how the powerful, powerless, and empowered individual would respond in that situation.
I found these descriptions to be incredibly helpful. I tend to be self-critical and read books like this from a place of exhaustion recognizing (and quickly becoming overwhelmed by) all the steps I have to take to "arrive" at some impossible pinnacle of piety. In reading Empowered, I found each day's reading to be in turns challenging and affirming and encouraging. Then, reading the descriptions I was able to find myself in each reading and note where I need to work to deepen my dependence on God and His power for my day. Sometimes I was surprised to see where I fell; other times I was encouraged. Every time I was challenged by the faith of those who have gone before me and the desire to rest in God's power to meet the needs in my own life and in those around me. The best news of all is that this power exists and is available to each of us . . . and it is the same power and spirit that dwelt within Christ and empowered Him for His daily journey.
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers (www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers) program. The opinions I have expressed are my won, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa...).
November 16, 2014
“Receive God’s power for the journey ahead. Are you in need of strength, encouragement, and hope? Empowered by His Presence will set you free to face life head-on and follow God’s glorious vision. Kevin Harney weaves together biblical stories and modern narrative to form and stunning tapestry of grace and hope? In the pages of this book, you will find four surprising and God-given sources of strength: Suffering, Loss and Pain, Sabbath and Rest, Community, and Mission and Purpose. Discover how each of the power sources can help you live boldly, serve humbly, and overcome life’s obstacles.”
This book, as the author suggests, should probably be used as a four-week study whereby the reader can really uncover the wisdom and truths written on these 200+ pages. Or you can, as I did… devour the book in a couple of days.
Each of the four sections –Suffering, Loss and Pain, Community, Sabbath and Rest, and Mission and Purpose is set into 6 individual (daily) readings. Each day is a few pages long where the author relates a story of a real individual from the Bible. I had my own thoughts challenged more than once when I saw myself as “powerful”, when in fact I was living a “powerless” life. Really tapping into my upside-down thinking and seeing the truth of what an empowered life looks like in a particular situation gave me a lot to think about.
At the end of each day and section are a number of resources for the reader to dig deeper into what we just uncovered. In addition there are resources at the end of the book for a small-group study. As I said, I read this book in just a couple of days. This is a book that will be on my “second-look” list for the coming year.
Visit the author’s website at: http://www.kevingharney.com/
Author Bio: http://www.kevingharney.com/about/kev...
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....
*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Christian Book, Deeper Shopping, Goodreads, and to be featured on my blog at http://titus3.wordpress.com
This book, as the author suggests, should probably be used as a four-week study whereby the reader can really uncover the wisdom and truths written on these 200+ pages. Or you can, as I did… devour the book in a couple of days.
Each of the four sections –Suffering, Loss and Pain, Community, Sabbath and Rest, and Mission and Purpose is set into 6 individual (daily) readings. Each day is a few pages long where the author relates a story of a real individual from the Bible. I had my own thoughts challenged more than once when I saw myself as “powerful”, when in fact I was living a “powerless” life. Really tapping into my upside-down thinking and seeing the truth of what an empowered life looks like in a particular situation gave me a lot to think about.
At the end of each day and section are a number of resources for the reader to dig deeper into what we just uncovered. In addition there are resources at the end of the book for a small-group study. As I said, I read this book in just a couple of days. This is a book that will be on my “second-look” list for the coming year.
Visit the author’s website at: http://www.kevingharney.com/
Author Bio: http://www.kevingharney.com/about/kev...
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....
*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Christian Book, Deeper Shopping, Goodreads, and to be featured on my blog at http://titus3.wordpress.com
November 25, 2014
The question that drives Empowered by His Presence is this: “Where can I receive strength as I seek to live another day?” In this four-week study, Kevin Harney unpacks the stories of biblical characters and their responses to God’s presence and power within the challenges of their situations. For example, the woman at the well is a story every Sunday School child would recognize, but, when this nameless woman is portrayed as a fellow bucket-carrier in the search for satisfaction in life, the story takes on a fresh urgency. A powerful person has lots of buckets and access to thousands of wells — maybe even a staff of bucket-droppers who will eventually draw up something that will satisfy an empty soul. A powerless person may decide there’s no reason to keep carrying buckets from well to well. They’ve given up ever trying to quench the thirst of their parched soul. The woman at the well becomes empowered by coming to Jesus, the source of living water. She dared to take his “eternal refreshment,” and to quit dropping the bucket of her heart “down the endless wells the world offers.”
The book’s four-week format allows for a lesson for each day Monday through Friday and one lesson for the weekend. The “Resources for Living an Empowered Life,” the Small Group Discussion Guide, DVD curriculum, and the breadth of Old and New Testament characters covered throughout the study make this a valuable resource for a home study or for use in a class room. A church’s ministry resource library would be greatly enhanced by having a copy of Empowered by His Presence available as a reference for Sunday School teachers who want to liven up their presentation of a familiar Bible story. With biblical literacy in decline in the church, Kevin Harney has given us an important bridge between biblical content and living an empowered life.
I received this book free from Baker Publishing Group. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....
The book’s four-week format allows for a lesson for each day Monday through Friday and one lesson for the weekend. The “Resources for Living an Empowered Life,” the Small Group Discussion Guide, DVD curriculum, and the breadth of Old and New Testament characters covered throughout the study make this a valuable resource for a home study or for use in a class room. A church’s ministry resource library would be greatly enhanced by having a copy of Empowered by His Presence available as a reference for Sunday School teachers who want to liven up their presentation of a familiar Bible story. With biblical literacy in decline in the church, Kevin Harney has given us an important bridge between biblical content and living an empowered life.
I received this book free from Baker Publishing Group. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....
November 14, 2014
Another great devotional!!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews