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Real Peace: What We Long for and Where to Find It
Peace is possible. We all experience stress, anxiety, grief, conflict, depression and despair―pain that causes us to cry out for peace. Taking on these common yet critical hardships, seasoned pastor and biblical counselor Andy Farmer shows us where to find and how to experience true, lasting peace―peace with God, peace with each other, and peace with ourselves.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 21, 2016
I read this book in the busy season of wedding prep. Andy writes with clarity and poignancy on an issue that pretty much everyone struggles with. It will definitely be something I read more than once in difference seasons of life.
January 20, 2014
I’ve done some minor study into the doctrine of peace in Scripture (“Surpassing Peace: Ours in Jesus Christ” and “Celebrating the Arrival: The Prince of Peace”). It’s a topic fertile with gospel application and God-focused meditation. I hope Andy’s Real Peace spurs more exploration on peace.
Andy approaches peace from an academic point of view, although you can tell he’s done his work. He approaches primarily pastorally--with a heart full of empathy and love.
Andy says, “God’s peace insurgency will not only survive, it will reign in the earth” (p. 41). For me this sentence is a wonderfully succinct way to describe God’s peace. From the original announcement of peace by angel’s in Luke 2 (pp. 42, 60) an insurgency of peace came on earth and with Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement it reigns in the person of Jesus Christ. Peace in Scripture is explicitly Trinitarian: Sent by God the Father, accomplished by God the Son, and alive on earth through the Holy Spirit.
He also teases out a major implication for those of us who have peace. He provides many, but this I believe applies especially in my own life and in the life of those I’ve observed over the years. It’s a bit of a lengthy paragraph, but well worth the read.
One of the most troubling experiences I have in pastoral ministry is encountering someone who is offended and is demanding justice. Sadly, what I have often found in folks is that they are not really looking for justice. They crave vindication. Let me illustrate. If I am in conflict with someone and believe they have done me wrong, then it is understandable that I would want them to own that wrong and do what is reasonable to make it right. That’s justice. But suppose you and I are in conflict and we differ on what really happened. What if I’m not satisfied with your simply acknowledging where you see you’re wrong? What if I also insist that you agree that I’m right? That is vindication. Seeking vindication of my perspective, my feelings, or my facts is an unachievable, and more importantly, unrighteous goal. Who, after all, is completely right? There are people, confessing Christians, who get stuck in this hopeless quest for vindication, and they are willing to live contentious, stress-filled, peaceless lives to fight for it. Biblical discernment values justice because it is important to God, not because it is necessary for personal peace. What gets us to peace is not justice, but mercy. Mercy among God’s reconciled people always “triumphs over judgment” ( James 2:13). (p. 74)
Peaces frees the Christian from seeking vindication in the dirty here and now. Peace and justice go hand in hand, but that’s worlds apart from personal vindication.
The bulk of the Real Peace applies the doctrine of peace as laid out in the first few chapters to real life in our fallen world. He talks about stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and conflict. As someone who struggle with depression, I found his application and insights drove my attention to God. For those who struggle in one of those areas, Real Peace will feel like balm to your soul. Even if you do not now, all of us will experience grief and loss at some point and only the heart prepared and rooted in God will respond well. Real Peace will prepare you for living in the shadow of the Almighty, while on this broken world.
Because we do live in a broken world, Real Peace is a book for every one. God’s peace passes all understanding. It stands firm in the midst of all suffering. It’s an anchor. It’s a person--Jesus Christ. Strive after peace and you will find Christ. Andy Farmer will guide you on your journey.
Andy approaches peace from an academic point of view, although you can tell he’s done his work. He approaches primarily pastorally--with a heart full of empathy and love.
Andy says, “God’s peace insurgency will not only survive, it will reign in the earth” (p. 41). For me this sentence is a wonderfully succinct way to describe God’s peace. From the original announcement of peace by angel’s in Luke 2 (pp. 42, 60) an insurgency of peace came on earth and with Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement it reigns in the person of Jesus Christ. Peace in Scripture is explicitly Trinitarian: Sent by God the Father, accomplished by God the Son, and alive on earth through the Holy Spirit.
