If God Stops Working: Rethinking Religion to Find a Faith That's Real

How do you separate the ridiculous from the real in today's broad world of religion to come up with a genuine concept of God that brings lasting peace, comfort and relevance? We all face difficulties and challenges throughout our lives - the loss of loved ones, addictions, questions of faith and belief - that leave us bewildered and frustrated, doing our best to use the conventional teachings of religion to make sense of issues that simply defy understanding. Falling back on what we have been taught from youth, we struggle to accept explanations that seldom make sense or provide real relief, or, worse, we stop wondering altogether how the big idea of God works - if it ever truly did at all. IF GOD STOPS WORKING: Rethinking Religion to Find a Faith That's Real presents real-life experiences and situations in a gentle, easy way that empower you to challenge all the "pat answers" and embark on a personal spiritual journey using the ordinary gifts and lessons you receive daily to create an all-new understanding of God that changes, grows, and truly makes sense - a God that works for you in your everyday world. The book crosses the conventional lines of all faith traditions to show how the universal truths that lie at the heart of all religions are essentially the same, providing an ideal guide for readers of all religious persuasions - both churched and "unchurched" - to develop a closer, more meaningful relationship with the God of their understanding. In IF GOD STOPS WORKING, the author draws on his own experiences with various tragedies including the sudden death of his brother, alcohol and drug addictions, and numerous other common, everyday events to show how we can find insights and learning in virtually every occurrence. These can then be used to help us close the gap between what religions teach and how the concept of God can and should work in the real world - stripping away the clutter of religion to reveal pathways to building a working relationship with the Divine that lasts a lifetime. Faith isn't about answers, it's about questions - and we should never stop seeking, searching, challenging, and learning as we journey on our own unique spiritual pathways to God. A central idea of the book is that religion and faith can be defined and understood by the common man, with or without input from clergymen or religious experts. The delicate gold chain that connects us to God should have two links only - us and God. And, while we can and should incorporate the guidance and lessons of all who surround us, we are each empowered individually to create our own unique relationship with God. Truly, nobody understands more about the real nature of the Divine than you are capable of discovering on your own. In essence, by showing how we can use life's everyday events to question, challenge, learn and grow, IF GOD STOPS WORKING will leave you with a strengthened foundation for your current faith or an inspired challenge to move forward in your own seeking, searching ways to create faith that's more powerful, valid and relevant. Light, entertaining, and "homespun" - yet compelling and thought provoking - the book is a must-read for anyone who believes the search for a greater understanding of the true nature and meaning of God is a journey that never ends.