What do you think?
Rate this book
Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do
"This book is brilliant." ―Francis Chan, New York Times bestselling author, Crazy Love and Forgotten God Humans are hardwired for awe. Our hearts are always captured by something―that’s how God made us. But sin threatens to distract us from the glory of our Creator. All too often, we stand in awe of everything but God. Uncovering the lies we believe about all the earthly things that promise us peace, life, and contentment, Paul Tripp redirects our gaze to God’s awe-inducing glory―showing how such a vision has the potential to impact our every thought, word, and deed.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2015
About the author
Paul David Tripp
130 books1,253 followersPaul was born in Toledo, Ohio to Bob and Fae Tripp on November 12, 1950. Paul spent all of his growing years in Toledo until his college years when his parents moved to Southern California.
At Columbia Bible College from 1968-1972, (now Columbia International University) Paul majored in Bible and Christian Education. Although he had planned to be there for only two years and then to study journalism, Paul more and more felt like there was so much of the theology of Scripture that he did not understand, so he decided to go to seminary. Paul met Luella Jackson at College and they married in 1971. In 1971, Paul took his first pastoral position and has had a heart for the local church ever since. After college, Paul completed his Master of Divinity degree at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary (now known as Philadelphia Theological Seminary) in Philadelphia (1972-1975). It was during these days that Paul’s commitment to ministry solidified. After seminary, Paul was involved in planting a church in Scranton, Pennsylvania (1977-1987) where he also founded a Christian School. During the years in Scranton, Paul became involved in music, traveling with a band and writing worship songs. In Scranton, Paul became interested in biblical counseling and decided to enroll in the D.Min program in Biblical Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Paul then became a faculty member of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF) and a lecturer in biblical counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Paul has also served as Visiting Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
In 2009, Paul joined the faculty of Redeemer Seminary (daughter school of Westminster) in Dallas, Texas as Professor of Pastoral Life and Care.[1]
Beginning in June, 2006, Paul became the President of Paul Tripp Ministries, a non-profit organization, whose mission statement is "Connecting the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life." In addition to his current role as President of Paul Tripp Ministries, on January 1, 2007, Paul also became part of the pastoral staff at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA where he preached every Sunday evening and lead the Ministry to Center City through March, 2011 when he resigned due to the expanding time commitments needed at Paul Tripp Ministries.
Paul, Luella, and their four children moved to Philadelphia in 1987 and have lived there ever since. Paul is a prolific author and has written twelve books on Christian living which are sold internationally. Luella manages a large commercial art gallery in the city and Paul is very dedicated to painting as an avocation.[2] Paul’s driving passion is to help people understand how the gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ really does speak with practical hope into all the things they will face in this broken world. Paul is a pastor with a pastor’s heart, a gifted speaker, his journey taking him all over the world, an author of numerous books on practical Christian living, and a man who is hopelessly in love with Luella.
At Columbia Bible College from 1968-1972, (now Columbia International University) Paul majored in Bible and Christian Education. Although he had planned to be there for only two years and then to study journalism, Paul more and more felt like there was so much of the theology of Scripture that he did not understand, so he decided to go to seminary. Paul met Luella Jackson at College and they married in 1971. In 1971, Paul took his first pastoral position and has had a heart for the local church ever since. After college, Paul completed his Master of Divinity degree at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary (now known as Philadelphia Theological Seminary) in Philadelphia (1972-1975). It was during these days that Paul’s commitment to ministry solidified. After seminary, Paul was involved in planting a church in Scranton, Pennsylvania (1977-1987) where he also founded a Christian School. During the years in Scranton, Paul became involved in music, traveling with a band and writing worship songs. In Scranton, Paul became interested in biblical counseling and decided to enroll in the D.Min program in Biblical Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Paul then became a faculty member of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF) and a lecturer in biblical counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Paul has also served as Visiting Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
In 2009, Paul joined the faculty of Redeemer Seminary (daughter school of Westminster) in Dallas, Texas as Professor of Pastoral Life and Care.[1]
Beginning in June, 2006, Paul became the President of Paul Tripp Ministries, a non-profit organization, whose mission statement is "Connecting the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life." In addition to his current role as President of Paul Tripp Ministries, on January 1, 2007, Paul also became part of the pastoral staff at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA where he preached every Sunday evening and lead the Ministry to Center City through March, 2011 when he resigned due to the expanding time commitments needed at Paul Tripp Ministries.
Paul, Luella, and their four children moved to Philadelphia in 1987 and have lived there ever since. Paul is a prolific author and has written twelve books on Christian living which are sold internationally. Luella manages a large commercial art gallery in the city and Paul is very dedicated to painting as an avocation.[2] Paul’s driving passion is to help people understand how the gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ really does speak with practical hope into all the things they will face in this broken world. Paul is a pastor with a pastor’s heart, a gifted speaker, his journey taking him all over the world, an author of numerous books on practical Christian living, and a man who is hopelessly in love with Luella.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 318 reviews
July 26, 2018
This book was a gift, and while it was a pleasant read, I do have a problem with how the author spends about 170 pages to drive his single (and simple) point home. The claim that this book makes is that every single aspect of our broken and flawed existence is ultimately based in the fact that we fail to revere and admire God for all that God is. While this is part of the problem, Paul David Tripp writes that literally everything that goes wrong is based completely on the issue of having the right amount of "awe" for God. I am skeptical of people who say that every issue can be fixed by just changing one thing. The danger lies that if we were to seriously pursue this, and get discouraged by the continuing disappointments in our life, we can be tempted to say, "I just still haven't gotten it *just* right", and keep trying this route instead of taking a more holistic approach to life's problems. There were still good things to pick up from this book, but the lens through which it views life, Church, relationships, community, parenting, and other things is far too narrow for me.
