Disobedient God by Albert Tate Book Review

About the Book:

In this powerful guidebook, the lead pastor of Fellowship Church demonstrates how the moments that test our faith are the moments God uses to direct our hearts to the one thing we truly desire most: a relationship with Christ.

When the people of Israel, those who had witnessed the most abundant and inexplicable acts of God, grew tired of waiting for Moses to come off the mountain, they made a calf of gold. It was easier for them to make a new god than to continue serving a God that didn’t conform to their schedule and expectations.

Just like the Israelites in the desert, we are all fundamentally longing for God… but who and what are we actually reaching for and serving? Disobedient God addresses the things we do when we feel ignored, inconvenienced and frustrated by God. What things are we reaching for in our life? Are we reaching for porn when we long for intimacy? Reaching for success when we long for security? We would never say that we have replaced God, but our actions tell a different story. Whether we are trying to replace God, trying to run away or trying to perform for Him, we have no mindset to deal with a disobedient God. Disobedient God is a book for people dealing with this disappointment and interested in properly understanding and loving the God they’ve misunderstood.

This is not a step-by-step instruction manual for how to react when things are difficult; rather, it is a way of understanding God that leads people to discover the relationship with God that they were always meant for.

My Review:

We hear testimonies at church when God has done something wonderful. But what about when He does not do what we had prayed for? When we needed Him to act and He did nothing? How do we deal with the disappointment when God goes off script?

Tate gives us permission to journey through grief and doubt. He encourages us to learn about God even when we feel He is being inconsistent, when we feel He has let us down. He helps us learn how to sit with God in suffering and loss. He helps us identify the wrong ways we cope, such as running from God or engaging our favorite idols. He uses stories from the Bible and his own experiences to illustrate his teaching.

I like that Tate says it is okay to have questions and doubts. He encourages us to realign our perspective to God's. Even when God goes off script and does not do what we expect, He is still God and still trustworthy, Tate says. He encourages to trust God no matter the circumstances and rest in His sovereign care for us.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Albert Tate is the founding and lead pastor of Fellowship Church in Los Angeles County California. He began his ministry pastoring just a few families at Sweet Home Church in Mississippi before serving the historic Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, California. Hearing the call from God to plant a church, Albert and his wife, LaRosa, launched Fellowship Church in January 2012. In its short history, this gospel-centered, multiethnic, intergenerational church has already established a solid foothold in the region to the glory, honor, and transformational power of Christ. As a dynamic communicator, Albert is passionate about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ both locally and globally. He serves on the Board of Trustees at Azusa Pacific University, the Global Leadership Network, and Global Church Planting Organization, Stadia. Albert is the Founder and CEO of The Greatest Story, Inc, and President of Harambee Ministries. He recently published his first book entitled, "How We Love Matters: A Call to Practice Relentless Racial Reconciliation". Albert is the proud father of four children: Zoe, Bethany, Isaac, and Micah. 

FaithWords, 208 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)