He also teases out a major implication for those of us who have peace. He provides many, but this I believe applies especially in my own life and in the life of those I’ve observed over the years. It’s a bit of a lengthy paragraph, but well worth the read.
One of the most troubling experiences I have in pastoral ministry is encountering someone who is offended and is demanding justice. Sadly, what I have often found in folks is that they are not really looking for justice. They crave vindication. Let me illustrate. If I am in conflict with someone and believe they have done me wrong, then it is understandable that I would want them to own that wrong and do what is reasonable to make it right. That’s justice. But suppose you and I are in conflict and we differ on what really happened. What if I’m not satisfied with your simply acknowledging where you see you’re wrong? What if I also insist that you agree that I’m right? That is vindication. Seeking vindication of my perspective, my feelings, or my facts is an unachievable, and more importantly, unrighteous goal. Who, after all, is completely right? There are people, confessing Christians, who get stuck in this hopeless quest for vindication, and they are willing to live contentious, stress-filled, peaceless lives to fight for it. Biblical discernment values justice because it is important to God, not because it is necessary for personal peace. What gets us to peace is not justice, but mercy. Mercy among God’s reconciled people always “triumphs over judgment” ( James 2:13). (p. 74)
Peaces frees the Christian from seeking vindication in the dirty here and now. Peace and justice go hand in hand, but that’s worlds apart from personal vindication.
The bulk of the Real Peace applies the doctrine of peace as laid out in the first few chapters to real life in our fallen world. He talks about stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and conflict. As someone who struggle with depression, I found his application and insights drove my attention to God. For those who struggle in one of those areas, Real Peace will feel like balm to your soul. Even if you do not now, all of us will experience grief and loss at some point and only the heart prepared and rooted in God will respond well. Real Peace will prepare you for living in the shadow of the Almighty, while on this broken world.
Because we do live in a broken world, Real Peace is a book for every one. God’s peace passes all understanding. It stands firm in the midst of all suffering. It’s an anchor. It’s a person--Jesus Christ. Strive after peace and you will find Christ. Andy Farmer will guide you on your journey.
November 7, 2017
Such a wonderful book about a topic I struggle with. Peace can feel hard to come by and hard to keep. I was blessed by the time and care Farmer put into each chapter and how he explained his points with lots of scripture.
Famer began with talking about what peace it, why we want it and why we don't have it. He then addresses peace through the eyes of stress, anxiety, depression, grief, general conflict, conflict within the church and the world in general.
I was drawn to this book because of the chapters on stress, anxiety, and depression which I did find to be very helpful. The book as a whole was wonderful and I was glad that I read it from cover to cover and didn't skip to the chapters that were of particular interest to me.
Famer began with talking about what peace it, why we want it and why we don't have it. He then addresses peace through the eyes of stress, anxiety, depression, grief, general conflict, conflict within the church and the world in general.
I was drawn to this book because of the chapters on stress, anxiety, and depression which I did find to be very helpful. The book as a whole was wonderful and I was glad that I read it from cover to cover and didn't skip to the chapters that were of particular interest to me.
March 19, 2019
I read this as a favor to my MIL who has chosen a different method of spirituality than I have. Though there were a few nice nuggets of information I felt that the author was 1. ill equipped to speak to mental illness in any real way, and 2. not truly at peace himself. At times I found him to be overwhelmingly judgmental of others around him, an example was his remark that he always carries breath mints after meeting an aggressive born again man who had bad breath, showing that he still, even in the writing of the book, sees with judgement. I believe that those truly at peace have left judgment behind. If it helps you find peace, that is delightful. In the words of the great Amy Poehler, good for you, not for me.
February 27, 2019
I picked this book up on clearance through an online Christian book retailer. I had not heard of the author before, but the title interested me. Now, having finished the book, I'm very thankful that I found it! This book was an encouragement to me, particularly chapters 4-7. In fact, those middle chapters were worth well beyond the price of the book. My copy did have some typos and grammatical errors, but perhaps that is why it was on clearance. Anyway, great read. Really enjoyed this one.
July 5, 2013
Peace. Everyone wants it and most seem to think it is the answer to the world's problems. But what does it look like and how do we get it? In his book, Real Peace, Andy Farmer offers some answers to what peace is, how to find it and how to apply it to the struggles of life.
