Leaving Egypt: Finding God in the Wilderness Places

by Chuck DeGroat

The Exodus story is your story. The Israelites' liberation from Egypt and journey to the promised land is one the Bible's most compelling stories a breathtaking account of competing wills, freedom and slavery, faith and doubt.

But the Exodus isn't just a long-ago Bible story. It's the overarching theme of every person's life. We each find ourselves enslaved: to work, to destructive relationships, to food, to spending . . . but beyond our personal Egypt lies God's promised land.

In Leaving Egypt, Chuck DeGroat shows how our wilderness journey helps us face our fears, receive our new identity, experience transformation, and live into our new found freedom.

Discussion questions for personal or small group use follow each chapter.

Genres: Counselling, Christian Living, Christian, Spirituality, Faith, Psychology, Nonfiction

246 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2011

About the author

Chuck DeGroat is director of the counseling center at City Church in San Francisco, as well as academic dean of the Newbigin House of Studies. He also served as professor and director of spiritual formation at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando.

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most disorienting things in life is suffering. Even when we know all the right things about how the world is fallen and broken in every way, pain jars us, and makes us question who God is and our relationship to him, in part because "we are not often told that once we've been delivered into freedom, the hardest times may still be ahead" (pg 75.) As we journey through life and its inevitable suffering, we need to be reminded of the truth, and Leaving Egypt is an able and welcome guide.

By using the Exodus narrative as a structure, author Chuck DeGroat guides us through four parts of the Christian life. (1) Egypt: Facing Our Fear, (2) Sinai: Receiving Our New Identity, (3) Wilderness: Entering the Furnace of Transformation and (4) Home: Experiencing New Identity and Mission. Though each part is essential, well-written and helpful, I felt most drawn to the third section. As the subtitle declares, we often find God in wilderness places, and it is good to be reminded of how God is at work in the midst of suffering and how he uses our suffering teach us.

Though DeGroat shows the hopefulness and promise in suffering, he is also very honest about its difficulty. There are no formulas for quick fixes, but a deep and real acknowledgement of the pain and darkness we all grapple with and a helpful framework for lament.

Though theological and thoughtful, this is a very practical and applicable read. DeGroat draws from many years of experience as a counselor, pastor and professor to help readers understand how this Exodus narrative intersects with their own lives and struggles. There are also questions at the end of each chapter for personal reflection or group discussion.

The Exodus story "invites us to look back at where we've been and remember God's relentless love for us despite our many failures" (pg 154.) Even though we may feel like we prefer the safety and familiarity of our own Egypts and enslavement, God longs for us to move forward. As we journey through our own difficulties and pain, Leaving Egypt reminds us of the truth of who we are, as believers united to Christ. I know I will read it again (a rarity among Christian books for me) and appreciate its simple, clear wisdom. I have already recommended it several times, and would commend it to anyone in the church. (9.5/10)

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be one of the most validating books I have read. Chuck DeGroat does a fantastic job of describing how many people endure periods of endless cycles that leave us feeling unhappy, fearful, and eager to hide the pain we feel daily. DeGroat provided numerous examples of individuals he's met over the years, including his first-hand experience with his profession as a counselor while helping diverse individuals through their hardships. This book reminded me how normal it is to feel broken and dissatisfied with various seasons of life and how universal these feelings are among all individuals.


"...this garden is your soul. This mess is you. And it is wild and beautiful and perfectly in progress. To you it seems like a mess, but to me I see a perfect pattern emerging and growing and alive"

"Wholeness does not mean perfection: it means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life. Knowing this gives me hope that human wholeness-mine, yours, ours-need not be a utopian dream, if we can use devastation as a seedbed for new life."

[Emily Herron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is slow-paced, and it sinks in slowly. But it’s profound and honest. With a counselor’s voice and experience, DeGroat goes through the exodus story and shows us how we are just like the Israelites, our strange attachment to Egypt, the struggle and purpose of the wilderness, and our way home, as well as a theme throughout of the power and necessity of lament. So well done.

