You were born with an "awe capacity" is how Paul Tripp would say it. But something's wrong here - you also have an "awe problem." This problem is that you, like everyone else, are hardwired for awe but find it in the wrong places.
These profound truths are what tie together Dr. Tripp's new book, Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do.
Through 13 chapters, Tripp walks us through how to lose our awe of the created and recapture a thundering awe of our Creator.
Tripp writes: "As it is true of a street sign, so it is true of every jaw-dropping, knee-weakening, silence-producing, wonder-inspiring thing in the universe. The sign is not the thing you are looking for. No, the sign points you to what you are looking for. ... Created awe has a purpose; it is meant to point you to the place where the awe of your heart should rest" (p. 21).
Written for Christians in all spiritual walks, Tripp is transparent about his own awe struggles but gives a lot of application for readers.
The last half of the book is where I thought Tripp really shone - when he got practical. His chapter on materialism was one of the strongest. He also deals with work, parenting, church, worldview, growth, and complaining.
Tripp was engaging throughout the book, but he was also firm and his tone could grow chastising at parts. It fit, though, because he was dealing with a subject that a lot of his readers need a bit of a shake to understand.
One thing I had a bit of trouble with was the repetition. I get that Dr. Tripp was handling a very specific subject, but I felt like a lot of the material in the first six chapters was overlapping. Again, I understand that he was trying to weave a singular theme through the book, but I think "We have an awe problem" was in almost every chapter.
The latter half of the book, where it got more practical, eased up on the repetition, which I thought flowed better. All in all, I thought the second half was stronger - it was less list-heavy and more hands-on helpful.
Overall, I thought the book was engaging and refreshing. While it's not a topic that was new to me, Dr. Tripp clearly cared deeply about it and brought his passion to his writing. This is a great addition to your library, and I would happily recommend this book to anyone.
Buy Awe here.
*I received this book through Crossway's Beyond the Page review system. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.