In chapter 1, Farmer defines peace as: harmony, order and fullness. With a full explanation of each, he shows how this fallen world fails to experience these three things. "If we can't have harmony, we'll settle for tolerance...But the best tolerance can do is keep tension at manageable levels. It will never deliver harmony."
In chapter 2 Farmer explains that "shalom peace" is the way things are meant to be and when sin entered the world, creation lost that perfect harmony and order. Humans are constantly in search of that "shalom peace" and chapter 3 gives us the answer to that search: the Prince of Peace. True peace in our human existence only happens when we are made right with God and this reconciliation comes from Christ's atoning death on the cross.
Chapters 4-8 describe how to have peace in the struggles of life - stress, anxiety, grief, depression and conflict. Each chapter takes a passage of Scripture and applies it to the particular struggle in a helpful, encouraging and practical way. For example, by evaluating Phil. 4:8-9 in detail and applying it to daily life, Farmer helps us see where stress can be eliminated/reduced by thinking on the right things.
Chapter 8 had some great thoughts on how understanding the forgiveness we have received in the gospel of Christ should make us more willing to forgive others:
"We need to see that in every conflict there is an absurd commitment to things that destroys peace."
"Trust me, if you wait to hear someone's confession to gather the motivation to forgive them, you will never hear a confession that motivates you to forgive."
"The deeper the gospel penetrates our hearts, the more the Peace of Christ will govern our actions."
The final two chapters help us choose to respond to others in ways that promote peace. Chapters 9 and 10 describe how to have peace with God's people and the world respectively.
I thought this was a wonderful book that dealt thoroughly with the issues related to the peace we long for by using Scripture to teach and encourage us. This book has helped me understand how to respond better to those dealing with grief, how to let go of stress and anxiety and to be more intentional with forgiveness.
*Special thanks to Crossway for providing this book for review through Netgalley.com
In chapter 1, Farmer defines peace as: harmony, order and fullness. With a full explanation of each, he shows how this fallen world fails to experience these three things. "If we can't have harmony, we'll settle for tolerance...But the best tolerance can do is keep tension at manageable levels. It will never deliver harmony."
In chapter 2 Farmer explains that "shalom peace" is the way things are meant to be and when sin entered the world, creation lost that perfect harmony and order. Humans are constantly in search of that "shalom peace" and chapter 3 gives us the answer to that search: the Prince of Peace. True peace in our human existence only happens when we are made right with God and this reconciliation comes from Christ's atoning death on the cross.
Chapters 4-8 describe how to have peace in the struggles of life - stress, anxiety, grief, depression and conflict. Each chapter takes a passage of Scripture and applies it to the particular struggle in a helpful, encouraging and practical way. For example, by evaluating Phil. 4:8-9 in detail and applying it to daily life, Farmer helps us see where stress can be eliminated/reduced by thinking on the right things.
Chapter 8 had some great thoughts on how understanding the forgiveness we have received in the gospel of Christ should make us more willing to forgive others:
"We need to see that in every conflict there is an absurd commitment to things that destroys peace."
"Trust me, if you wait to hear someone's confession to gather the motivation to forgive them, you will never hear a confession that motivates you to forgive."
"The deeper the gospel penetrates our hearts, the more the Peace of Christ will govern our actions."
The final two chapters help us choose to respond to others in ways that promote peace. Chapters 9 and 10 describe how to have peace with God's people and the world respectively.
I thought this was a wonderful book that dealt thoroughly with the issues related to the peace we long for by using Scripture to teach and encourage us. This book has helped me understand how to respond better to those dealing with grief, how to let go of stress and anxiety and to be more intentional with forgiveness.
*Special thanks to Crossway for providing this book for review through Netgalley.com
August 18, 2016
Peace is something we seem to always be seeking, yet always elusive. Andy hits the nail on the head in a variety of areas we seek it and lose it. His gospel connections are clear and powerful, providing both theological implications and practical help, something most books miss.
I do need to say, Andy is my friend and pastor, though it served to bolster the weight of this book as I see him truly live out what he had written.
I do need to say, Andy is my friend and pastor, though it served to bolster the weight of this book as I see him truly live out what he had written.
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