[Pamela Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you find the right book at the right time; Leaving Egypt was that book for me. I embraced the words Chuck De Groat wrote and hugged them to my heart every morning during my quiet time. Here is someone who is speaking too many of us who are holding onto things that are keeping us in bondage. Whether those burdens are actual possessions or addictions, or even comfortable habits that detract from our true purpose in this life, we need help to move on.

Based on the Exodus story, De Groat draws comparisons between Israel’s slavery in Egypt, and deliverance through Moses who leads them through the desert for forty years; with the areas in our lives that we are stuck in. We sometimes, like Israel, are frightened to let go and follow God not knowing what lies ahead. He shows us how we cling to the past, because it’s known, and how we have trouble trusting that God has a better plan and wants freedom for us. This book is a must read for believers who desire a closer walk with God and I believe it could become a Christian classic along side devotionals like Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest. The format is easy to read with short chapters, subsections, and a few key questions to ponder at the end of each chapter. Leaving Egypt can be used as a basis for bible study or group study, and also good reference material for anyone in ministry who counsels the hurting and those struggling with addiction. 5 stars. I read this book through the Amazon Vine program.

[Tonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grab your Bible, grab this book and prepare to dig in. Chuck DeGroat goes in depth with you, figuring out what your Egypt is, and although painful sometimes to really think of those things, remember one word. GRACE.

I enjoyed the quotes, I enjoyed the Discussion Questions. Talk about looking and examing everything, trying to figure out if you are holding yourself prisoner.

However, my complaints would be, at times I felt as if it was jumping all over the place thoughtwise, and I was reading a lot of repeated quotes etc.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book changed my life. I don't say this lightly. Having recently started my own wilderness journey, this book has helped me understand my life and the lives of those around me better as well as Gods powerful work throughout all stages of life. Although some of what is written is hard to hear (I mean, no one really wants to suffer, right?), it does give hope and help one to relate to hurt and suffering in a new, more faithful way.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re read for me! My favorite chapter is called Kleenex Theology and it is about lament. I loved his teaching on the Beatitudes and the many quotes throughout.
The wilderness theme in Scripture is richly applied to spiritual transformation.

[Steve Carzoli]

Really enjoyed this book, it was a follow up to another book "when Narcissism comes to church" another book that really helped me define some earlier church interactions as a young believer I recommend these books to all my friends and will continue to do so, Thanks to the author for his insights and reflections.

[Jodie Pine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the organization of this book (Egypt, Sinai, Wilderness, Home), the quotes the author used from other sources, his personal experience of leaving Egypt and his experience as a counselor of helping his clients leave their own Egypts. A lot of good thoughts to process and apply.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good application of the egypt-wilderness-promised land paradigm to our lived experience. Written with a theologian's precision but with a counselor's heart and insight. Wish I could rate this one 4.5 stars

[Rachel Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I needed to read right now!

[MK Wildeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth taking slow and really soaking in. It's a needed deep dive.

[Pam Volker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book club discussion book and growing deeper in your spiritual walk.

[Sohyun Choi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read!

Awesome read. The story of Egypt has continued to speak to me over the years and this book led me to see and understand this story in a various number of new ways.

[Rachel | All the RAD Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a counselor recommendation this month, but after reading Defiant, I knew God was trying to teach me something in the Exodus story so I dove in. I looooved this one, too. Convicting and enlightening and encouraging, and I just want to read everything I can about/in/on Exodus and the wilderness right now. Any recs for me?!

[Abbie Chamberlain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A life-saver. Thank you Chuck for the words and Jenna for the gift. Fall, 2020

[Rachelle Sperling · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Leaving Egypt: Finding God in the Wilderness Places, DeGroat starts with the premise that "The Exodus story is your story."

The entire book resonated deeply with me and I saw my own life in new and fresh ways as the author related my journey (our journeys) to the Exodus journey. With topics of fear, lament, brokenness, community, identity and freedom I found myself fully engaged as each new chapter unfolded. I'm now looking forward to walking through this book with others in the context of community (each chapter includes questions for reflection).

