What do you think?
Rate this book
LOST IN THE MIDDLE by TRIPP PAUL (2009) Paperback
The Bible never discusses midlife, just like it never discusses teenagers. Yet the Bible is able to unpack any of life's experiences because it was written by the One who made them all. Although this book is directed at those who are facing the issues of midlife, it has a much broader net than that. Lost in the Middle can help all who are confronted with life in this broken world and have lost their way. The God who seems so distant to you in this moment is actually near and active.
Unknown Binding
First published October 1, 2004
192 people are currently reading
583 people want to read
About the author
Paul David Tripp
136 books1,441 followersPaul was born in Toledo, Ohio to Bob and Fae Tripp on November 12, 1950. Paul spent all of his growing years in Toledo until his college years when his parents moved to Southern California.
At Columbia Bible College from 1968-1972, (now Columbia International University) Paul majored in Bible and Christian Education. Although he had planned to be there for only two years and then to study journalism, Paul more and more felt like there was so much of the theology of Scripture that he did not understand, so he decided to go to seminary. Paul met Luella Jackson at College and they married in 1971. In 1971, Paul took his first pastoral position and has had a heart for the local church ever since. After college, Paul completed his Master of Divinity degree at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary (now known as Philadelphia Theological Seminary) in Philadelphia (1972-1975). It was during these days that Paul’s commitment to ministry solidified. After seminary, Paul was involved in planting a church in Scranton, Pennsylvania (1977-1987) where he also founded a Christian School. During the years in Scranton, Paul became involved in music, traveling with a band and writing worship songs. In Scranton, Paul became interested in biblical counseling and decided to enroll in the D.Min program in Biblical Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Paul then became a faculty member of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF) and a lecturer in biblical counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Paul has also served as Visiting Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
In 2009, Paul joined the faculty of Redeemer Seminary (daughter school of Westminster) in Dallas, Texas as Professor of Pastoral Life and Care.[1]
Beginning in June, 2006, Paul became the President of Paul Tripp Ministries, a non-profit organization, whose mission statement is "Connecting the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life." In addition to his current role as President of Paul Tripp Ministries, on January 1, 2007, Paul also became part of the pastoral staff at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA where he preached every Sunday evening and lead the Ministry to Center City through March, 2011 when he resigned due to the expanding time commitments needed at Paul Tripp Ministries.
Paul, Luella, and their four children moved to Philadelphia in 1987 and have lived there ever since. Paul is a prolific author and has written twelve books on Christian living which are sold internationally. Luella manages a large commercial art gallery in the city and Paul is very dedicated to painting as an avocation.[2] Paul’s driving passion is to help people understand how the gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ really does speak with practical hope into all the things they will face in this broken world. Paul is a pastor with a pastor’s heart, a gifted speaker, his journey taking him all over the world, an author of numerous books on practical Christian living, and a man who is hopelessly in love with Luella.
At Columbia Bible College from 1968-1972, (now Columbia International University) Paul majored in Bible and Christian Education. Although he had planned to be there for only two years and then to study journalism, Paul more and more felt like there was so much of the theology of Scripture that he did not understand, so he decided to go to seminary. Paul met Luella Jackson at College and they married in 1971. In 1971, Paul took his first pastoral position and has had a heart for the local church ever since. After college, Paul completed his Master of Divinity degree at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary (now known as Philadelphia Theological Seminary) in Philadelphia (1972-1975). It was during these days that Paul’s commitment to ministry solidified. After seminary, Paul was involved in planting a church in Scranton, Pennsylvania (1977-1987) where he also founded a Christian School. During the years in Scranton, Paul became involved in music, traveling with a band and writing worship songs. In Scranton, Paul became interested in biblical counseling and decided to enroll in the D.Min program in Biblical Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Paul then became a faculty member of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF) and a lecturer in biblical counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Paul has also served as Visiting Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
In 2009, Paul joined the faculty of Redeemer Seminary (daughter school of Westminster) in Dallas, Texas as Professor of Pastoral Life and Care.[1]
Beginning in June, 2006, Paul became the President of Paul Tripp Ministries, a non-profit organization, whose mission statement is "Connecting the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life." In addition to his current role as President of Paul Tripp Ministries, on January 1, 2007, Paul also became part of the pastoral staff at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA where he preached every Sunday evening and lead the Ministry to Center City through March, 2011 when he resigned due to the expanding time commitments needed at Paul Tripp Ministries.
