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Kingdom Encounters: Experiencing More of God When Life Hurts
Are Your Trials Actually Opportunities to Behold God?
Many faithful church-goers often feel like something is missing. Perhaps you need more than a daily devotional or small group discussion. Perhaps you feel like you’re just going through the motions. What all Christians need for the spiritual journey is a vibrant, life-changing kingdom encounter.
Dr. Tony Evans identifies kingdom encounters as powerful moments when we connect with God beyond information and through experience. In Kingdom Encounters, Dr. Evans explores how the faithful characters of Scripture encountered God—and were forever changed. As we see in the lives of these characters, these moments often occur in the middle of conflicts and trials when we least expect it. Dr. Evans’ hope for you is that, “you realize that when things are going left, you feel trapped and God seems absent, that you are probably right where God wants you in order to experience a life-altering kingdom encounter.” Join Dr. Evans as he explores how these moments can bolster your faith, restore your hope, and make clear to you the face of our almighty God.
Many faithful church-goers often feel like something is missing. Perhaps you need more than a daily devotional or small group discussion. Perhaps you feel like you’re just going through the motions. What all Christians need for the spiritual journey is a vibrant, life-changing kingdom encounter.
Dr. Tony Evans identifies kingdom encounters as powerful moments when we connect with God beyond information and through experience. In Kingdom Encounters, Dr. Evans explores how the faithful characters of Scripture encountered God—and were forever changed. As we see in the lives of these characters, these moments often occur in the middle of conflicts and trials when we least expect it. Dr. Evans’ hope for you is that, “you realize that when things are going left, you feel trapped and God seems absent, that you are probably right where God wants you in order to experience a life-altering kingdom encounter.” Join Dr. Evans as he explores how these moments can bolster your faith, restore your hope, and make clear to you the face of our almighty God.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 6, 2020
21 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Tony Evans
511 books517 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Anthony Tyrone "Tony" Evans Sr. is an American evangelical pastor, speaker, author, and widely syndicated radio and television broadcaster in the United States. Between 1976 and 2024, Evans served as senior pastor at the over-9,500-member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas.
Anthony Tyrone "Tony" Evans Sr. is an American evangelical pastor, speaker, author, and widely syndicated radio and television broadcaster in the United States. Between 1976 and 2024, Evans served as senior pastor at the over-9,500-member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 27, 2021
( note - I did receive a complimentary e-copy to review. )
While life stepped in and ended up detouring me from reading this book when originally scheduled, I did end up reading it at the perfect time in my life. A pefect blend of Scripture and application to explain and settle the encounters that we all encounter and sometimes question. This book has blessed me during a painful time in my life, and I pray it is a blessing to all who read it.
While life stepped in and ended up detouring me from reading this book when originally scheduled, I did end up reading it at the perfect time in my life. A pefect blend of Scripture and application to explain and settle the encounters that we all encounter and sometimes question. This book has blessed me during a painful time in my life, and I pray it is a blessing to all who read it.
December 24, 2020
In Kingdom Encounters, Tony Evans leads readers on a journey to seek God beneath the superficial and to develop a real, substantial, experiential relationship with their Creator. Too often, our Christian faith lives in the realm of information. We know about God. We read the stories in the Bible. But the faith they had and the faith we have doesn’t always connect. Evans writes that those with life-changing Kingdom encounters in Scripture goes beyond the head-knowledge and affects the very core of their being…and that those Kingdom Encounters often come through trial and tragedy.
It’s a bit of a whiplash to be sure. Evans teaches readers that they can have life-altering encounters with the Creator, then uses the examples of Scripture to show how those encounters often came in the middle of conflict, struggle, and at the least-expected moments. Think Moses—at the age of eighty—finding his calling in a burning bush. Think of Paul on the Damascus Road. With precision and clarity, Evans uses Scripture to lead readers into their own Kingdom Encounters.
You can always tell when a book is developed from a sermon series. It’s all in the titles. Evans has ten chapters, all ten of which tell us how to encounter something of God, all ten of which start with the letter P: person, power, promises, peace, provision, promotion, process, petition, presence, and preeminence. Each chapter is fewer than twenty pages long, meaning that you could turn the book into a short devotional. Evans pulls in cultural references and anecdotes—some work better than others—to set the groundwork for his Scriptural point. It’s conversational, engaging, and exhortative.
Evans, particularly in this book, reminds me of Max Lucado in his tone and tenor as he addresses the issues and encourages his readers to walk more closely with their God. Evans has carefully developed his writing voice and style through the years, and this is it: encouraging, exhortative, and accessible. There are places he remains a bit generic. His points aren’t wrong, but they aren’t particularly engaging or deep, either. Some of his anecdotes are a bit confusing or fall flat. Some of it, I think, comes in the movement from what is obviously a spoken sermon series to book form. Not everything translates quite perfectly.