The book is broken up into four sections:

Egypt: Facing Our Fear --- "We'll explore the terrain of Egypt, seeing both its enslavement and its appeal. We'll explore how we long for very good things and how these things often enslave us. Often we reach for quick fixes, Band-Aids for deep wounds only to be disappointed. God's remedy is a relational one. At it's heart is the struggle to trust others, and, most important, to trust in God."

Sinai: Receiving Our New Identity --- Sinai is the first major stop in the wilderness and "it's both a signpost to a better life and a potential roadblock for those who aren't ready for the test. As travelers, we're tempted to pitch our tents at Sinai, unwilling to venture into the deeper, darker wilderness territory. Sinai represents our tendency to find both intellectual and moral certainty in our confusion. Growth requires us to travel on, to see Sinai as an invitation to pursue a life of shalom, of flourishing."

Wilderness: Entering the Furnace of Transformation --- This is the core of the book. "In the wilderness we're faced with our worst nightmares and our greatest possibilities. Though American culture holds out the hope of a quick fix, a microwave spirituality, we'll see how God uses the wilderness to deepen us, to mature us, and to draw us into honest, authentic relationship with him as he continues to travel alongside us. We'll see that this is the journey that Jesus took too."

Home: Experiencing New Identity and Mission --- Emerging from the wilderness, we experience an invitation to "surrender through the image of open hands to find rest in Jesus. Surrender leads us to life experienced in relationship with others." Through an exploration of the Beatitudes, DeGroat paints a picture of the kingdom life and the continuing journey of trust as he lays before us the journey of Jesus.

Leaving Egypt overflows with powerful imagery, is grounded in the Scripture and shines with honest authenticity about our struggle as we walk in exodus from Egypt's slavery into the promised kingdom. I give it my highest recommendation.

---I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.---

[Timothy Hoiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before it is anything else, the story told in the book of Exodus is a story of God acting in history to free his people from captivity in Egypt. It’s a story of God’s faithfulness to a not-so-faithful people.

In that story, however – that true story – there are lessons to be learned for those of us who have never been made to make literal bricks in a literal Egypt. Dr. Chuck DeGroat, author of Leaving Egypt: Finding God in the Wilderness Places, writes in the book’s introduction, “I have come to believe that the Exodus story deeply reflects all our stories.”

Drawing on his experience as a pastor and therapist in San Francisco, DeGroat meditates on the ways in which the journey out of Egypt and the journey out of addictions have powerful parallels, giving us helpful language with which to speak about enslavements of various kinds and the pervasive guilt and shame that accompany them...

- See more at: http://erb.kingdomnow.org/chuck-degro...

[Joshua Reitano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biblical counselor Chuck DeGroat follows Gregory of Nyssa in seeing the exodus not just as a historical event for Israel, but as the pattern of deliverance and the journey of faith for every believer. At times I thought there were some stretches in connecting his ideas to the biblical text, but the overall thrust of the book is helpful. Especially in the emphasis on our personal temptation to return to our own "egypts."

[Colby Woodis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is a reread from college. The content was more impactful then due to where I was in life. DeGroat offers sage advice and wisdom, but it doesn’t resonate like it once did. Could be that in reading this as a book study over the course of a couple months with some guys from church presented the content in a less impactful way. All in all, would recommend.

[Charlanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one we use in the Counseling Skills class I help supervise for my job. It is an important read for anyone wanting to understand the connection between pursuing holiness simultaneously to wholeness. The author writes from the helpful combination of pastor and counselor. However, anyone could find this book relevant.

[Jack Kooyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so very grateful that I chose to read this. This was without a doubt one of the most helpful books I have read in recent years shedding light and providing guidance on the relationship of the "Exodus" journey to the Christian journey. I consider it recommended reading for all Christians who have struggled or despaired on their life's journey.

[Michelle Hensley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been impressed by Chucks transparency and his personal challenges through his journey out of Egypt into the wilderness. He gives a straightforward approach on dealing with and how to live in the wilderness and strengthen our identity in Christ and nothing else.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book full of great truths that I need constant reminders of. This is one that will stay in my current kindle reading material, because its just so encouraging and healing.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous spiritual/psychological insight combined with a fresh reading of the biblical exodus narrative.

[Sophie Nordberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book. Recommended it to a number of people who have also liked it.