Paul, Luella, and their four children moved to Philadelphia in 1987 and have lived there ever since. Paul is a prolific author and has written twelve books on Christian living which are sold internationally. Luella manages a large commercial art gallery in the city and Paul is very dedicated to painting as an avocation.[2] Paul’s driving passion is to help people understand how the gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ really does speak with practical hope into all the things they will face in this broken world. Paul is a pastor with a pastor’s heart, a gifted speaker, his journey taking him all over the world, an author of numerous books on practical Christian living, and a man who is hopelessly in love with Luella.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
October 2, 2017
My husband and I were reading this book together. We finally gave up on page 209/346. It was just too boring. He could have said the things he said (some of which WERE interesting) in 100 pages. And I think he should have.
February 13, 2014
Mid-life took me completely by surprise. I have never wanted to be anywhere else than I was (SAHM living in suburbia) in the house, town, church, community right where I lived. Then suddenly the walls were closing in... the illusion of control started to fade away... and even though the relationships remained intact, I found myself dreaming of "escape!" Not from my husband, but maybe from civilization? From responsibility? From children who kept me hopping and driving and buying and cooking and cleaning? lol This book nailed me so perfectly - just when you think you are so unique, it's eye-opening to discover that this is all fairly normal and part of being human. Why should we imagine that we will remain the same from age 21 until death? We recognize adolescence as a period of intense change and rediscovery, and it is validated and applauded as necessary to maturity. And yet when we face similar feelings in mid-life, the attitude becomes one of shame... It all feels like something that ought to be ignored, put down, set aside, denied, covered up. Instead, Tripp proposes that we think of this time of life as a "new start," an opportunity to discover new things about ourselves, to grow and change in positive ways with HOPE and dignity, as we move into the next stage of life.
I read this along with the following books, and found that they all seemed to travel similar routes:
A Daughter's a Daughter (fiction) A Daughter's a Daughter
Absent in the Spring (fiction) Absent In The Spring
Gift from the Sea (memoir) Gift from the Sea
The Gift of an Ordinary Day (memoir, see my review) The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir
Taken altogether, these books were good medicine during a period of discomforting change in my life. Mid-life can feel stressful, but it can also be productive and interesting! Finding others who understand how it feels is a comfort, providing great help along the way. Good fiction provides the beauty and inspiration that we sometimes need to continue the journey with grace.
I read this along with the following books, and found that they all seemed to travel similar routes:
A Daughter's a Daughter (fiction) A Daughter's a Daughter
Absent in the Spring (fiction) Absent In The Spring
Gift from the Sea (memoir) Gift from the Sea
The Gift of an Ordinary Day (memoir, see my review) The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir
Taken altogether, these books were good medicine during a period of discomforting change in my life. Mid-life can feel stressful, but it can also be productive and interesting! Finding others who understand how it feels is a comfort, providing great help along the way. Good fiction provides the beauty and inspiration that we sometimes need to continue the journey with grace.
October 24, 2017
This is going to make my list of best books read in 2017, for sure. It's one of those books that makes me want to buy it by the case to pass out to people. If you are at, over, or quickly approaching that 40-year mark, I highly recommend it.
My parents divorced as they hit 25 years of marriage. I have learned, just in the last week, of two couples I know with serious marriage problems. I look around me and I see people in this mid-season of life struggling. . .mourning the loss of youth and fearing the process of aging. I see people struggling in this season as their idols of beauty, health, material success, marriage, children, etc. are insufficient. I see people struggle with their identities as the passing years rage at the foundations upon which they have staked their identities.
I enjoyed a slow trip through this book as I read it with a group of friends and we met periodically to discuss a couple chapters at a time. I think this is one I will definitely revisit and I feel confident I will gain something beneficial upon each re-reading as the seasons continue to go by. I very much appreciate Tripp's biblical-based worldview on this subject and think if more people kept this perspective before them, we would have fewer crises in mid-life.
My parents divorced as they hit 25 years of marriage. I have learned, just in the last week, of two couples I know with serious marriage problems. I look around me and I see people in this mid-season of life struggling. . .mourning the loss of youth and fearing the process of aging. I see people struggling in this season as their idols of beauty, health, material success, marriage, children, etc. are insufficient. I see people struggle with their identities as the passing years rage at the foundations upon which they have staked their identities.
I enjoyed a slow trip through this book as I read it with a group of friends and we met periodically to discuss a couple chapters at a time. I think this is one I will definitely revisit and I feel confident I will gain something beneficial upon each re-reading as the seasons continue to go by. I very much appreciate Tripp's biblical-based worldview on this subject and think if more people kept this perspective before them, we would have fewer crises in mid-life.
January 30, 2026
Paul David Tripp’s Book, “Lost in the Middle” is a must read book for all believers in any stage of their Christian growth.
