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Searching for God Knows What Audiobook, by Donald Miller Play Audiobook Sample

Searching for God Knows What Audiobook

Searching for God Knows What Audiobook, by Donald Miller Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Mark Smeby Publisher: Thomas Nelson Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 4.50 hours at 1.5x Speed 3.38 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: November 2020 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781400223732

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

20

Longest Chapter Length:

55:50 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

05 seconds

Average Chapter Length:

20:37 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

15

Other Audiobooks Written by Donald Miller: > View All...

Publisher Description

In Searching for God Knows What, best-selling author Donald Miller invites you to reconnect with a faith worth believing. With humor, intelligence, and his trademark writing style, he shows that relationship is God’s way of leading us to redemption. And our need for redemption drives us to relationship with God. “Being a Christian,” Miller writes, “is more like falling in love than understanding a series of ideas.”

Maybe you are a Christian wondering what faith you signed up for. Or maybe you don’t believe anything and are daring someone—anyone—to show you a genuine example of authentic faith. Somewhere beyond the self-help formulas, fancy marketing, and easy promises there is a life-changing experience with God waiting. Searching for God Knows What weaves together beautiful stories and fresh perspectives on the Bible to show one man’s journey to find it.

“Like a shaken snow globe, Donald Miller’s newest collection of essays creates a swirl of ideas about the Christian life that eventually crystallize into a lovely landscape . . . [He] is one of the evangelical book market’s most creative writers.” —Christianity Today

“If you have felt that Jesus is someone you respect and admire—but Christianity is something that repels you—Searching for God Knows What will give you hope that you still can follow Jesus and be part of a church without the trappings of organized religion.” —Dan Kimball Author of The Emerging Church and Pastor of Vintage Faith Church, Santa Cruz, CA

“For fans of Blue Like Jazz, I doubt you will be disappointed. Donald Miller writes with the wit and vulnerability that you expect. He perfectly illustrates important themes in a genuine and humorous manner . . . For those who would be reading Miller for the first time, this would be a great start.” —Relevant

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"In Searching for God Knows What, Miller unpacks why the Christian faith cannot be whittled down to a three-step self-help program or some simplistic mathematical formula comprised of a few mere propositional beliefs. I was amazed, honestly, at how deftly this book laid out so much of the thinking God has been instilling in my own life this year...in Miller's understanding (and I agree), everything goes back to a time before the fall, when man was still living in peaceful, right relationships with God, with his fellow man, and with his environment. Once Adam & Eve were deceived into disobedience to the God who created and deeply loved them, they lost the security they had known as a result of their perfect relationship with God. Ever since, it has been obvious that man was designed to need to derive his sense of value from an outside source, but since our relationship with that source was broken, we've looked to acquire that sense of value from other men. This has created what Miller describes as a lifeboat mentality in which we are all vying to prove our importance and why we should be kept in this proverbial lifeboat (indicating in the process that other individuals who don't possess the same valuable qualities we do ought to be selected to be thrown overboard). Clearly, this sort of thinking has some very negative implications that play out with us manifesting ever deeper levels of brokenness in human relationships that first broke at the fall when our relationship with God was broken. The good news of Christianity is that in Jesus -- as a result of His redeeming death & resurrection -- our relationship with God can be restored, which means we can recover the security God designed us to live in. Too often we miss all of this, and Christianity becomes a mere argument we add to our slate of reasons why we should be kept in the lifeboat. However, when we begin to see the bigger picture and recognize the story God has been telling from the beginning of time, we begin to grasp that this was never meant to secure our position in the eyes of man but rather was meant to restore our security in God, which then allows us to throw away the lifeboat mentality and frees us up to live in humility, loving God and loving others and thereby fulfilling the law that was intended to restore the peaceful, right relationships man experienced before the fall with God, with his fellow man, and with his environment.Highly recommend this book, particularly to those who, like me, have grown up in church during a modernistic age that has so focused on propositional truths that we've nearly completely missed the narrative of God's work in the world from the beginning of its creation. I imagine Miller's thoughts here have opened many hearts to the depth of beauty in God's story. Quite possibly my favorite of his books, and there could not have been a more perfect time in my life for me to read it than toward then end of a year in which He has truly transformed my thinking in these very areas.On a side note, I purchased this book at Powell's Books during my first visit to Portland -- a trip that was largely inspired by my reading of other books by the Portland-based Miller (as well as books by fellow Portland-area author Matt Mikalatos) that have helped inform the process of transformation that has been taking place in my thinking this year. It was fun, then, to read his mentions of various Portland locations throughout this book after having been there myself. It really felt like a sort of culmination of this past year for me, not only as it relates to my understanding of my faith but also as it relates to the books I've read that have been instrumental in what God has been doing in my heart and the common thread of being set in Portland that has connected so many of them. I think this book will always have a special place in my heart because of all this. =)"

— Kaysi (5 out of 5 stars)

Searching for God Knows What Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.7777777777777777 out of 53.7777777777777777 out of 53.7777777777777777 out of 53.7777777777777777 out of 53.7777777777777777 out of 5 (3.78)
5 Stars: 7
4 Stars: 10
3 Stars: 7
2 Stars: 3
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  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " In one metaphor, Don Miller explains the world's struggle for value, meaning, and significance, and God's great love for us. Amazing. Read this! "

    — Leslie, 2/18/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I enjoyed this, but not as much as Blue Like Jazz. "

    — Susie, 2/6/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Not one of his best, but I read it when I was traveling and it happened to make a lot of sense at the time. "

    — Jenna, 2/6/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Miller's writing is engaging to me. He writes simply about what he is thinking about God. I absolutely love the analogy of everyone trying to stay in the lifeboat, but the boat isn't necessary because of Jesus. "

    — Eric, 1/21/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Tell you later...I like Donald Miller. This one is a little slow but I have found a few really awesome things here so far. "

    — Connie, 1/19/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " The writing is a bit immature, but at least it's not filled with a bunch of pompous ("aren't I so smart!) kind of words! He has a lot of great points that could really ruffle some feathers, but I feel they are spoken in love. I would recommend this book to everyone! "

    — Janelle, 1/3/2014
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Pretty ramble-y. "

    — Dray, 12/11/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " More difficult to digest than Blue Like Jazz or Through Painted Deserts, probably because it's not as memoir-like as the other two, and the concepts he tackles are tougher. But it's worth reading because they are heavy and important concepts. "

    — Sam, 11/24/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Loved it, but not quite as much as Blue Like Jazz. This book definitely incorporates a more theological explanation of faith which I always enjoy but not as many stories, which I enjoy more. "

    — Wendy, 11/19/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " great read. by far the best of Don Miller's books. "

    — Juan, 8/28/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Excellent read. Miller has a sense of humor, an unusual way of looking at the Christian life...a way that many more should have. Extremely thought provoking and surprisingly insightful. "

    — MT, 8/10/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " More in-depth than Blue Like Jazz, very well-written. Not intended as a self-help book, but I found it changing a lot of my attitudes and negative thought processes. Great reading for a person on any side of faith who wants to know what it REALLY should look like. "

    — Kelli, 7/16/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I want to reread this book. "

    — Karen, 2/27/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Not as good as Blue Like Jazz, but still fun to read, and I find myself constantly discovering new ways in which I am simply comparing myself with others for no good reason other than to know that I'm "better" than they are. "

    — Adam, 11/22/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Miller presents a compelling case for a relational gospel. Relational as a complement to a systemic theology. If there is a weakness here, it's Miller's assumption that the reader can follow his analogy to Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' in the last chapter. "

    — Scott, 5/28/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " It took me way too long to read this book. I don't suggest reading it spread out over months like I did because you start to forget what the metaphors stand for and they are used continually throughout the book. Overall, I felt he has some good ideas, but the book as a whole is slow. "

    — Jodi, 1/4/2012
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I really didn't like this as well as "Blue Like Jazz". I thought it wasn't nearly as entertaining, and random. Not random in a good way either. "

    — Faith, 10/12/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Romantic and amazing. A serious must read. "

    — Mel, 7/28/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " A fabulous read for believers and non-believers alike. "

    — Christopher, 5/31/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Best book I've read in a long time. I didn't want it to be over. "

    — Corrie, 3/25/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " In this book the author explores having a relationship with God and what this really means. He challenges the way that we measure ourselves against others in an attempt to gain validation from those around us and reminds us that what we really need is validation from God. "

    — Heather, 2/24/2011
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I wanted to like it more than I did. Blue Like Jazz is one of my favorites...this one not so much..He went from "non-religious thoughts" to "religious thoughts" "

    — Ktsue76, 2/10/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " If you want Don Miller's take on the gospel as relationship not formula, this is the book for you. I didn't connect with it as much as BLJ, but it was a quick, easy read. "

    — Michael, 2/5/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This book has challenged me to examine my relationship with Christ and my motivations. It also is helping me to understand our need to validation by other people and that validation will always come up lacking. "

    — Tonie, 1/30/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " The writing is a bit immature, but at least it's not filled with a bunch of pompous ("aren't I so smart!) kind of words! He has a lot of great points that could really ruffle some feathers, but I feel they are spoken in love. I would recommend this book to everyone! "

    — Janelle, 1/24/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Miller holds up a mirror in front of all the ugly things about you. He makes you look at them. He makes you want to change them. Best of all he does it without making you feel shame or recrimination. <br/><br/>This was a life altering read......... "

    — Nancy, 1/7/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I am reminded why I like this book so much, it is it's reminder that my relationship with Jesus is the cornerstone of everything else. God desires a relationship with me and to shine his glory through me, because I am his new creation. "

    — Matthew, 1/1/2011

About Donald Miller

Donald Miller started the Mentoring Project, an organization that helps churches start mentoring programs and pairs mentors with boys in need, in 2005. His work with the fatherless led the Obama administration to invite him onto the president’s task force on fatherlessness and mentoring. He is the director of The Burnside Writers Collective, an online magazine. He is a frequent speaker, appearing at events such as the Women of Faith Conference, the Democratic National Convention, and Harvard University. He still lives in Portland, Oregon with his dog Lucy.

About Mark Smeby

Mark Smeby is on a journey to discover the reality of hope, provide tools and resources to help people understand it for themselves, and then share their stories of how they live hope. Smeby travels around the country delivering messages of hope at live events with his speaking and music.