Introduction
I remember hearing about this book in the midst of a sermon. The speaker was Jeff Robinson, editor of the Baptist Courier. He was covering James 4:13-17 and quoted from the book in his sermon. I immediately wrote the book and author down.
As soon as it arrived at our door, I quickly read part of the introduction.
I hated it.
Not because it was badly written, but because it was so good. So I shelved it. I did not want to confront what needed to be confronted. It sat on the shelf for a solid 2 months or so. For some reason, I was led to grab the book off the shelf to read it this year. I re-read the introduction.
Still hated it.
So I put it back on the shelf.
Just kidding. I actually kept reading this time. I am glad I did.
Summary of Book
Faithfully Present: Embracing the Limits of Where and When God Has You.
I think Adam Ramsey titled this so perfectly that you barely need to open the book to be convicted of the contents. Written in 2023, this book addresses a necessary category of restlessness, impatience, ungratefulness, and unnecessary busyness. Each of these things causes us to lose focus on God amidst our daily life.
“If we constantly have our minds set on the next thing or another place, we miss the life God has actually given us, even as we keep existing our way through it. On the flip side, it is when we embrace our God-given limitations, being faithfully present to what God desires to do in us and through us, that we become most truly alive. It is when we recognize our humanity—our finite creatureliness—that we feel most truly ourselves.”
While it may seem oxymoronic to say that we can feel most like ourselves when we embrace our limitations, Ramsey wisely points us back to scripture on the matter. In embracing our limitations, we are allowing God to take control. We can learn to rely on him in every time and place we find ourselves. Ramsey uses the two parts of the book to address those matters respectively.
Part one aptly covers the various seasons of life in which the reader may find themselves, beginning with a more philosophical outlook on time and how it is perceived. Ramsey then uses that evaluation to guide the reader through the various seasons of life, one by one. He reminds of God’s truth for the lulled, hurried, paused, and even the remembered seasons of life. To conclude the first part, he confronts the reality of the season of death—being out of time. Through each analysis, Ramsey connects deeply and personally to scriptural principles for each time.
“Fruitfulness over the long haul is a lot less about finding balance and a lot more about knowing what season you are in and living accordingly.”
Part two, which is shorter than the first part, covers the locality of our human experience. He argues that being faithfully present is easy to discuss in the spectrum of time, but the physical presence is also a major facet of living faithfully (duh). This part, really encourages the reader to embrace faithful presence as he points out that we are not omnipresent—we are limited to one physical location and one physical body. Even beyond that, Ramsey reminds the reader that despite modern technological advances, we can only interact meaningfully with a few people at a time. Learning to embrace the limitations in these realms will then help us to prepare for the heavenly place that we will inhabit.
“To belong to God means to make our home in worshipping him alone. To belong to a place requires limiting yourself to that place and giving your loving attention to it. And the same is true of our horizontal relationships with other people.
To belong to another person, in the context of love, is to willingly limit yourself by practising faithful presence with them (and, by necessity, being non-present to others).”
Ramsey covers the heavenly places in his last chapter to complete the synopsis of faithful presence. While the topic can be complex to discuss, he concisely summarizes the dual-citizenship of the Christian. And since the believer is part of both worlds, he has a responsibility to both kingdoms.
“In fact, mission is the process through which realities that are true of heaven are becoming evident on earth through the people of God: in our proclamation of the gospel and the Spirit-empowered distinctiveness of our lives.”
Noteworthy
The whole book. The whole book is noteworthy. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the style, brevity, and perspective of the author. I highlighted so many things…. Perhaps different sections will be more noteworthy depending on what stage of life I am in as I re-read this—that is what makes the first part of the book so great.
As I am writing this review, I remember the resonance of chapter 3 in particular. He addresses the times of change. I am mid-twenties; there is a lot of change going on. As much as I hate it, it is unavoidable. Ramsey does well in pointing me back to the principles of scripture. Allow me to quote the closing paragraph of the chapter.
“When we accept our present season, along with the joys and challenges and limitations that come with it, we’ll discover that we’re actually not missing out at all. We’ll discover gratitude for what is behind us, hope for what is ahead of us, and joy in the season that God has right now set before us. You need not fear the changes that come with time when you are banking all that you are on the God who is constant. For if God is sovereign over the seasons of your life, then you can trust him in every season of that life.”
Critiques
I don’t have much to critique in this book. I mean, he is Australian. So his spelling might frustrate some Americans (he uses “s” instead of “z” in some words). That’s a really superficial point though.
One of the areas I think could be critiqued was the last chapter. He addresses heaven in the chapter, and I feel like there could have been more explanation as far as specifics go. I get that he didn’t need to write a whole theology of heaven, but I was hoping for just a little more. There were some good elements he highlighted, but I was curious to hear more of his perspective. What he wrote didn’t detract from the subject matter at all. He included what he needed to, and left the excess to imagination.
Summary
If I were to put a one-word summary on a sticker to put on the front cover of this book it would be this: refreshing. As I said earlier, this book was convicting. I have a lot of life changes going on at the moment—admittedly, not as many as other people, but still a handful. I think that reading this book has helped me address my perspective on this stage of life. I have been more aware of the opportunities to live faithfully in the present time and place that God has me. That is really all he asks isn’t it?
While there is nothing overly complicated or theologically provoking in this book, I think Adam Ramsey really interacts with a simple truth that we so often brush under the rug—the limits of our mortality. We know we are imperfect and impatient people, but we would rather dismiss that through the hard work ethic the American Christians promote so heavily. But I think Adam Ramsey contends for a more mellow blend of true relational Christianity that promotes a faithfully present mindset rather than a mindset that is constantly asking “What’s next?”.
I find myself asking “What’s next?” in every situation. If you know me, think back on any interaction you’ve had with me. You will run out of fingers to count how many times I ask that question. I feel like many people fall prey to that “What’s next?” mindset—especially in the Church. I would rather people be eager for the next step than ignorantly reminiscing on the over-glorified past. But both mindsets miss out on the Christ-like mindset of faithful presence.
“And while our memories are vital to who we are and what we do and where we are going, they can also be destructive when given too much attention. Like countless other parts of God’s creation, when our memories serve us and our affections for God, they are a tremendous gift. But the opposite is also true; when we prioritise the past over the present, we turn a good servant into an unrelenting tyrant. And that’s the danger: the past has a habit of not staying, well, past. It infiltrates our present through our memories, seeking to regain the attention in once possessed.”
As Ramsey reminds us, Christ was fully aware of the future but he was never in a hurry to get there. Christ lived with a focus on bringing the kingdom of God into actuality in the present moment. The kingdom of God was not exclusively a future event or place, it was a present reality to him that people could enter and experience if they repented of their sins. Eventually, there will be a physical manifestation of that kingdom, but we don’t have to wait to experience it. We can experience the kingdom of heaven by being faithfully present, partaking in the opportunities around us. After all, isn’t God going to ask us what we did to prepare for his return? Hopefully you aren’t caught talking about the glory days instead of actually working to bring them to life around you.