As John Glenn sadly states, “There is still no cure for the common birthday.” Is this a true statement? It could be if we are looking at the creation and the “stuff of life” rather than focusing outwardly on our Creator and the redemption He offers alone in His son Jesus Christ.
But how do we get our selfish eyes off self and place them on the selfless lifestyle that He prescribes for us? Tripp hits the nail on the head! Digesting and meditating on this book will lead one to “ accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
This book describes exactly where my life has traveled especially over these last 4 years. Beginning with my loss of my wife to cancer, experiencing several difficult relationships, having to leave a great job I loved dearly, coming close to death from a traumatic fall, and now experiencing an incredible personal trial in my church.
All of this adversity has put me in a place where I could very easy throttle back in life and question the value and worthiness of my life just as the Psalmist cries out,
“Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why are you disturbed within me?
Wait for God, for I shall still praise Him,
For the salvation of His presence.
O my God, my soul is in despair within me”
— Psalm 42:5-6
Psalm 88 also describes a very depressing time in one’s life.
Paul Tripp’s book is the one book (besides God’s Holy Word) that has ministered to me just as a Christian counselor or close friend would, speaking boldly yet with a loving hand with carefully crafted words and skillfully guiding me with the solid truths from God’s Word.
Even though I am much older than one experiencing a “mid life crisis,” this book is for anyone, at any age struggling with all of the difficulties associated with living in a God-cursed creation—you will read your life in these pages.
Tripp skillfully uses God’s precious Word , showing the reader the way out so he-she can continue in their Pilgrims Progress and finish strong, not forfeiting rewards accrued in faithful service.
“Therefore, let us fear, lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have fallen short of it.”
— Hebrews 4:1
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- Life on this side of glory is hard.
- The Bible is a narrative, and because it is a narrative, it tells us everything we need to know about midlife concerns.”
- Many people are LOST simply because they do not understand the context in which they live, work, play, and worship.
- We live in a world that has been bent and twisted by a force so fundamental, so powerful, that it literally impacts every human thought, every human intention, every situation, every experience of society and every moment of history!
- There is no circumstance that is not under God’s control. All things continue to work because He holds everything together by the power of His will. (R.C Sproul - there are no maverick molecules).
- Sin dyes every cell of the heart and twists everything we do toward evil.
- The Bible invites me-you to the hope that ONLY can be found in a Redeemer.
- Our plans never work according to our plans and we are always trying to figure out our lives.
- Powerful personal awareness and powerful personal interpretation must always be included in whatever we do to understand the realities of midlife. Scripture alone is where this awareness and interpretation is based upon.
- Beneath every physical beauty is the God of awesome wonder. Our temptation to replace the spiritual glories of the Creator with the physical glories of the creation greets and grasps us every day. This is pure idolatry.
- We deify our our physical bodies, physical pleasure, material possessions, the security of a place or home, the love of a physical person like a spouse while at the same time forgetting the spiritual glories of intimate communion with the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the great and awesome Creator God Yahweh!
- Regret calls me to confess that I have failed and to let go of the myth of my perceived righteousness. ( Roman’s 7:14)
- We tend to play the con man with ourselves, explaining away our sin. If we embrace the reality of our sinfulness, it can be the beginning of a remarkably new phase of redemptive insight, change, and personal celebration.
- We don’t have to live looking backward. We are free to move on.
Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 3:13-14
- Your horizontal dreams will either die or disappoint you. Dreams die because this world is a broken place. Dreams die because there is a Supreme God and nothing exists outside the scope of His plan.
- Dream vertically not horizontally!
- You are most lost when you cannot see past your personal drama! Details of my little “story” do not provide enough information, reason, and wisdom to help make sense of what really is. Job had no idea of why he was experiencing what he was experiencing.
- Midlife is a time of suffering.
- The struggles of midlife should make you angry—angry at what sin has done to God’s original creation. (1 Peter 1:3-9)
- Trials are God’s boiling pot that purifies out the muck in one’s life.
- There is a redemptive purpose to the pain of midlife struggle.
- One of the most dangerous delusions for each of us is the delusion of our own sovereignty.
- One of the most dangerous idols is the idol of control.
- There are many people in midlife who quit fighting the fight of faith. Doubt and bitterness seep into their hearts and begin to eat away at love and worship of their Creator and Lover of their soul.
- When I forget the war that is going on for control of my heart, there is no way to benefit from the insight and rescue that our Lord provides and reveals in Scripture.
- No sinner (anyone on this earth) can ever be your rock and fortress. No sinner can give you a consistent reason for hope. Sooner or later, everyone around you will fail you.
