Book Review – Looking for God

I recently received a review copy of Nancy Ortberg’s first book Looking for God: An Unexpected Journey Through Tattoos, Tofu & Pronouns (Tyndale, March 2008). Around here (Chicago area) Nancy Ortberg is known from her years of service as a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church where she also led Axis, a ministry for young adults. She has since moved on from those positions, but her legacy and impact on the world of cutting-edge relevant ministry to younger generations remains. She is a gifted speaker and storyteller which are reflected in the pages of this book.

Looking for God consists of a collection of essays which explore various aspects of spirituality. Through personal reflections and anecdotes from her own life, Ortberg conveys her struggle to encounter God outside the box. She confronts assumptions about spirituality common in the church – such as the necessity of structured Quiet Times or the idea that singing equates with worship. Her path revealed to her places where God reaches out to speak to us that were often unexpected and unsettling, but which she found she must embrace if she dared grow in her faith. Reading these stories, one is not preached at as to how one must encounter God, but shown a glimpse of how God can work in people’s lives for the good.

Readers who enjoyed the spiritual insights and memoirs of books like Don Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, will resonate with Ortberg’s collection here. The stories range from the witty and amusing, to the challenging, to the downright heart-breaking. I encourage others to take a look at these stories of one woman’s journey to experience a deeper and larger faith than she ever thought was possible. Looking for God is an affirmation of how big God truly is and of the creative ways he calls us into a more vibrant relationship with him. I am appreciative of the opportunity to “hear” from Nancy Ortberg through this book; hers is a voice that serves well to translate these concepts to wide audiences.

Tags: Nancy Ortberg, Looking for God, spirituality, christianity