A Beautiful Mess: How God Re-creates Our Lives

Review“Not just about how God can fix your life . . . it's about how God might mess you up. . . ." (Shane Claiborne, author and founding member The Simple Way 2014-06-23)“Danielle Strickland proves that she is . . . a deeply reflective monastic who is adept at finding meaning in the mess we call life. . . . This little book packs a rather large punch.” (Alan Hirsch, author and founder Forge Missional Training Network 2014-06-23)"If you like things neat and tidy, buy this book and be reminded of the beauty and joy to be found in embracing chaos and giving over control to God." (Mike Pilavachi Soul Survivor 2014-11-27)This profound little book encourages us to set aside our limited expectations, and to fall in line with God's. Human beings like organization, structures, plans; God grows people. We ask for a budget; God offers us love. If you are aiming at relationship rather than performance, how do you measure effectiveness? How do you write a mission statement, yet allow God space to act out His plan rather than yours? What does Divine Order look like? Faith in God involves risk, and the possibility that God will do something entirely new. Starting with the seven days of creation, Danielle considers how God's world resembles A Beautiful Mess - vibrant, full of colour and pulsating with life, but not about propositions. The Christian life is organic, not prescribed. We were not created to work, but to be fruitful. We need to be willing to put ourselves in a position where only God can do what needs to be done, and to have the humility to let God show us what that is.Book DescriptionGod's divine order is so much bigger than our plans. You don't build a life or a church, you grow it. A book about expecting more.About the AuthorDanielle Strickland is a Major in The Salvation Army. Outspoken and vivid, she is widely appreciated as a speaker. She and her husband have twoyoung children.