Kingdom Encounters is the perfect read for those experiencing a trial and wanting to know where God is (and isn’t that everybody at some level, this year in particular?). It’s a primer, an introductory volume. It’s the cheerleading section that gets you pumped up and able to carry through. It’s a great addition to the Kingdom series of books and Dr. Evans’ ministry.
It’s a bit of a whiplash to be sure. Evans teaches readers that they can have life-altering encounters with the Creator, then uses the examples of Scripture to show how those encounters often came in the middle of conflict, struggle, and at the least-expected moments. Think Moses—at the age of eighty—finding his calling in a burning bush. Think of Paul on the Damascus Road. With precision and clarity, Evans uses Scripture to lead readers into their own Kingdom Encounters.
You can always tell when a book is developed from a sermon series. It’s all in the titles. Evans has ten chapters, all ten of which tell us how to encounter something of God, all ten of which start with the letter P: person, power, promises, peace, provision, promotion, process, petition, presence, and preeminence. Each chapter is fewer than twenty pages long, meaning that you could turn the book into a short devotional. Evans pulls in cultural references and anecdotes—some work better than others—to set the groundwork for his Scriptural point. It’s conversational, engaging, and exhortative.
Evans, particularly in this book, reminds me of Max Lucado in his tone and tenor as he addresses the issues and encourages his readers to walk more closely with their God. Evans has carefully developed his writing voice and style through the years, and this is it: encouraging, exhortative, and accessible. There are places he remains a bit generic. His points aren’t wrong, but they aren’t particularly engaging or deep, either. Some of his anecdotes are a bit confusing or fall flat. Some of it, I think, comes in the movement from what is obviously a spoken sermon series to book form. Not everything translates quite perfectly.
Kingdom Encounters is the perfect read for those experiencing a trial and wanting to know where God is (and isn’t that everybody at some level, this year in particular?). It’s a primer, an introductory volume. It’s the cheerleading section that gets you pumped up and able to carry through. It’s a great addition to the Kingdom series of books and Dr. Evans’ ministry.
December 5, 2020
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Dr. Evans is the founder and president of the Urban Alternative as well as senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas. He is a gifted speaker, pastor, and author. This book reads just like one of his sermons–fun, easy to understand, engaging, and life-changing.
He begins his book this way, “Have you ever needed more than a Sunday morning service? Or a devotional on your smartphone? Have you ever felt like something was missing as you went through the motions of the Christian life? If that sounds familiar, you are a prime candidate for a kingdom encounter.”
I was a prime candidate. The truth is I was needing this book. And frankly, so do you. Why? Because life is not all sunshine and rainbows. There are cloudy days, stormy nights, and painful events. This book will encourage you to take a step back and look for God in the midst of our suffering. But Dr. Evans makes clear, while we may not see God at work all the time, He is still faithful, still working.
1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Kingdom Encounters will help you do just that. You’ll explore God’s Person, power, promises, peace, provision, promotion, process, petition, presence, and preeminence. Along the way, you’ll laugh, cry, and be amazed at God’s faithfulness. In short, read this book and you will encounter God.
Dr. Evans has a way with words and imagery that will make every spiritual lesson from this book memorable. For example, in the chapter “Encountering God’s Peace” he writes, ” Yet the Scripture tells us that Jesus left. He left because He knew they didn’t really want to make Him king, but what they wanted was more like a burger king.”
The ugly truth is that in this broken world we will be hurt. You might already have been hurt. But the good news is there is a book out just for you. That book is called Kingdom Encounters: Experiencing More of God When Life Hurts, by Tony Evans.
Dr. Evans is the founder and president of the Urban Alternative as well as senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas. He is a gifted speaker, pastor, and author. This book reads just like one of his sermons–fun, easy to understand, engaging, and life-changing.
He begins his book this way, “Have you ever needed more than a Sunday morning service? Or a devotional on your smartphone? Have you ever felt like something was missing as you went through the motions of the Christian life? If that sounds familiar, you are a prime candidate for a kingdom encounter.”
I was a prime candidate. The truth is I was needing this book. And frankly, so do you. Why? Because life is not all sunshine and rainbows. There are cloudy days, stormy nights, and painful events. This book will encourage you to take a step back and look for God in the midst of our suffering. But Dr. Evans makes clear, while we may not see God at work all the time, He is still faithful, still working.
1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Kingdom Encounters will help you do just that. You’ll explore God’s Person, power, promises, peace, provision, promotion, process, petition, presence, and preeminence. Along the way, you’ll laugh, cry, and be amazed at God’s faithfulness. In short, read this book and you will encounter God.