June 21, 2019
True rating: 3.5 stars
The author’s message is very important, but after a few chapters the book got very repetitive.
The author’s message is very important, but after a few chapters the book got very repetitive.
February 28, 2017
This book is amazing for someone who is naturally logical and because of that attaches limitations to God that don't exist. This has helped me broaden my vision of who God is and has pointed out how so many patterns in my thinking, decisions, and actions are due to the lack of awe of my Creator. He covers such a vast variety of topics that it feels like he addresses any questions you would have after finishing this book. He easily demonstrates how awe (or lack of it) plays out in multiple facets of our lives. Anyone who feels a lack of joy (which we all do at different points) in their devotional life, fight for holiness, ministry, work, relationships etc. would benefit greatly benefit from reading this book! This is a book I will consistently look back to whenever I feel this lack of awe that we all often experience during the course of a normal week.
September 3, 2022
I don’t agree with the premise - that every single thing in the Bible and in life hinges on awe - but this was written by Tripp which means there is a lot of great content that will make you see things in a way that will make you stop and contemplate.
December 30, 2017
I didn’t really like this book. Tripp talks the whole book about Awe-forgetfulness or other names like that. He often says “you don’t have a [this] problem, you have an awe problem.” Just replace “awe” with “sin” and that’s the whole book. I like that but I was hoping Tripp would give practical steps on how to cultivate awe for God, something positively practical on how we use the gospel to fix our awe problem.
Sadly he never gives this. It frustrated me incredibly. I wanted to give this book 2 stars by the end but the gospel aspects of this book are good so 3 stars it is.
Sadly he never gives this. It frustrated me incredibly. I wanted to give this book 2 stars by the end but the gospel aspects of this book are good so 3 stars it is.
August 9, 2024
This book could be summed up with one quote. “The seedbed for a life of obedience is awe.” Paul put “awe” into so many different perspectives really taking the time to examine where we as fallen individuals allow our awe to land on. He really hones in on the placement of awe and how if it lands anywhere other than God we become out of step with our Father. One of the most convicting chapters was on Ministry. As a kid who grew up in ministry where awe was placed on the act of ministry and not the one to who our ministry is dew it was heart wrenching. Several times throughout this book I had to sit back and process where I often times allow my awe to run to. I highly encourage you to read this book especially if you feel as though your excitement and joy for the Lord is faded. When we are not in awe of God and what He is continually doing and has done that means something is stealing it.
August 13, 2020
The premise of this book is great, the gospel is clearly presented multiple times throughout, etc. What I missed from this book was a nuanced and deepened discussion of awe and how it affects our lives. The chapters are all written based on different categories of where our awe-problems affect our lives. This served only to make me focus more on my lack of awe, and less on God Himself. Every scenario and issue he presents (which sometimes go for multiple pages, one after another) of a person struggling with a hard situation is concluded by saying that misplaced awe is the issue. This is true in part, but it dismissed the depth and breadth of human experience, which in turn dismissed the fact that not every human emotion and disappointing experience is inherently sinful.
I would have loved to read a book more about why I should always be in awe of God and how my awe of God affects my life in light of legitimate suffering, rather than why I’m bad at awe.
Sadly, that’s not what this book was.
I would have loved to read a book more about why I should always be in awe of God and how my awe of God affects my life in light of legitimate suffering, rather than why I’m bad at awe.
Sadly, that’s not what this book was.
September 10, 2020
El asombro significa que verás todo lo que hay en tu vida a través del lente de la existencia y la gloria de Dios.
May 5, 2023
If you need a reminder about where your deepest affections should be placed, man this is the book for you! A book of simple truths that are easily lost in the feebleness of the human heart. It is extremely convicting to think that there are other places in which I place my awe, but the God who created me and sustains me should be the one recipient of my awe. Read this book! I would read it again right now!
December 22, 2022
This book met me in a very needed way. If I had read it in another season of life, maybe it would not have been as impactful.
This book is diagnostic. It opens up areas of life where we may lose sense of our awe of God. I found my heart had waned and even lost its sense of awe in many ways. I am thankful to have my heart opened up and able to detect where awe of myself, others, creation, etc. has taken the place of God.
This book is diagnostic. It opens up areas of life where we may lose sense of our awe of God. I found my heart had waned and even lost its sense of awe in many ways. I am thankful to have my heart opened up and able to detect where awe of myself, others, creation, etc. has taken the place of God.
October 17, 2022
I gave this 3 stars because @Eelinh Torell gave it 3 stars and I want to be more like her. In all seriousness, this was a church staff read and I love Tripp. The main point of this book is so important for understanding the core human problem/struggle and our need for a renewed awe for God. However, the book gets really repetitive at times and it feels like he could have said it in 100 pages rather than 170. Great content overall though.
November 26, 2015
Some books are meant to be read. Others are meant to be devoured. Paul David’s Tripp’s new book is of the later sort. Awe: Why It Matters For Everything We Think, Say, And Do is a soul-searching work that draws readers in, grabs them by the throat, shakes them around, molds and transforms their hearts - with the ultimate aim of setting them free to serve, worship, and glorify the God of the universe.
Dr. Tripp argues with Scripture that God’s goal is for creatures to be “in awe of his creation, but that awe cannot and should not be an end in itself.” “Where you look for awe,” says Tripp, “will shape the direction of your life.”
The author helps readers understand their position between the “already” of Adam’s sin and the “not yet” of final redemption. Our current position is where the war ensues. While sinners struggle with what Tripp calls “awe wrongness” (AWN), namely, misplaced awe, God patiently draws people to himself so they might find their satisfaction in him.
