I just completed reading the book Rumors of Another World by Christian author Philip Yancey. In this book he asks the central questions, i). "Is faith in an unseen world wishful thinking? and ii). "How should my faith in the invisible world affect day-to-day life in the visible world?". Yancey states up front that he has written this book for people on the "borderlands of belief", that place between doubt and faith, to give them help to see the hand of God in all aspects of their lives. After reading this book, even though I enjoyed my sessions with it, nothing stuck in my mind as memorable, novel, or lasting. I realize that this statement seems pretty acidic. But I have come to find out that the message of some books stays with you over many years, and that of other books is only confined to our hearts and minds while we are reading through the pages. I think that both types of books can serve an important purpose. As for me, I know that I am a deeply flawed individual. My walk with God has been very erratic, with sometimes more negative than forward progress. I find that I need constant reminders and re-orientation to stay close to the path that I know that I should be on. So, even if Yancey's book did not have permanence in my life, at least it provided help locally on my journey. That too has important value.
