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Normal? Who's Normal?
Not you, that's for sure! No one you've ever met, either. None of us are normal according to God's definition, and the closer we get to each other, the plainer that becomes.
Yet for all our quirks, sins, and jagged edges, we need each other. Community is more than just a word---it is one of our most fundamental requirements. So how do flawed, abnormal people such as ourselves master the forces that can drive us apart and come together in the life-changing relationships God designed us for?
In Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them, teacher and best-selling author John Ortberg zooms in on the things that make community tick. You'll get a thought-provoking look at God's heart, at others, and at yourself. Even better, you'll gain wisdom and tools for drawing closer to others in powerful, impactful ways. With humor, insight, and a gift for storytelling, Ortberg shows how community pays tremendous dividends in happiness, health, support, and growth. It's where all of us weird, unwieldy people encounter God's love in tangible ways and discover the transforming power of being loved, accepted, and valued just the way we are.
The need for community is woven into the very fabric of our being. Nothing else can substitute for the life-giving benefits of connecting with others---not even God. He won't preempt the way he himself has designed us to reflect his own intensely relational nature.
But there's a hitch in our experience of community, says John Ortberg: We're all weird. Folks around us may seem normal enough, but just wait till we get to know them---and they get to know us. The unhealthy, sinful ways we respond to life in a fallen world are hardly God's idea of 'normal,' and they can make us as unhuggable as porcupines. We face the 'porcupine dilemma,' says Ortberg: We need each other, but how do we get close without getting hurt? How do we get past all those quills and grow together in Christ?
In Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them, Ortberg once again reveals his gift for sharing profound insights using a lighten-up approach. With winsome humor and a fondness for well-spun stories, he pops the myth of normalcy and hands us the keys to creating and sustaining relationships. 'God's dream for community encompasses the redemption of all spheres of life,' he says.
Who doesn't want like to be liked, to be wanted, to have solid, satisfying friendships! Ortberg shows what such relationships are made of. He reveals the benefits of authenticity---what it means to live with an 'unveiled face,' as the Bible puts it. He encourages us to trade the stones it's so easy to cast at others for acceptance. He opens our eyes and heart to empathy, the art of reading people. And he takes us through the ins and outs of conflict, forgiveness, confrontation, inclusion, and gratitude.
The principles and discussion questions in this book are down-to-earth. They're for real people living in a real world, and are intended to help us count the practical cost of relationship and then pay it---because in all the rewards and struggles of community, we're investing in something beyond our comprehension. You could call it heaven. You could call it home. It's the place where all of us are headed, all of us belong, and all of us will be normal at last.
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Showing 6 featured editions. View all 6 editions?
Edition | Availability |
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1
Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them
2007, Zondervan
eBook
in English
0310281369 9780310281368
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2
Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them (Walker Large Print Books)
October 19, 2005, Walker Large Print
Paperback
in English
- Lrg edition
1594150931 9781594150937
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3
Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them
January 2, 2004, Thorndike Press
Board book
in English
- 1 edition
0786260262 9780786260263
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4
Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them
March 1, 2003, Zondervan
Hardcover
in English
0310228646 9780310228646
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5
Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them
March 1, 2003, Zondervan
Audio CD
in English
- Unabridged edition
0310250838 9780310250838
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6
Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them
March 2003, Zondervan Publishing Company
Paperback
in English
- New Ed edition
0310250846 9780310250845
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- Created April 30, 2008
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December 8, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
April 24, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs. |
April 16, 2010 | Edited by bgimpertBot | Added goodreads ID. |
April 14, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Linked existing covers to the edition. |
April 30, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from amazon.com record |