Dr. Tripp repeatedly shows how people turn to awe-substitutes to find satisfaction, a sure-fire road to depression, frustration, and meaninglessness. “Only grace can give us back our awe of God again,” writes Tripp. This marvelous grace principle dominates the book and urges readers to find their satisfaction, i.e. awe in Christ alone.
Tripp’s book is a real gem. Some Christian books are descriptive. Many are prescriptive. But very few Christian books these days include a deep, transparent, admission of personal struggle. That is to say, very few Christian writers these days admit weakness, struggle with temptation, propensity to fearfulness or anxiety, and the like. Paul David Tripp speaks clearly and biblically. But he also shares from the depth of his heart. He shares about his struggles. He shares his weaknesses. He admits that the ministry is often times lonely. He confesses his secret hope to “throw in the towel.” This kind of transparency is difficult for most writers. Indeed, it is difficult for most Christ-followers. So the author should be commended for his candid and transparent approach.
“Spiritual growth is about recapturing your awe,” writes Dr. Tripp. Here lies the essence of the book, a theme that emerges throughout this fine work. Awe: Why It Matters For Everything We Think, Say, And Do may be the most important book of 2015. I trust that many will read, wrestle, digest, absorb, and be awakened to the beauty and majesty of Jesus Christ - the only One worth of our worship. Indeed, our awe should be found in him alone!
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
March 18, 2019
I really wavered between 2 and 3 stars for a while. This is the first time I’ve wished for a 2.5 rating, because I’m still uncertain.
The first couple chapters left this theologian’s daughter bothered and bewildered. Tripp offers a great many examples of people struggling with sin who came to him with a wrong view of God and His attributes, then claims they don’t have a theology problem but an “awe” problem. As if misrepresenting God’s character isn’t theological. Hm.
He spends an entire chapter trying to push his trendy acronym (AWN - awe wrongness) that I ended up skimming whole paragraphs whenever it popped up. This is a pity, because the chapter most littered with this ridiculous acronym also had the most Biblical examples of sin. Except he was too busy driving his “awe” theme into your skull that he failed to use Biblical terminology for the sins in question. Self-worship. Idolatry. Pride. Worldly desires. Selfish ambition. He’s so focused on wrapping everything up into an “awe” issue, that he fails to call sin like it is. In fact, I’m having trouble remembering him ever using the word “sin” at all.
There were a few chapters I appreciated and could glean conviction and encouragement from. Namely, the ones on Ministry, Church, and Parenting. Those chapters may deserve a 3 or 4 star rating on their own, being devoid of childish acronyms, yet they still don’t deliver much applicable knowledge for repentance and reformation of life. Instead, they repeat grace, grace, grace, as if all you need to do is think, “Wow! God is awesome love!” and all your problems will correct themselves. God’s awesome grace is certainly sufficient. But he calls us to repent and crucify the flesh, not to simply be in awe of “who He is for us.”
I also take issue with that entire section regarding “who God is for us.” God does NOT exist for us. He does not need us, rely on us, nor does He call us to a life of mere feeling how good His goodness is. If we truly want to be in awe of God, we need to know that we are but dead, rotting corpses, blighted by sin without His abounding mercy that calls us to newness of life. The message instead came across as, “God is there for you, so stop beating yourself up and just be in awe of Him and His grace!” I’m oversimplifying it, and as I said, there were some good things to glean.
Overall, however, I would advise Christians to put this aside in favour of Jeremiah Bourough’s “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.” Far more powerful, convicting, awe-inspiring, uplifting, and that without trendy acronyms and turns of phrase.
The first couple chapters left this theologian’s daughter bothered and bewildered. Tripp offers a great many examples of people struggling with sin who came to him with a wrong view of God and His attributes, then claims they don’t have a theology problem but an “awe” problem. As if misrepresenting God’s character isn’t theological. Hm.
He spends an entire chapter trying to push his trendy acronym (AWN - awe wrongness) that I ended up skimming whole paragraphs whenever it popped up. This is a pity, because the chapter most littered with this ridiculous acronym also had the most Biblical examples of sin. Except he was too busy driving his “awe” theme into your skull that he failed to use Biblical terminology for the sins in question. Self-worship. Idolatry. Pride. Worldly desires. Selfish ambition. He’s so focused on wrapping everything up into an “awe” issue, that he fails to call sin like it is. In fact, I’m having trouble remembering him ever using the word “sin” at all.
There were a few chapters I appreciated and could glean conviction and encouragement from. Namely, the ones on Ministry, Church, and Parenting. Those chapters may deserve a 3 or 4 star rating on their own, being devoid of childish acronyms, yet they still don’t deliver much applicable knowledge for repentance and reformation of life. Instead, they repeat grace, grace, grace, as if all you need to do is think, “Wow! God is awesome love!” and all your problems will correct themselves. God’s awesome grace is certainly sufficient. But he calls us to repent and crucify the flesh, not to simply be in awe of “who He is for us.”
I also take issue with that entire section regarding “who God is for us.” God does NOT exist for us. He does not need us, rely on us, nor does He call us to a life of mere feeling how good His goodness is. If we truly want to be in awe of God, we need to know that we are but dead, rotting corpses, blighted by sin without His abounding mercy that calls us to newness of life. The message instead came across as, “God is there for you, so stop beating yourself up and just be in awe of Him and His grace!” I’m oversimplifying it, and as I said, there were some good things to glean.
Overall, however, I would advise Christians to put this aside in favour of Jeremiah Bourough’s “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.” Far more powerful, convicting, awe-inspiring, uplifting, and that without trendy acronyms and turns of phrase.
December 21, 2022
Al principio se me dificultó entender el sentido que le daba Tripp al concepto de "asombro", por la traducción al español, pero mientras iba leyendo, empezó a ser más claro.