- We can’t look to people to give us only what Yahweh can give us.
- If you idolize relationships, you are NOT loving those closest to you. Instead of serving people because you love them, you are willing to serve them so they will love you. This kind of parasitic relationship is never healthy. Only as you keep the first great commandment will you have hope keeping the second.
“And he answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
— Luke 10:27
- The final solution to getting vertical in our dreaming is found in Revelation 5 & 7– Eavesdropping on eternity.
These passages are the believer’s compass that orients every aspect of a Christian’s lifestyle, so that it is absolutely essential for understanding the struggles of midlife.
Tripp concludes, “It is tempting to conclude that we have been an unmitigated failure, and God has been shockingly unfaithful. In reading Revelation 5 &7, listen to the elders and angels in eternity. Listen to the creatures of the earth. They would say it has all been worth it, because the one war that was absolutely vital to win has been won on your behalf.
Chas Morse
As John Glenn sadly states, “There is still no cure for the common birthday.” Is this a true statement? It could be if we are looking at the creation and the “stuff of life” rather than focusing outwardly on our Creator and the redemption He offers alone in His son Jesus Christ.
But how do we get our selfish eyes off self and place them on the selfless lifestyle that He prescribes for us? Tripp hits the nail on the head! Digesting and meditating on this book will lead one to “ accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
This book describes exactly where my life has traveled especially over these last 4 years. Beginning with my loss of my wife to cancer, experiencing several difficult relationships, having to leave a great job I loved dearly, coming close to death from a traumatic fall, and now experiencing an incredible personal trial in my church.
All of this adversity has put me in a place where I could very easy throttle back in life and question the value and worthiness of my life just as the Psalmist cries out,
“Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why are you disturbed within me?
Wait for God, for I shall still praise Him,
For the salvation of His presence.
O my God, my soul is in despair within me”
— Psalm 42:5-6
Psalm 88 also describes a very depressing time in one’s life.
Paul Tripp’s book is the one book (besides God’s Holy Word) that has ministered to me just as a Christian counselor or close friend would, speaking boldly yet with a loving hand with carefully crafted words and skillfully guiding me with the solid truths from God’s Word.
Even though I am much older than one experiencing a “mid life crisis,” this book is for anyone, at any age struggling with all of the difficulties associated with living in a God-cursed creation—you will read your life in these pages.
Tripp skillfully uses God’s precious Word , showing the reader the way out so he-she can continue in their Pilgrims Progress and finish strong, not forfeiting rewards accrued in faithful service.
“Therefore, let us fear, lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have fallen short of it.”
— Hebrews 4:1
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- Life on this side of glory is hard.
- The Bible is a narrative, and because it is a narrative, it tells us everything we need to know about midlife concerns.”
- Many people are LOST simply because they do not understand the context in which they live, work, play, and worship.
- We live in a world that has been bent and twisted by a force so fundamental, so powerful, that it literally impacts every human thought, every human intention, every situation, every experience of society and every moment of history!
- There is no circumstance that is not under God’s control. All things continue to work because He holds everything together by the power of His will. (R.C Sproul - there are no maverick molecules).
- Sin dyes every cell of the heart and twists everything we do toward evil.
- The Bible invites me-you to the hope that ONLY can be found in a Redeemer.
- Our plans never work according to our plans and we are always trying to figure out our lives.
- Powerful personal awareness and powerful personal interpretation must always be included in whatever we do to understand the realities of midlife. Scripture alone is where this awareness and interpretation is based upon.
- Beneath every physical beauty is the God of awesome wonder. Our temptation to replace the spiritual glories of the Creator with the physical glories of the creation greets and grasps us every day. This is pure idolatry.
- We deify our our physical bodies, physical pleasure, material possessions, the security of a place or home, the love of a physical person like a spouse while at the same time forgetting the spiritual glories of intimate communion with the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the great and awesome Creator God Yahweh!
- Regret calls me to confess that I have failed and to let go of the myth of my perceived righteousness. ( Roman’s 7:14)
- We tend to play the con man with ourselves, explaining away our sin. If we embrace the reality of our sinfulness, it can be the beginning of a remarkably new phase of redemptive insight, change, and personal celebration.
- We don’t have to live looking backward. We are free to move on.
Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 3:13-14
- Your horizontal dreams will either die or disappoint you. Dreams die because this world is a broken place. Dreams die because there is a Supreme God and nothing exists outside the scope of His plan.
- Dream vertically not horizontally!
- You are most lost when you cannot see past your personal drama! Details of my little “story” do not provide enough information, reason, and wisdom to help make sense of what really is. Job had no idea of why he was experiencing what he was experiencing.
