Rating: 
Summary: A Life Changing Book
Review: Coming from a legalist background, I believed that experiencing God was a purely intellectual exercise. God left the Bible and retreated to heaven to judge how well people obeyed His commands. I always felt that there should be more based on the Spirit's direct interaction with early Christians but could never find anyone who had a 'reliable' experience.God sent me this book to open my eyes. My wife and I spent almost 2 months of intense Bible study and prayer over this material and it has changed our lives. God is moving in our lives in ways we never allowed Him to before. Praise Him! While Pharisees may want to quibble with a particular interpretation of scripture, Blackaby is completely consistent with the spirit and message of the Bible--old and new testament. Don't start this book without being prepared to change your life.
Rating: 
Summary: Best When Studdied in Groups...
Review: Many Christian best sellers do not live up to my expectations. This is an exception. People who play pro sports don't practice new concepts. They work on old concepts. A baseball player throws the ball, just as he did when he played as a kid. He's just much better at it. This book does not say anything new, but it brings together those simple principles that we should never be distracted from. The book discusses the nature of God (few new books these days do) and how His nature should change us. It is a practical book. If you won't put it into practice, it won't be worth reading. This book is only a substitute for the work book. This material can be read alone, but it makes much better group study material. This book makes wonderful "Out-reach Bible Study" material!
Rating: 
Summary: More Bible texts needed to substatiate teachings
Review: This is a good starter book for Christians who have found their relationship with our Father to be stagnant and maybe even dying. However, the authors' do not provide enough Biblical texts to substantiate their teachings. From time to time, they mention the "popular" belief or practice of most Christians (as they see it) and then offer what they believe is God's "true" design, but they give no reference to prove their position (i.e. Pg. 19 'We often act as though God tells us what He wants us to do and send us off all by ourselves to try and do it. Then, any time we need Him we can call on Him, and He will help us. That is never the biblical picture. When He is about to do something, He reveals what He is about to do to His people. He wants to do it through His people, or through His servants'). I think it is not the wisest thing to simply take people at their word (especially with so many different "words" flying around today) no matter how reputable their learning and experience. Show me in God's Word where your understanding comes from and let me think and reason it out for myself ( with the help and guidance of God's Spirit, of course). Prove your position. This is a good book to wet the heart back toward God, to enhance that relationship so essential to our well being and that of our relationship with the world He has entrusted us with. But I suggest it be approached with a free mind, not so locked into the teachers' "opinion" that you are not challenged to search the scriptures beyond what is expected of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Experiencing God
Review: This was a great small group study but could work well with an individual. The workbook is a must. This practical book is an excellent resource for churches as well as individuals. It keeps them God centered.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful Insights
Review: The downside to books such as Experiencing God is that people tend to think that upon completion of a book or study such as this, they somehow will have magically arrived at a place in right standing with God. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Books such as this are a tool to help one discover how to hear God, and when he is moving. Ultimately, the rest is up to us. To act upon what is learned. And, the harder part, to remain humble. The book Experiencing God points person's in the right direction; better than most discipleship type books. The author's key in on what God is doing, and where he is working, and then focus in on getting us to move in God's direction. One of the most important phrases is "Most people ask God what his will for our life is. Instead of being selfish, we should ask God what his will is; period. Find out what God's will is, and plug in to what God is doing." Blackaby and King do a superb
job in getting a handle on the steps to succeeding in discovering God's will. Where the book lacks, in my opinion, is the types of questions asked. The questions are basic, copy out of the Bible type of questions, and do very little for practical application of the passages. In order for the Bible to become real to us, we need to know how passages apply to us. I have found the more one asks, "Why" about a particular statement, the better. The more one asks Why in conjunction to the previous statement, the more that person begins to understand. Experiencing God is a great starting point for experiencing God.
It's a worth while reading. However, remember, one cannot experience God, simply by reading a book, and following a formula. God is a real person, and, as in any relationship, it takes time, and work. Formulas are good to the point in helping one understand how to get started; how things work.
Rating:
Summary: Everytime I do it, I get more out of it
Review: I've done this book three times and, each time, I get something new from it. I got the most from this book when it was done in a group with one person leading the group using the leader's workbook. I thought I was doing great with my relationship with God before, but after doing this workbook I've realized that a relationship with God is much different than most people think.
Rating:
Summary: A BIT TOP-DOWN AND OVER-THE-TOP-DOWN
Review: Though this book frequently mentioned that God is omnipotent and that He can take care of us in all our circumstances, I felt that the authors' themes revolved too much around the lingo of modern-day charismatic evangelists and televangelists. Who ever coined the term God-sized task, anyway? The main problem I had with this book is that the authors' logic seemed too linear in achieving what constitutes a perfect, or nearly perfect, Christian lifestyle. In my opinion, Blackaby and King presented an abrupt raw material to finished product approach without a thorough analysis or discussion of the growing Christian faith as a process. Let me draw out a parallel. One problem I see in American education is that many students are in a hurry to get from step 1 to the final answer in step 10 without attaining the self-discipline to look at the interplay of steps 2 through 9. In similar fashion, Blackaby and King, despite mentioning that we are to wait for God's response, have too many times given the impression that if we do not quickly respond to God's call for a certain task by taking a point A to point B approach, then we will miss the boat (that is, his fullest of blessings)entirely. I do agree that, because we are sinful creatures, we will not entirely fulfill our potential in life. However, God is a God of love which, according to the Christian faith, means that He is also a God of patience. Once we internalize this can we then, as Christians, be patient, ourselves, and be able to analyze and rectify our situations with His divine help. Now that is what I call Christian growth. All in all, this is not a bad book, for it is actually quite good in many instances. It just needed more commentary and analysis about the process of growing Christian faith and the consequences of rebellious sin in our lives. So far as recommendations I can make about issues concerning spiritual maturity or maturation and the second chances that can result from trying to get back on the right track, let me suggest anything,written or spoken, by Dr. Erwin Lutzer.
Rating:
Summary: Experiencing God: A Must Read...
Review: I had long been aware of the writing of Henry Blackaby prior to reading this book. I give a big thumbs up to this book - There were at least three topics discussed in this book that touched me deeply. First, there was a discussion of the story of Lazarus. The point is that the story is more than just Jesus bringing him back from the dead - the key was the timing...that it was done "too late" for a reason - for the benefit of all the non-believers who witnessed it. Second was the explanation of the God-sized events that result in an encounter with God...an answered prayer - Something that clearly only God can do - not some random event - good or bad - something far beyond what common man can achieve - something that will bring someone to God - or back to God just by experiencing it...and finally, best of all, was an explanation of God's messages for man and the whole concept of the "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" - that in the Old Testament, God spoke directly to the likes of David, Jacob, Moses and so forth...and then in the New Testament, God continued to speak to man, but now through His son - Jesus Christ. So what about today? God's messages to man are now delivered through the Holy Spirit. And these Angels, Ghosts, Messengers of God - are not the folks who show up in your bedroom glowing at four in the morning with wings, etc. - they come to earth in the form of truck drivers, baseball players, rock musicians...you name it... these encounters with God take place every day - and only an open mind and an open heart will help you as you LISTEN for these messages. Read this book - and let it speak to YOU... The book allows one to reflect as you read the various chapters - Claude King provides learning activities after Blackaby's writing...this proves most helpful, forcing you to consider what you have read. It is important not to skip these activities. Criticism? - Only that I think sometimes it is easy to say we are punished for the bad things and rewarded for the good things - when in truth everyone experiences good and bad times and it is too simplistic to attribute everything to punishments and rewards for our actions...what sets these random acts apart are the God-sized tasks that the Lord does through us. The things that only HE can do... things that do not just happen... Blackaby's sub-title is "Knowing and Doing the Will of God" - This is probably a next to impossible goal - but a worthy one at any rate.
Rating:
Summary: Gotta Have It
Review: Absolutely awesome! Paradigm shifting! Spiritually sensitizing! If you're serious about deepening your awareness of God and strengthening your walk with Christ, get this workbook. Since each chapter builds on previous concepts, slowly and prayerfully proceed from front to back without skipping anything. Be ready to re-read whole chapters and dwell on one lesson several days as God uses this powerful book to speak to you.
Rating: 
Summary: The book's principles are NOT based on the Word of God.
Review: Although this book is quite popular, the basic teachings are simply not what the Bible teaches. I'm confident that Mr. Blackaby desires to serve God, and is sincere in his beliefs. However, he is sincerely wrong. The book's main theses are the "seven realities of experiencing God". Notice carefully: he did not include even one passage of Scripture as a basis for these concepts. The entire book has numerous passages of Scripture listed (for purposes of illustrating and/or applying these principles), but he never justified his basic principles from Scripture at all! The subtitle is "Knowing and Doing the Will of God". However, among the many passages of Scripture that incorporate the "will of God", in either the exact word or in principle, the author never used any to establish his teachings. How can one accurately teach about the "will of God" without ever using even one passage of Scripture to justify those beliefs? The heart of the teaching deals with the "crisis of belief". The author states that the word "crisis" in the Bible comes from a word that means "decision". That is true. However, I looked up every single occurance of that word in the Bible. Absolutely none of them use the word in the way that the author does. In reality, this word is a forensic term and usually God Himself is the speaker. This "crisis of belief" concept has no Scriptural basis. Advocating this belief actually implies that no believer will ever grow in spiritual maturity. Similarily, the author speaks about seven principles concerning "when circumstances are confusing", yet fails to give even one passage of Scripture to justify those beliefs. No one who desires to please God should use "Experiencing God" to learn the Bible's teaching about the "will of God". The best book, by far, on this topic is "Decision Making and the Will of God" by Garry Friesen. In this book, Friesen uses careful analysis of many passages of Scripture to justify the principles and conclusions of the book.
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