Es un libro que vale la pena porque volvió a enfocar mis ojos en la grandeza de Dios y entendí cómo muchas cosas comienzan a estar mal en mi vida cuando pierdo de vista su hermosura y dejo de estar asombrada por Él. Me hizo hacer una pausa y redireccionar mi corazón. Lo recomiendo.
Es un libro que vale la pena porque volvió a enfocar mis ojos en la grandeza de Dios y entendí cómo muchas cosas comienzan a estar mal en mi vida cuando pierdo de vista su hermosura y dejo de estar asombrada por Él. Me hizo hacer una pausa y redireccionar mi corazón. Lo recomiendo.
October 18, 2016
awesome.
Another quality read from Paul David Tripp. This book is highly practical and gets to the root issue of our hearts' awe problem. Paul guides you through each aspect of your life, helping to expose where we've lost our awe. Highly recommend.
Another quality read from Paul David Tripp. This book is highly practical and gets to the root issue of our hearts' awe problem. Paul guides you through each aspect of your life, helping to expose where we've lost our awe. Highly recommend.
July 30, 2023
“We curse whatever gets in our way. We hate having to wait. We get upset when we have to go without. We strike back when we think we have been wronged. We do all we can to satisfy our cravings. We think too much about our own pleasure. We envy those who have what we think we deserve. We pout when we think we have been overlooked. We hate suffering of any kind. We manipulate others for our own good. We attempt to work ourselves into positions of power and control. We are obsessed about what is best for us. We demand more than we serve, and we take more than we give. We long to be first and hate being last. We are all too concerned with being right, being noticed, and being affirmed. We find it easier to judge those who have offended us than to forgive them. We require life to be predictable, satisfying, and easy. We do all these things because we are full of ourselves, in awe more of ourselves than of God.”
This quote summarizes this book and my life. Wow. I have never felt more convicted and saddened over my sin than I have when reading this book. As someone who is an avid people pleaser and status seeker this book got me. Really what I liked most about it was that it was convicting and offered much grace but didn’t necessarily throw roses as such serious topics. Love how PDT writes this way. I definitely did skim some of his examples lol they can get quite repetitive.
This quote summarizes this book and my life. Wow. I have never felt more convicted and saddened over my sin than I have when reading this book. As someone who is an avid people pleaser and status seeker this book got me. Really what I liked most about it was that it was convicting and offered much grace but didn’t necessarily throw roses as such serious topics. Love how PDT writes this way. I definitely did skim some of his examples lol they can get quite repetitive.
February 16, 2022
About a third of the way through the book I considered a lower rating because it got repetitive. However, the latter half of the book redeemed it. I think Tripp has some good questions for self reflection included, and concludes with some vital insight into the essence of awe in the epilogue. Readers familiar with Augustine's Confessions may recognize some influence both in the epilogue and in the chapter Materialism. Specifically Tripp's ideas relate to Augustine's ideas of love as our weight, and our hearts being restless until they find their rest in God himself.
February 21, 2016
We have been created by God for Awe. As Tripp writes on the inside cover, " Our hearts are always captured by something - that's how God made us. All too often, we stand in awe of everything but God."
As Tripp acknowledges in the Preface he wrote this book for himself. Therefore, besides himself this book is written to the Christian community, not unlike how Paul and Peter wrote many of their books to Christians. And that is why this book is so useful and important not just now but always. We are wired for awe, so we will fill our awe reservoir with something. If it's not God, something else.
Tripp then proceeds to take us through 13 "Awe-stealers" such as: ministry, materialism, work (being some of the more obvious ones) but also addresses complaint, amnesia and church.
Yes, the message is a little repetitive but I believe it helps reinforce the criticality of keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and how awesome He is, has been and always will be.
I've loved everything Paul Tripp writes as I appreciate how his inclusive style is so relatable with very relevant examples that every reader can identify with. I can't recommend this book enough for every believer.
As Tripp acknowledges in the Preface he wrote this book for himself. Therefore, besides himself this book is written to the Christian community, not unlike how Paul and Peter wrote many of their books to Christians. And that is why this book is so useful and important not just now but always. We are wired for awe, so we will fill our awe reservoir with something. If it's not God, something else.
Tripp then proceeds to take us through 13 "Awe-stealers" such as: ministry, materialism, work (being some of the more obvious ones) but also addresses complaint, amnesia and church.
Yes, the message is a little repetitive but I believe it helps reinforce the criticality of keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and how awesome He is, has been and always will be.
I've loved everything Paul Tripp writes as I appreciate how his inclusive style is so relatable with very relevant examples that every reader can identify with. I can't recommend this book enough for every believer.
September 5, 2018
I have an awe problem.
Paul Tripp shows us a unique way to look at relationship with God and his creation. Sin is the issue, we know, but sin worships things out of priority. We are not in Awe of Gods goodness and character. It really does come down to this. We worship the creation over the creator in exchange for temporary unimpressive awe. I find this very close to John Piper's "Enjoying God" thesis. Our awe and joy should come from God, but instead, we worship false idols on a daily basis.
If you're interested in examing your heart to explore some of these idols, this book is for you. I'd recommend to any believer struggling with prioritization or addiction.
Paul Tripp shows us a unique way to look at relationship with God and his creation. Sin is the issue, we know, but sin worships things out of priority. We are not in Awe of Gods goodness and character. It really does come down to this. We worship the creation over the creator in exchange for temporary unimpressive awe. I find this very close to John Piper's "Enjoying God" thesis. Our awe and joy should come from God, but instead, we worship false idols on a daily basis.
If you're interested in examing your heart to explore some of these idols, this book is for you. I'd recommend to any believer struggling with prioritization or addiction.