Dr. Evans has a way with words and imagery that will make every spiritual lesson from this book memorable. For example, in the chapter “Encountering God’s Peace” he writes, ” Yet the Scripture tells us that Jesus left. He left because He knew they didn’t really want to make Him king, but what they wanted was more like a burger king.”
The ugly truth is that in this broken world we will be hurt. You might already have been hurt. But the good news is there is a book out just for you. That book is called Kingdom Encounters: Experiencing More of God When Life Hurts, by Tony Evans.
October 3, 2020
KINGDOM ENCOUNTERS was sent to me by Net Galley, free of charge, in exchange for my honest review.
Published by Moody Publishers, KINGDOM ENCOUNTERS is a Christian non-fiction, self-help book. It is written by one of my favorite authors and speakers, Dr. Tony Evans. I really love his KINGDOM SERIES!
Dr. Evans has written about encountering God in ten areas. He writes that, “If you feel you need more than a Sunday morning service or a devotional on a smartphone…If you feel like something is missing in your Christian life, you are a prime candidate for a Kingdom encounter. A Kingdom encounter is when you discover how to connect with God by experience, not merely through information.” The goal of a Kingdom encounter is to go deeper, and learn more about God. Here are the ten areas of encounter:
God’s Person
God’s Power
God’s Promises
God’s Peace
God’s Provision
God’s Promotion
God’s Process
God’s Petition
God’s Presence
God’s Preeminence
Reading about and studying each of these encounters reminds me of listening to one of his sermons…complete with alliteration. He explains each point clearly, with Scriptural references. He makes it easy to learn each concept.
At the end of this book, we find information about THE URBAN ALTERNATIVE, his ministry. He tells about their “Kingdom Agenda”, to tell others about God and how to have the “visible manifestation of the comprehensive rule of God over every area of life”. He also tells of the many resources he has available to us…including his radio and tv broadcasts and his newsletter, among many others.
I would recommend this entire series to anyone who wants to become closer to God and learn more about him.
Published by Moody Publishers, KINGDOM ENCOUNTERS is a Christian non-fiction, self-help book. It is written by one of my favorite authors and speakers, Dr. Tony Evans. I really love his KINGDOM SERIES!
Dr. Evans has written about encountering God in ten areas. He writes that, “If you feel you need more than a Sunday morning service or a devotional on a smartphone…If you feel like something is missing in your Christian life, you are a prime candidate for a Kingdom encounter. A Kingdom encounter is when you discover how to connect with God by experience, not merely through information.” The goal of a Kingdom encounter is to go deeper, and learn more about God. Here are the ten areas of encounter:
God’s Person
God’s Power
God’s Promises
God’s Peace
God’s Provision
God’s Promotion
God’s Process
God’s Petition
God’s Presence
God’s Preeminence
Reading about and studying each of these encounters reminds me of listening to one of his sermons…complete with alliteration. He explains each point clearly, with Scriptural references. He makes it easy to learn each concept.
At the end of this book, we find information about THE URBAN ALTERNATIVE, his ministry. He tells about their “Kingdom Agenda”, to tell others about God and how to have the “visible manifestation of the comprehensive rule of God over every area of life”. He also tells of the many resources he has available to us…including his radio and tv broadcasts and his newsletter, among many others.
I would recommend this entire series to anyone who wants to become closer to God and learn more about him.
January 10, 2021
***DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR FREE FROM MOODY PUBLISHERS TO REVIEW. FURTHERMORE, THIS REVIEW ON THIS SITE IS MUCH SHORTER THAN THE ORIGINAL REVIEW. TO VIEW MY REVIEW IN FULL, VISIT MOODY PUBLISHERS' WEBSITE OR EARNESTLAYMAN.WORDPRESS.COM***
Tony Evans’ "Kingdom Encounters: Experiencing More of God When Life Hurts" represents the first book I have reviewed for Moody Publishers in 2021. It’s also the third book overall I have reviewed by Tony Evans. All three reviews have come under the “Moody Publishers” banner. I chose this book as the next one to review for Moody Publishers because I was intrigued by the term “kingdom encounter.” As a result, I wanted to educate myself on the term.
Out of the three books I have reviewed by Evans, this one easily takes the cake as the worst. While the book has a couple Gospel nuggets (pp. 80, 115), the book’s poor foundation results in its being an overall blasphemous, narcissistic and unbiblical train wreck. Stay away from this book at all costs.
Tony Evans’ "Kingdom Encounters: Experiencing More of God When Life Hurts" represents the first book I have reviewed for Moody Publishers in 2021. It’s also the third book overall I have reviewed by Tony Evans. All three reviews have come under the “Moody Publishers” banner. I chose this book as the next one to review for Moody Publishers because I was intrigued by the term “kingdom encounter.” As a result, I wanted to educate myself on the term.
