Here is what Thomas Nelson says about Close Enough To Hear God Breathe: Does the idea of intimacy with God seem far fetched and irrelevant to your real, daily life? Ever wonder if your own “little story” has any significance in the larger scheme of things, or why God’s Word doesn’t seem to speak to you?In Close Enough to Hear God Breathe, readers encounter a rich message that recounts the story of a God who has been inviting all of humanity, and each individual, into his tender embrace since time began. Beautiful prose, powerful stories, and inventive teaching walk readers though this, the Bible’s foremost narrative thread.
Both subtle and radical, full of common stories told in extraordinary fashion, this book weaves the experiences of the individual into the great tapestry of the biblical saga. The reader learns to hear the voice of God speaking in the ordinary events and relationships of life, as well as in the broad, deep current of Scripture.
Reading the Bible ought to be like putting one’s head on God’s chest. Close Enough to Hear God Breathe will help readers do just that. And when they do, they’ll hear him whisper, “You’re my child, my love, my pleasure.”
My Review: I chose this book for the cover. When I received the book it was a whole new cover and a book I did not expect. I was ready and waiting for this book to reach out and touch my heart, pull me in and change my life. Add a nugget of gold that I could carry in a greater understanding of the intimacy of God. Greg Paul, does share stories of his life, family and friends. Stories that have brought him to the intimacy of God. He does open his heart and share the intimate stories of his life and how he has felt the hand of God and heard his voice through every trial and stepping stone that has only brought him closer to God. I really wanted to enjoy this book. I just never connected with this book. I stayed up late turning page after page reading. If there is one thing I can take away from this book, it would be, everything has a purpose in bringing us closer to Christ. Every single stage in our life no matter how great or small has the power to bring us to Christ like never before.
Once I got to chapter 14 entitled, "Erotica", it floored me. Although this chapter was to speak on Song of Solomon, I felt it went over board. It went to a boundary that I did not relate to the beauty of Song of Solomon. There is a beauty of love in Song of Solomon between a husband and his wife. A beauty of connecting and being intimate. I do not read Song of Solomon as in an erotica way that Greg Paul describes it. I felt he almost devalued the beauty of the book.
At the beginning of each chapter, Greg Paul, uses God's Word, but only relates it back to the chapter not the verse. For me, I feel this is of importance to one wanting to be more intimate with Christ. As a reader I want to be able to go back to that exact verse and read it for myself in my bible. This is one level of being intimate in with Christ.
You may pick up this book and have a whole other view and gain great wisdom and grow more intimate with God. For me, it was lacking in that very area I was searching for.
Greg Paul, author of "God in the Alley: Being and Seeing Jesus in a Broken World", and "The Twenty Piece Shuffle: Why the Poor and the Rich Need Each Other", is the founder of Sanctuary Ministries of Toronto, the current director of the organization and pastor of the Sanctuary community. Sanctuary makes a priority of welcoming and caring for some of the most hurting and excluded people in Toronto, including addicts, prostitutes, homeless men, women and youth, gay, lesbian and transgendered people. In addition to maintaining and perpetuating the vision for Sanctuary, Greg's role includes pastoral care, counseling and leadership, organizational partnerships, fundraising, and representing Sanctuary to the public.
A former carpenter, Greg has been involved in inner-city ministry for over twenty-five years. His passionate commitment to the people on the street grew out of his fascination with the city and a strong interest in the issues of the street. Greg has participated in the building of a community in which people who are wealthy and people who are poor live, work and share their experiences and resources on a daily basis.
Greg is the father of four children and the lead vocalist and keyboardist for Red Rain, the band that planted the seed for Sanctuary in the mid-1980s. Red Rain still performs regularly, and is currently working on a fourth recording project. Their most recent recording, "A Night At Grace's", is available through the Sanctuary web site, as are Greg's books.