March 21, 2023
A solid work that seeks to describe what a worship-filled lifestyle looks like in key areas such as work, parenting, worldview and repentance. Tripp's writing is highly accessible and methodical. This work walks the reader through various dynamics that impact spiritual health. He addresses with good clarity the ways that distraction, personal drivenness and false trust can produce broken lives void of hope. The cure is an intentional hunger for the Living God that he repeatedly sums up in the word, "Awe".
May 6, 2020
As always, Tripp gets to the core of why we do what we do and how our worship of God affects every moment of our day. He repeats over and over again regardless of the topic, "Our problem is not a _____ problem, it's an awe problem." My favorite chapter was "Worldview." Meditating through Isaiah 40 was a huge blessing and helped a lot with practically pursuing awe of God.
April 21, 2023
I love starting a book, and realizing that it’s exactly what I need to be hearing right now
October 26, 2015
“We have an awe problem,” Tripp writes. We are hard wired for awe. God created us that way. Our focus is to be on the beauty of God but other kinds of awe have captured our heart. We need to refocus our wondering heart on God again and again for nothing else will satisfy.
“God intentionally loaded the world with amazing things to leave you astounded.” Tripp says God created us with the ability to take in that awe and pursue it. The awe we pursue controls our thoughts and emotions and shapes the direction of our life.
Tripp helps us determine the awe we pursue. We will always be dissatisfied if our pursuit is not for the awe found in God. All other awe was created to point us to God.
There is a war going on for what will rule our pursuit. Sin replaces our worship of God with worship of self. Tripp argues that our wrong pursuit is at the root and source of every evil thing we think, say, and do. He shows us in Scripture how this war is being waged. Reading Isaiah 40 is the beginning of getting on the right path again.
Tripp has nailed it. He reveals the true source of our disappointment, our hurt, our anger, our frustration. Our emotions reveal what has captured our awe, as does our complaining. We will not find what we are looking for in created things, yet we keep looking, keep trying.
I highly recommend this book to every Christian. Tripp has a special section for pastors and another for parents, but this book is for all Christians who want to understand the longing and how it is rightly filled. He writes, “...only when your heart is satisfied in him can you be free of looking for spiritual satisfaction in the fleeting pleasures of the physical world.”
I recommend this book to anyone who is seeking personal happiness and fulfillment and has not found it. Tripp has great insight into our condition and that for which we so desperately seek. May we seek to have hearts captured by the awe of God. Reading this book helps us understand how to focus on that which truly fills us.
Food for thought: “Only when awe of God progressively replaces awe of self will we joyfully, willingly, and consistently live as God designed us to live.”
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
“God intentionally loaded the world with amazing things to leave you astounded.” Tripp says God created us with the ability to take in that awe and pursue it. The awe we pursue controls our thoughts and emotions and shapes the direction of our life.
Tripp helps us determine the awe we pursue. We will always be dissatisfied if our pursuit is not for the awe found in God. All other awe was created to point us to God.
There is a war going on for what will rule our pursuit. Sin replaces our worship of God with worship of self. Tripp argues that our wrong pursuit is at the root and source of every evil thing we think, say, and do. He shows us in Scripture how this war is being waged. Reading Isaiah 40 is the beginning of getting on the right path again.
Tripp has nailed it. He reveals the true source of our disappointment, our hurt, our anger, our frustration. Our emotions reveal what has captured our awe, as does our complaining. We will not find what we are looking for in created things, yet we keep looking, keep trying.
I highly recommend this book to every Christian. Tripp has a special section for pastors and another for parents, but this book is for all Christians who want to understand the longing and how it is rightly filled. He writes, “...only when your heart is satisfied in him can you be free of looking for spiritual satisfaction in the fleeting pleasures of the physical world.”
I recommend this book to anyone who is seeking personal happiness and fulfillment and has not found it. Tripp has great insight into our condition and that for which we so desperately seek. May we seek to have hearts captured by the awe of God. Reading this book helps us understand how to focus on that which truly fills us.
Food for thought: “Only when awe of God progressively replaces awe of self will we joyfully, willingly, and consistently live as God designed us to live.”
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
January 23, 2017
"Awe of God means I live knowing that there is a greater story than my little personal story. Awe of God means that there is a grander kingdom than my little kingdom of one. Awe of God means that God has a plan far bigger and better than any plans I have for myself."
Bind my wandering heart to thee.
Bind my wandering heart to thee.
June 9, 2020
3.5 stars. Really loved certain parts and I thought he had great ways of recognizing awe, but the author was over repetitive in examples and scenarios that it made me want to skim through a lot of it.
November 22, 2016
Return it and buy "Notes from a tilt-a-whirl," by ND Wilson. Read that instead.
This is drivel. Tripp never explains what awe IS. EVANGELICAL GOO.
This is drivel. Tripp never explains what awe IS. EVANGELICAL GOO.
July 26, 2019
AWEsome book!!! It is now one of my top 10 favorite books!
This book is a life changer book, it takes you from your selfish "self of awe" to be in awe of the one who created you and deserves all of our AWE! This book will challenge your faith, your daily walk with God, how you raise your family, how you work, how you relate with the world that God created! It will give you a new perspective on what it means to be in AWE of God. It will allow you to grow closer to what you know is true! I love how Paul Tripp is able to relay the Gospel in a very simple and powerful way, and to look at the human struggle as one of "misplaced awe."
If you are not content, or depress, frustrated, impatient, sad, lonely, angry, drained, exhausted, annoyed, heartbroken, disappointed, worry, confused, broken, stressed, incomplete, fed up, pissed, guilty, lost, old, ashamed, hurt, rough, awful....... this book is for you.
Go and read it, I am going for seconds!!!