Out of the three books I have reviewed by Evans, this one easily takes the cake as the worst. While the book has a couple Gospel nuggets (pp. 80, 115), the book’s poor foundation results in its being an overall blasphemous, narcissistic and unbiblical train wreck. Stay away from this book at all costs.
June 16, 2020
Kingdom Encounters# by Tony Evans is a Christian Living book. Dr. Tony Evans is the Founder and Director of the Urban Alternative. He is the pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. in Dallas,, Texas. He is a best selling author and has a daily radio program. Dr. Evans shares important encounters in the Bible that are life changing. He share the story and what happened to the person in the Bible story. He shows the reader that Jesus can also meet them in their trials and conflicts in life. He makes the Bible real for our every day lives. God will meet you when He feels absent and you will have a life altering encounter. The book was practical and helpful. The book made Christianity more real. Thank you to the publisher, netgalley, the author for allowing me to read and review this book. The book is helpful and a great resource. The opinions are my own.
December 23, 2020
What an encouraging and challenging book! Tony Evans is quite an excellent communicator, and I loved how he took these familiar accounts from the Bible and pulled out spiritual principles that we sometimes miss in the lives of these real people who had very real struggles. While acknowledging that discouragement and depression are real, the author also gives us specific encouragement and steps to take while we are waiting for God to work in our lives.
There were parts of this book that were convicting, but also gave great hope. I underlined many passages to go back and look at again during times when I’m not sure how God is working in my life. This is great reading especially during this challenging time we find ourselves in with all the many complications we have faced because of the virus.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
There were parts of this book that were convicting, but also gave great hope. I underlined many passages to go back and look at again during times when I’m not sure how God is working in my life. This is great reading especially during this challenging time we find ourselves in with all the many complications we have faced because of the virus.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
February 10, 2021
Dr. Evans is a bit more conservative with his theology than I am, but that’s ok. I like to try to get outside my own echo chamber. However, I find myself always appreciating his style, and more often than not I agree with his underlying principles.
That was the case for this book. I don’t agree with all the Biblical Interpretations that he has, but I’m not under the delusion that it makes me right and him wrong. I learn something new every time I read one of his books or hear him preach.
This book is about hope, about how to experience God when life hurts. I really needed that in my life right now. The last three chapters on hopelessness, depression, and trust were especially meaningful to me in this season of my life. I’d recommend this book to any struggling Christian, no matter what your theological perspective is.
That was the case for this book. I don’t agree with all the Biblical Interpretations that he has, but I’m not under the delusion that it makes me right and him wrong. I learn something new every time I read one of his books or hear him preach.
This book is about hope, about how to experience God when life hurts. I really needed that in my life right now. The last three chapters on hopelessness, depression, and trust were especially meaningful to me in this season of my life. I’d recommend this book to any struggling Christian, no matter what your theological perspective is.
November 5, 2020
Dr. Evans is back with another inspiring read. Using biblical principles, as well as personal examples, Dr. Evans shows us how to have an actual encounter with God, He also uses 10 different areas where we can have these Encounters. This is a book that will need to be referred back to frequently as well as one that you will need to take your time with. A great and inspiring read for the current climate.
June 18, 2020
Kingdom Encounters
Experiencing More of God When Life Hurts
by Tony Evans
Moody Publishers
You Like Them
Christian
Pub Date 06 Oct 2020 | Archive Date 01 Oct 2020
This book was practical and helpful. It spoke to my heart. Thanks to NetGalley and Moody Publishers for the ARC of this book.
5 star
Experiencing More of God When Life Hurts
by Tony Evans
Moody Publishers
You Like Them
Christian
Pub Date 06 Oct 2020 | Archive Date 01 Oct 2020
This book was practical and helpful. It spoke to my heart. Thanks to NetGalley and Moody Publishers for the ARC of this book.
5 star
August 28, 2020
I love this book. As usual, Tony Evans' writing is simply extraordinary. He unearths such deep scriptural truths and principles and lays them out before the reader in a way that can be applied immediately. My life is truly better from reading this book.
February 11, 2021
Another amazing book outlining Scriptural truths from Tony Evans. Relished every chapter; didn’t want it to end.
April 18, 2021
Inspiration for the Times You Need it Most
In this moving work, Tony Evans exhorts all believers to step out in faith and do whatever God is calling them to do (as revealed in His word by the Spirit) so that they may have a kingdom encounter with the living Christ and be changed forever - for their benefit and God’s glory.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is going through a trial in their life and needs some encouragement.
In this moving work, Tony Evans exhorts all believers to step out in faith and do whatever God is calling them to do (as revealed in His word by the Spirit) so that they may have a kingdom encounter with the living Christ and be changed forever - for their benefit and God’s glory.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is going through a trial in their life and needs some encouragement.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews