Unspoken Sermons-Series I, II, III. in one volume (George MacDonald Original Works from Johannesen)

Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLE BOOK!
Review: I'm not sure what moved me to buy this book, but I'm thankful beyond words that I did. This man's depth and spirit are truly amazing. I completely lose myself while reading Unspoken Sermons. And I'm afraid that MacDonald has now spoiled me; I can't imagine coming upon another book or writer, other than the Bible itself, that will move me like this does. Read this book!

Rating:
Summary: Helpful, encouraging, inspiring, practical
Review: There are three series of sermons in this book. In each series, each sermon builds on the preceeding one so that they proceed logically. For example, the first sermon ends with the words, ".....written upon that dark wall of his imprisoned conscience, the words, awful and glorious, OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE." The second sermon is titled," Our God is a consuming fire," and the book continues on in that format.
While MacDonald is most well know for his fiction (Phantastes) his non-fiction is incredible. It is inspiring and written almost as poetry. And I have found that the truths that he demonstrates about God have worked/are working their way into my actual life.
The thing that I most admire about MacDonald is his fearlessness in asking the difficult question and his confidence that God's perfect character will be revealed in all things. He covers a wide variety of topics: heaven, hell, the "atonement", prayer, the unforgivable sin, the temptation of Jesus, etc. He truly believes that God is light and there is no darkness at all in him, and this seems to me to be the overriding theme in the writings here, and of all of his writings as a whole.
Simply put, this is a wonderful book. It may take some time to get used to the language (it isn't super contemporary English) so be patient. If you haven't read MacDonald before, be prepared to be challenged and changed. His emphasis is always on doing, not merely thinking. The one titled "The Truth In Jesus" has become very important to me. I have struggled with reconciling the mercy and wrath of God, and for me, MacDonald has shown how they coexist, and how ultimately, God is love.

Rating:
Summary: The Seminal Work of a Mind Awake
Review: This complete collection of Unspoken Sermons is quite possibly the finest book I own. George MacDonald heavily influenced the writings of such notable thinkers as Oswald Chambers, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, Dorothy Sayers and G.K. Chesterton, yet his work goes largly unnoticed today. This series contains all of George's unspoken sermons in one finely bound edition. Get it while you can.