Quotes from the book:
“This is what sin does to us all. At a deep and often unnoticed level, sin replaces worship of God with worship of self. It replaces submission with self-rule. It replaces gratitude with demands for more. It replaces faith with self-reliance. It replaces vertical joy with horizontal envy. It replaces a rest in God’s sovereignty with a quest for personal control. We live for our glory. We set up our rules. We ask others to serve our agenda.”
“You see, God hasn’t promised you a good job or great kids. He hasn’t promised you an easy marriage and a comfortable place to live. He hasn’t promised you physical health and a good church to attend. He hasn’t promised that you would experience affluence and be surrounded by things that entertain you. What he has promised is that he will complete the work that he has begun in you.”
"Only when awe of God rules your heart will you be able to keep the pleasures of the material world in their proper place.”
“Every awesome thing in creation is designed to point you to the One who alone is worthy of capturing and controlling the awe of your searching and hungry heart.”
"Only awe of him can define in you and me a true sense of what we actually need. So many of our prayers are self-centered grocery lists of personal cravings that have no bigger agenda than to make our lives a little more comfortable. They tend to treat God more as our personal shopper than a holy and wise Father-King. Such prayers forget God’s glory and long for a greater experience of the glories of the created world. They lack fear, reverence, wonder, and worship. They’re more like pulling up the divine shopping site than bowing our knees in adoration and worship. They are motivated more by awe of ourselves and our pleasures than by a heart-rattling, satisfaction-producing awe of the Redeemer to whom we are praying.”
This book is a life changer book, it takes you from your selfish "self of awe" to be in awe of the one who created you and deserves all of our AWE! This book will challenge your faith, your daily walk with God, how you raise your family, how you work, how you relate with the world that God created! It will give you a new perspective on what it means to be in AWE of God. It will allow you to grow closer to what you know is true! I love how Paul Tripp is able to relay the Gospel in a very simple and powerful way, and to look at the human struggle as one of "misplaced awe."
If you are not content, or depress, frustrated, impatient, sad, lonely, angry, drained, exhausted, annoyed, heartbroken, disappointed, worry, confused, broken, stressed, incomplete, fed up, pissed, guilty, lost, old, ashamed, hurt, rough, awful....... this book is for you.
Go and read it, I am going for seconds!!!
Quotes from the book:
“This is what sin does to us all. At a deep and often unnoticed level, sin replaces worship of God with worship of self. It replaces submission with self-rule. It replaces gratitude with demands for more. It replaces faith with self-reliance. It replaces vertical joy with horizontal envy. It replaces a rest in God’s sovereignty with a quest for personal control. We live for our glory. We set up our rules. We ask others to serve our agenda.”
“You see, God hasn’t promised you a good job or great kids. He hasn’t promised you an easy marriage and a comfortable place to live. He hasn’t promised you physical health and a good church to attend. He hasn’t promised that you would experience affluence and be surrounded by things that entertain you. What he has promised is that he will complete the work that he has begun in you.”
"Only when awe of God rules your heart will you be able to keep the pleasures of the material world in their proper place.”
“Every awesome thing in creation is designed to point you to the One who alone is worthy of capturing and controlling the awe of your searching and hungry heart.”
"Only awe of him can define in you and me a true sense of what we actually need. So many of our prayers are self-centered grocery lists of personal cravings that have no bigger agenda than to make our lives a little more comfortable. They tend to treat God more as our personal shopper than a holy and wise Father-King. Such prayers forget God’s glory and long for a greater experience of the glories of the created world. They lack fear, reverence, wonder, and worship. They’re more like pulling up the divine shopping site than bowing our knees in adoration and worship. They are motivated more by awe of ourselves and our pleasures than by a heart-rattling, satisfaction-producing awe of the Redeemer to whom we are praying.”
February 17, 2016
Awe is a new book coming out on October 31st by Paul David Tripp. If you are not familiar with Tripp you are missing out on one of the rare jewels of our time. This book represents everything that I have come to love about him. It is gospel-focused, Christ-centric, and if you allow God to work through it, life-changing. That's a tall order for a book so let me unpack what I have discovered in the pages Awe. But first, let's examine the publisher description of the book in order to determine if Tripp has delivered on what was promised,
Humans are hardwired for awe.
Our hearts are always captured by something—that’s how God made us. But, because of sin, our awe capacity has been misdirected away from our Creator towards that which he created.
Uncovering the lies we believe about all the earthly things that promise us peace, life, and contentment, Paul Tripp redirects our gaze to God’s awe-inducing glory—showing how such a vision has the potential to impact our every thought, word, and deed.
If I were to pick this book up at the local bookstore I would expect that Tripp is going to make the case for three things.
God has designed us with a capacity for awe and this is woven into our very essence.
Sin has misdirected our intrinsic sense of awe away from God and towards creation.
Redirecting our awe back to God can alter the totality of our existence (word/thought/deed).
In short, this is a restoration project. God created something good, we messed it up, God wants to restore that good thing.
DESIGNED FOR AWE
From the opening pages of the book I knew that I was in for a treat. I have always known that God is awesome. I don't mean that in the colloquial sense. I mean that the slightest thought of God inspires awe within me. It's that sense of smallness I feel when observing the power of the ocean. It is the overwhelming emotion I have felt when my seven children were born or when a bride is presented to her husband representing that glorious day all Christians long for when we are finally presented spotless before Christ. But it is also that dreadful awareness of God's presence when we sin. That feeling that we have just betrayed the one who will never betray us. That is awe . . . and our entire being is filled with it.
Tripp makes a strong case that this is natural and good. That is, teleological speaking, this is something that we should embrace. It is has a purpose and is designed to remind us of just how marvelous our God is and that this marvelous God has pursued us enraptured us with a relentless love. A love which, to quote Mattheson, "wilt not let us go".
Paul Tripp definitely makes a strong case for this using numerous examples from scripture and the wellspring of pastoral experience he has at his disposal.
