RAW Inner Workings of a Reawakened Soul
Sometimes you need a good friend and a cup of joe to hammer out the tough questions in life. When emotions heighten and circumstances shift, it's hard to know where your faith fits in. Like chatting it up with a close friend, RAW invites readers to process through the tough questions in life. Why do good people suffer? Is the church still relevant? Why am I stuck in life? Covering a variety of theological topics in a simplified, conversational manner, the book encourages the reader to find value in vulnerability, strip away religiosity and become RAW with their deepest emotions.
RAW applies theological truths to evaluate life circumstances through the lens of scripture. Using true stories and contemplative processing, the reader journeys with the author through a variety of life experiences and nagging questions. The reader is encouraged to move beyond superficial Christianity, address darkness in their heart and embrace transforming peace. Those tethered by haunting doubt, fear or uncertainty, will find answers that propel them to powerful Christ-centered living.
Chapter 1 Relatability
Chapter 2 The Weight of Waiting
Chapter 3 Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda
Chapter 4 The Table Holds More Than Food
Chapter 5 In the Presence
Chapter 6 "ings" not "eds"
Chapter 7 The God-Box
Chapter 8 Puke and Transformation
Chapter 9 Leading
Chapter 10 A Scholarly Attempt to Explain Pleasing
Chapter 11 "Someday" as a Noun
Chapter 12 Untouched
Chapter 13 The Third Entity
Chapter 14 God's Economy
Chapter 15 Satan and His Posse
Chapter 16 Everything is a Plus
Chapter 17 A Thing or Two About Marriage
Chapter 18 Manna for the Day
Chapter 19 DREAM!
References
Not Sure About Jesus?
Start Your Journey with Jesus
Acknowledgments
"Our country desperately needs an inner awakening! Author Rebecca Greenfield takes us on a spiritual "journey" with her.
She is honest and real as she shares what God is revealing to her and her readers. She puts herself out there with the raw emotions of what she is thinking and feeling during her journey.
These real-life experiences and feelings are ones in which each of us can relate. Her journey is solidly Biblical, statistically supported, beautifully illustrated and profoundly practical.
Her book can provide refreshing insights in our inner workings on our journey to our reawakened soul."
Robin Hart, Senior Pastor, Northside Christian Church
"As a student Rebecca was thoughtful and discerning, and as a writer she continues to engage.
RAW Inner Workings of a Reawakened Soul is an honest and sincere glimpse into the journey for life's meaning and purpose with the God of the universe who beckons us to call him...Father.
Rebecca's disarming style, concise insights, and practical applications make this book a helpful and powerful read for anyone searching for significance in life."
Jeff Martell, Lead Campus Pastor Grace Church, Barberton Campus
"Each of us is on a spiritual journey trying to figure out what we believe and why we believe these things.
Rebecca gives us an honest, genuine and raw look into her spiritual journey with a conversational and relational style.
The book has the power to connect to many of us who are working out their faith and looking for real life answers to difficult questions."
Cody Clark, Senior Pastor Cross Point Christian Church
"RAW Inner Workings of a Reawakened Soul is a fresh look at what God truly wants each of us to be.
Rebecca reminds us that we are all created in His image, yet we are all fully unique in that creation.
It's OK if you don't fit the 'perfect Christian mold'. God is going to use you in your brokenness and in your rawness, in His perfect way."
Jenny Kuhns, Lover of Jesus
Chapter 13 The Third Entity
I was reading C. S. Lewis the other day. If that man wasn't dead, I would love to meet him. How invigorating would it be to sit at a little round table near Oxford discussing life, God, and all the deep matters of the vastness of the spirit while sipping hot coffee or perhaps a spot o' tea? The conversation would probably start off promising, common ground (yes, God exists, the earth is round, and coffee is very good, indeed), and soon my finite mind would get twirled and spun, twisted and lost in the brilliance of the intellectual apologetic. I think that I would leave both energized and drained, inspired and yet defeated from marveling at his genius—certain only of my name and that I like decaf. For Lewis, I assume it had to be nearly as much a curse as it was a blessing to think as deeply and philosophically as he did. But his processing penned for all to read has satisfied many a soul searcher's thirst for mental stimulation and, ultimately, truth.
I was reading A Grief Observed, in which Lewis processes the death of his beloved wife. I believe the book had to be written only weeks after her death—the freshness and raw emotion pierced the pages and cut to the deepest part of the soul, where heartache is held. He does not hold back. A man known for his advances in uncovering more clarity on the true nature of God pours out guttural cries of despair and doubt. The book is truly intense, but yet so real. You can't help but be captivated by his honest evaluation of such anguish. At one point in the book, Lewis writes concerning his wife's death,
If God's goodness is inconsistent with hurting us, then either God is not good or there is no God: for in the only life we know He hurts us beyond our worst fears and beyond all we can imagine. If it is consistent with hurting us, then He may hurt us after death as unendurably as before it.
I read that, paused, and then began to underline it. If you were to be truly honest, honest with yourself to the point where it almost scares you, you're left staring at that statement and realizing either one, you've totally felt that way before, or two, you currently still do. And then comes the chill down your spine.