Author urges believers to recapture holy awe |
Written by Leslie Santamaria |
Monday, 05 November 2012 12:49 PM America/New_York |
Named one of the “30 Emerging Voices” who will help lead the church in the next decade by Charisma magazine, conference speaker and best-selling author Margaret Feinberg has attracted a following among believers seeking an authentic, intimate faith. Still, at one point in her journey Feinberg found her sense of wonder diminished by the demands of modern living. In Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God (978-1-617-95088-9, $14.99), her Worthy Publishing book that releases Christmas day, Feinberg recounts how her “sense of holy awe was replaced by unholy indifference.” But when she experienced a series of challenges—financial difficulties, a health problem and the death of a dear friend—Feinberg found that God used her trials to bring a new awakening to her spirit. “That’s when God awoke me from my slumber to the most spectacular wonder of his presence,” she writes, inviting readers to seek God for a greater measure of wonder in everyday life and in times of trial. Wonderstruck begins by describing a mesmerizing display of the Northern Lights. Although Feinberg had witnessed them many times, this particular display surpassed all others and ignited her longing to experience more of God. She wondered: “If these lights were so beautiful, how much more stunning must their Maker be?” Using stories from her life and those of biblical figures like Ezekiel and Job, Feinberg guides readers through 10 sources of wonder, including creation, prayer and friendship. Near each chapter’s end, she asks questions to assist readers in self-examination. “As followers of Jesus, we have the opportunity to live each day in wild amazement of God,” writes Feinberg, whose books and Bible studies have sold more than 600,000 copies. The book concludes with “30 Days of Wonder: A Challenge to Experience God More,” in which Feinberg suggests a different activity for each day. With new online groups beginning the first of each month through her social media sites, participants are invited to share their discoveries on Feinberg’s Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages. She also recommends songs for the 10 wonders discussed in the book so readers can create playlists for inspiration along the way. A seven-session Wonderstruck DVD study produced by LifeWay will be available in January 2013 for further exploration of the topic of wonder. To order Wonderstruck, call EMI CMG Distribution at 800-877-4443. |