MISDIRECTING AWE
I really appreciated this theme in the book. Awe, as it turns out, is a good thing. But we have really messed things up with our sin. Tripp takes us back to the very beginning to demonstrate that sin of Adam and Eve was directly related to a misdirected sense of awe. It was awe because it was the same disposition of the soul that God instilled in us for his worship. It was misdirected because instead of giving it to God, the rightful recipient, they gave it to their desire to be like God. They were awestruck by their disordered fantasy of becoming like God.
As Tripp points out, this is the condition in which we find ourselves every time we sin. Rebellion, Tripp says, was "more than transgressing legal boundaries; it was disloyalty to God". How is it disloyalty? Our loyalty begins with an awe of who God is and what he has done for us. To give that awe to another is taking what rightfully belongs to God as an expression of worship and giving it to another. It is very much a type of cosmic whoremongering.
All of this was very good and Tripp does a good job demonstrating how we have misdirected our sense of awe. What was not entirely clear however, was whether he believed that the misdirected awe led to the sin of Adam and Eve or if the sin enticed the sense of awe away from God. I suspect that Tripp would say misdirected awe is a result of sin and not the other way around, but this wasn't very clear and at times he appeared to use the two concepts interchangeably. Consider the following quote,
The seedbed for a life of obedience is awe. When awe of something other than God replaces awe of God, disobedience will replace obedience
It isn't clear to me from this quote (and a few more like it) what Tripp is saying about the relationship between awe, sin, and disobedience. Which comes first? Is it a cause and effect relationship? It appears at first glance that he may be equating misdirected awe and sin but at other times he seems to be affirming that sin resides in the basement, giving birth to misdirected awe, which then results in disobedience. That is what I finally concluded based upon what I know of Tripp from other writings, but I'm not sure if I would have concluded that from the book alone. If this were my first time reading him I would have a few questions about whether it is fundamentally sin which entices us or awe.
REDIRECTING AWE
This has to be my favorite part. I really love how Paul Tripp leaves us with examples of how awe, when directed towards God, changes things. I think my favorite example is the chapter on ministry. Consider the following quote,
We Minister to people who are hardwired for awe, who have lost their awe, and who need awe given back to to them again, so that they will not only live in awe of God but will pass that awe down to the generation that follows.
Tripp not only demonstrates what this looks like in ministry to others, but also to your children.
Capping this all off is a wonderful unpacking of what this should look like in the local church using Colossians 3:12-17 as a guide. Unfortunately, he didn't go into as much depth as I would have liked but expressed a desire to write another book just on this passage. As a pastor, I understand the need for this passage to be worked out in church life and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of his book on it.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it without reservation to anyone. I can't think of a single person who wouldn't benefit from this. It addresses an area of life and of our humanity that is often neglected but also of which we are acutely aware.
If you are interested in reading Awe by Paul Tripp you can search Amazon for the best price by clicking here.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Crossway in exchange for an online review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Humans are hardwired for awe.
Our hearts are always captured by something—that’s how God made us. But, because of sin, our awe capacity has been misdirected away from our Creator towards that which he created.
Uncovering the lies we believe about all the earthly things that promise us peace, life, and contentment, Paul Tripp redirects our gaze to God’s awe-inducing glory—showing how such a vision has the potential to impact our every thought, word, and deed.
If I were to pick this book up at the local bookstore I would expect that Tripp is going to make the case for three things.
God has designed us with a capacity for awe and this is woven into our very essence.
Sin has misdirected our intrinsic sense of awe away from God and towards creation.
Redirecting our awe back to God can alter the totality of our existence (word/thought/deed).
In short, this is a restoration project. God created something good, we messed it up, God wants to restore that good thing.
DESIGNED FOR AWE
From the opening pages of the book I knew that I was in for a treat. I have always known that God is awesome. I don't mean that in the colloquial sense. I mean that the slightest thought of God inspires awe within me. It's that sense of smallness I feel when observing the power of the ocean. It is the overwhelming emotion I have felt when my seven children were born or when a bride is presented to her husband representing that glorious day all Christians long for when we are finally presented spotless before Christ. But it is also that dreadful awareness of God's presence when we sin. That feeling that we have just betrayed the one who will never betray us. That is awe . . . and our entire being is filled with it.
Tripp makes a strong case that this is natural and good. That is, teleological speaking, this is something that we should embrace. It is has a purpose and is designed to remind us of just how marvelous our God is and that this marvelous God has pursued us enraptured us with a relentless love. A love which, to quote Mattheson, "wilt not let us go".
Paul Tripp definitely makes a strong case for this using numerous examples from scripture and the wellspring of pastoral experience he has at his disposal.
MISDIRECTING AWE
I really appreciated this theme in the book. Awe, as it turns out, is a good thing. But we have really messed things up with our sin. Tripp takes us back to the very beginning to demonstrate that sin of Adam and Eve was directly related to a misdirected sense of awe. It was awe because it was the same disposition of the soul that God instilled in us for his worship. It was misdirected because instead of giving it to God, the rightful recipient, they gave it to their desire to be like God. They were awestruck by their disordered fantasy of becoming like God.
As Tripp points out, this is the condition in which we find ourselves every time we sin. Rebellion, Tripp says, was "more than transgressing legal boundaries; it was disloyalty to God". How is it disloyalty? Our loyalty begins with an awe of who God is and what he has done for us. To give that awe to another is taking what rightfully belongs to God as an expression of worship and giving it to another. It is very much a type of cosmic whoremongering.
