About
An honest exploration of our struggle to trust
It doesn't take too much living before we realize that life rarely goes quite the way we want it to. But when things get hard and we don't understand what God is doing, what is our first impulse? Is it to resist Him and run? Or is it to trust Him even as we tremble in fear?
In this powerful exploration of God's often mysterious ways, Dr. Larry Crabb challenges you to seize the opportunities for growth and maturity that come your way when you experience troubles and failures. Rather than pushing back against adversity, you are invited to look closer at what God is doing in your life when it feels like He is far from you. Unpacking the stories of three very different biblical figures, Crabb lights the way to a life of resting in the goodness of a God who is always working out His plan for our lives.
"Larry Crabb is equal parts Bible scholar and professional counselor, which makes him the ideal person to address this topic. And in an era of global terrorism, nuclear fears, political divisions, and devastating natural disasters, we need a trustworthy guide to explore God's ways."--Philip Yancey, bestselling author of Disappointment with God and Where Is God When It Hurts?
"No matter who you are, at some point you'll encounter a situation where God's plan just doesn't seem to add up. Those are difficult times, and they can truly test your faith. What matters is how you respond. Larry Crabb understands, and he provides practical insights to help us identify and choose the way forward."--Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family
"From a renowned Christian mentor who has been living in the shadows of his own mortality; he writes biographically and deeply compassionately on behalf of many troubled souls. A wonderful and passionate book!"--James M. Houston, Board of Governors' Professor of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, BC
"Frankly, I don't understand God, His ways, or why He's doing what He's doing in my life and that of those I love. 'Trust and tremble' isn't my normal response to God's ways. Sometimes it's more 'cuss and spit.' This book is profound, fresh, practical, and life-altering. I'm going to be different and better because of it, and you will too!"--Steve Brown, author, broadcaster, and seminary professor
"I have always admired Larry Crabb for his authentic honesty about the challenges of life balanced with an unwavering trust in God's character. Once again, he walks this tightrope well in When God's Ways Make No Sense."--Mark McMinn, author of The Science of Virtue: Why Positive Psychology Matters to the Church
Dr. Larry Crabb is a well-known psychologist, conference and seminar speaker, Bible teacher, author, and founder/director of NewWay Ministries. He is currently scholar in residence at Colorado Christian University in Denver and visiting professor of spiritual formation for Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta. Dr. Crabb and his wife of more than fifty years, Rachael, live in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. Learn more at www.newwayministries.org.
Endorsements
"Larry Crabb is equal parts Bible scholar and professional counselor, which makes him the ideal person to address this topic. And in an era of global terrorism, nuclear fears, political divisions, and devastating natural disasters, we need a trustworthy guide to explore God's ways."
Philip Yancey, bestselling author of Disappointment with God and Where Is God When It Hurts?
"No matter who you are, at some point you'll encounter a situation where God's plan just doesn't seem to add up. Those are difficult times, and they can truly test your faith. What matters is how you respond. Larry Crabb understands, and he provides practical insights to help us identify and choose the way forward."
Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family
"From a renowned Christian mentor who has been living in the shadows of his own mortality; he writes biographically and deeply compassionately on behalf of many troubled souls. A wonderful and passionate book!"
James M. Houston, Board of Governors' Professor of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, BC
"I love it when Larry Crabb comes out with a new book. I know I'll be reading something that will profoundly touch my life. When God's Ways Make No Sense is that on steroids. Frankly, I don't understand God, His ways, or why He's doing what He's doing in my life and that of those I love. 'Trust and tremble' isn't my normal response to God's ways. Sometimes it's more 'cuss and spit.' This book is profound, fresh, practical, and life-altering. I'm going to be different and better because of it, and you will too!"
Steve Brown, author, broadcaster, and seminary professor
"I have always admired Larry Crabb for his authentic honesty about the challenges of life balanced with an unwavering trust in God's character. Once again, he walks this tightrope well in When God's Ways Make No Sense."
Mark McMinn, author of The Science of Virtue: Why Positive Psychology Matters to the Church
"Dr. Larry Crabb's latest book will be an encouragement to those Christians who are perplexed over the way God allows things that don't make sense, especially when He is so loving and also all-powerful. Dr. Crabb shows that God's ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than ours. The prophet Habakkuk had the same perplexities--and complained to God about them! You will see that you are not the first to not understand God's ways. Habakkuk came through and so will you--especially after you read this book."
R. T. Kendall, pastor, author, and international speaker
"Dr. Crabb has written a must-read guide for every follower of Jesus struggling to understand during difficult and confusing times when God's ways often seem to make no sense."
Dr. Jamie Swalm, cofounder of LargerStory.com
"There are some things we don't talk about. And we need to. Because what we conclude deeply affects the way we relate to God and to one another. I'm talking about unanswered prayer. Pain, Larry Crabb writes, escorts us to a crossroads. Will we choose to trust God's goodness or resist and run? Confronted by tragedy, will we choose to trust God's goodness or reject God's plan for one more to our liking? Dr. Crabb challenges us to explore what it might look like to rest in mystery, to embrace God's grace-filled invitation to trust and persevere, even--and especially--when God's ways make no sense, and to live in certainty that God is writing a beautiful story with our lives. This book is honest, it is important, it is for such a time as this. I urge you, take and read."
Dr. Miriam (Mimi) Dixon, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Golden, Colorado
"Wise guides recognize that living in the status quo rarely leads to change. These guides have a unique capacity to foster growth in others by helping them to feel discomfort. Dr. Crabb's growing wisdom has benefitted many of us. He willingly enters into territory that many of us attempt to avoid. He ventures deep into the obscure darkness and tells us what he sees, both those things that make him tremble in the night and those things that reflect the beauty and goodness of God. He brings us to the edge of discomfort, and sometimes past it, so we might better know the realities of a spiritually forming life."
Jason Kanz, PhD, pastor, board certified clinical neuropsychologist, and author of Soil of the Divine
"There may be no more difficult hurdle in the Christian experience than when life and God make no sense. Any honest pilgrim comes face-to-face with this reality. Now what? There are other initially more appealing options, as Dr. Crabb identifies, but only one resonates with our heart of hearts. Once again, Larry invites us to think hard about the unfamiliar and less-traveled road. It may at first appear we've taken a wrong turn, only to discover further down the road that perhaps an obscure prophet's way is life-giving."
Dr. Kent Denlinger, pastor of Valley Springs Fellowship, Warsaw, IN
"Honest Christians will come face-to-face with the reality that God's ways often make no sense. Whether through his books or during a shared cup of coffee, Larry Crabb has been a consistent voice urging me to wrestle with the mystery of living the Christian life. This book is a must-read for any who struggle with God and yet long to trust Him more than understand Him. Larry is a friend, a mentor, and a fellow struggler on the journey."
Jim Kallam, Church at Charlotte, author of Risking Church
"Dr. Crabb has captured the essence of God's love that runs so much deeper than our understanding. Throughout the book, Larry is a voice of truth that inspires yet challenges. While reading we contemplated hard questions that we were either unaware we had or unwilling to ask out loud. A must-read if you desire to live anchored in the goodness of God's heart."
Arlita and Butch Ibach, owners of The Red Dot Coffee Company
The Author
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Dr. Larry Crabb
Dr. Larry Crabb is a well-known Christian psychologist, conference and seminar speaker, Bible teacher, and author of more than twenty-five books--including When God's Ways Make No Sense and two Gold Medallion award-winners, Inside...
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