All of this was very good and Tripp does a good job demonstrating how we have misdirected our sense of awe. What was not entirely clear however, was whether he believed that the misdirected awe led to the sin of Adam and Eve or if the sin enticed the sense of awe away from God. I suspect that Tripp would say misdirected awe is a result of sin and not the other way around, but this wasn't very clear and at times he appeared to use the two concepts interchangeably. Consider the following quote,
The seedbed for a life of obedience is awe. When awe of something other than God replaces awe of God, disobedience will replace obedience
It isn't clear to me from this quote (and a few more like it) what Tripp is saying about the relationship between awe, sin, and disobedience. Which comes first? Is it a cause and effect relationship? It appears at first glance that he may be equating misdirected awe and sin but at other times he seems to be affirming that sin resides in the basement, giving birth to misdirected awe, which then results in disobedience. That is what I finally concluded based upon what I know of Tripp from other writings, but I'm not sure if I would have concluded that from the book alone. If this were my first time reading him I would have a few questions about whether it is fundamentally sin which entices us or awe.
REDIRECTING AWE
This has to be my favorite part. I really love how Paul Tripp leaves us with examples of how awe, when directed towards God, changes things. I think my favorite example is the chapter on ministry. Consider the following quote,
We Minister to people who are hardwired for awe, who have lost their awe, and who need awe given back to to them again, so that they will not only live in awe of God but will pass that awe down to the generation that follows.
Tripp not only demonstrates what this looks like in ministry to others, but also to your children.
Capping this all off is a wonderful unpacking of what this should look like in the local church using Colossians 3:12-17 as a guide. Unfortunately, he didn't go into as much depth as I would have liked but expressed a desire to write another book just on this passage. As a pastor, I understand the need for this passage to be worked out in church life and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of his book on it.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it without reservation to anyone. I can't think of a single person who wouldn't benefit from this. It addresses an area of life and of our humanity that is often neglected but also of which we are acutely aware.
If you are interested in reading Awe by Paul Tripp you can search Amazon for the best price by clicking here.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Crossway in exchange for an online review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
February 25, 2022
3.5⭐
"No hay nada en la creación que haya sido diseñado para darte lo que solo el Creador puede darte. Todo lo asombroso de la creación fue diseñado para señalarte hacia el Único digno de capturar y controlar el asombro que busca tu corazón".
"Lo sepamos o no, el asombro de cada ser humano -el deseo de ser asombrado y estar satisfecho- es realmente un anhelo universal de ver a Dios cara a cara".
En este libro, Tripp confrontará nuestra vida haciéndonos meditar en cómo las cosas terrenales pueden robar el asombro que debería corresponder únicamente a nuestro Creador. En cada capítulo trata enfoques distintos (ministerio, queja, materialismo, trabajo, etc.) y varios de ellos al ser sobre temas puntuales estuvieron buenos pero algunos otros volvieron un poco repetitivo el libro ya que no aportaban ninguna perspectiva nueva a lo dicho anteriormente. También me pareció excesiva en algunos capítulos la cantidad de ejemplos que brindaba (en el primer capítulo, por ejemplo, ocupa más de dos hojas) y me hubiera gustado que hubiera más cosas prácticas sobre cómo re enfocar nuestro asombro y no solo sobre identificar nuestro asombro equivocado.
"No hay nada en la creación que haya sido diseñado para darte lo que solo el Creador puede darte. Todo lo asombroso de la creación fue diseñado para señalarte hacia el Único digno de capturar y controlar el asombro que busca tu corazón".
"Lo sepamos o no, el asombro de cada ser humano -el deseo de ser asombrado y estar satisfecho- es realmente un anhelo universal de ver a Dios cara a cara".
En este libro, Tripp confrontará nuestra vida haciéndonos meditar en cómo las cosas terrenales pueden robar el asombro que debería corresponder únicamente a nuestro Creador. En cada capítulo trata enfoques distintos (ministerio, queja, materialismo, trabajo, etc.) y varios de ellos al ser sobre temas puntuales estuvieron buenos pero algunos otros volvieron un poco repetitivo el libro ya que no aportaban ninguna perspectiva nueva a lo dicho anteriormente. También me pareció excesiva en algunos capítulos la cantidad de ejemplos que brindaba (en el primer capítulo, por ejemplo, ocupa más de dos hojas) y me hubiera gustado que hubiera más cosas prácticas sobre cómo re enfocar nuestro asombro y no solo sobre identificar nuestro asombro equivocado.
June 21, 2023
Excessive use of examples and very repetitive. The author took 185 pages to say what could have been said just as well in about 40 pages.
Some good quotes, though:
“Your emotional life is always a window into what has captured your awe…your emotional highs and lows, joys and sorrows will be connected to and flow out of what has captured your awe”
“Awe [of God] produces gratitude, gratitude instills joy, and the harvest of joy is contentment.”
“Every child is born with a heart controlled more by awe of self than by awe of God…We know that as long as their hearts are ruled by awe of self, they will push against our authority, they will go their own way, and they will practically ignore the God who created and sustains them.”
“Your capacity for awe is a longing for another world. It’s a craving for what this fallen world will never give you. The awe capacity of your heart cries out every day to be enveloped by the glory of God, freed from the seductive voices of competing glories.”
Some good quotes, though:
“Your emotional life is always a window into what has captured your awe…your emotional highs and lows, joys and sorrows will be connected to and flow out of what has captured your awe”
“Awe [of God] produces gratitude, gratitude instills joy, and the harvest of joy is contentment.”
“Every child is born with a heart controlled more by awe of self than by awe of God…We know that as long as their hearts are ruled by awe of self, they will push against our authority, they will go their own way, and they will practically ignore the God who created and sustains them.”
“Your capacity for awe is a longing for another world. It’s a craving for what this fallen world will never give you. The awe capacity of your heart cries out every day to be enveloped by the glory of God, freed from the seductive voices of competing glories.”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 318 reviews