- Midlife is a time of suffering.
- The struggles of midlife should make you angry—angry at what sin has done to God’s original creation. (1 Peter 1:3-9)
- Trials are God’s boiling pot that purifies out the muck in one’s life.
- There is a redemptive purpose to the pain of midlife struggle.
- One of the most dangerous delusions for each of us is the delusion of our own sovereignty.
- One of the most dangerous idols is the idol of control.
- There are many people in midlife who quit fighting the fight of faith. Doubt and bitterness seep into their hearts and begin to eat away at love and worship of their Creator and Lover of their soul.
- When I forget the war that is going on for control of my heart, there is no way to benefit from the insight and rescue that our Lord provides and reveals in Scripture.
- No sinner (anyone on this earth) can ever be your rock and fortress. No sinner can give you a consistent reason for hope. Sooner or later, everyone around you will fail you.
- We can’t look to people to give us only what Yahweh can give us.
- If you idolize relationships, you are NOT loving those closest to you. Instead of serving people because you love them, you are willing to serve them so they will love you. This kind of parasitic relationship is never healthy. Only as you keep the first great commandment will you have hope keeping the second.
“And he answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
— Luke 10:27
- The final solution to getting vertical in our dreaming is found in Revelation 5 & 7– Eavesdropping on eternity.
These passages are the believer’s compass that orients every aspect of a Christian’s lifestyle, so that it is absolutely essential for understanding the struggles of midlife.
Tripp concludes, “It is tempting to conclude that we have been an unmitigated failure, and God has been shockingly unfaithful. In reading Revelation 5 &7, listen to the elders and angels in eternity. Listen to the creatures of the earth. They would say it has all been worth it, because the one war that was absolutely vital to win has been won on your behalf.
Chas Morse
July 17, 2025
To all GenXers entering Midlife... This is a marvellously helpful book. Tripp observes that "midlife is a crescendo," but not in the way we might have hoped or planned for ourselves. It's a "crescendo of God's grace." I'm so thankful for the words of wisdom, biblical insights, and pastoral care offer by Paul David Tripp. I have felt "lost in the middle," but now I see God's gracious hand still at work in my life. I highly recommend!
January 25, 2011
This book was a great encouragement to me, as I have often felt discouraged and defeated over the past year. The author did a great job of pointing out why we may find ourselves adrift in our middle years. I am thankful for the reminder that God is all-sufficient and all that I need, and He loves me too much to let me put my hope in anything but Him. May I remember that truth and live joyfully in light of it!
July 14, 2023
4.5 stars
It took me a long time to read through this book. Not because it was dry or boring, but because there was so much to think about. No, maybe I don’t relate to many of the examples the author shared, but that didn’t mean I didn’t glean nuggets of truth and wisdom along the way. And some parts–yeah, I needed them. I’m still mulling over some things, and I’m sure I will be for quite some time.
I would recommend this to anyone who is feeling a little lost, not sure what is going on in their life or what God is doing, or anyone who is good friends with someone going through things like that.
It took me a long time to read through this book. Not because it was dry or boring, but because there was so much to think about. No, maybe I don’t relate to many of the examples the author shared, but that didn’t mean I didn’t glean nuggets of truth and wisdom along the way. And some parts–yeah, I needed them. I’m still mulling over some things, and I’m sure I will be for quite some time.
I would recommend this to anyone who is feeling a little lost, not sure what is going on in their life or what God is doing, or anyone who is good friends with someone going through things like that.
November 13, 2018
With a lot of changes happening in my life, I thought it'd be worthwhile to read this book. I absolutely love Paul Tripp's approach to Christian counseling and this book is a good representation of his style and focus. (By the way, I did realize while reading this book that I am not -- at least not yet -- having a mid-life crisis.) Tripp looks at various disappointments of mid-life and examines them with the light of the gospel. He addresses the heart issues behind topics like suffering, the need to control, misplaced worship, and false identity. Good stuff.
May 20, 2017
Once again, Paul David Tripp is dead on! This book caused me to really think about what am I putting my energy, treasures, and time into...as well as my zeal and affection. You can't read it and live like you never ingested these truths. So good!
September 15, 2022
4.5: This book was so insightful and helped me understand so much of what I was thinking and feeling in a broader context. I'm so grateful for my friend sharing it with me! My only complaint is that the author gets pretty wordy at times, otherwise, a fantastic book.
September 22, 2024
Good, if occasionally too long.
June 26, 2021
É com amor, sabedoria e franqueza que Paul Tripp trata nesse livro os dilemas próprios da chamada fase da meia-idade. Quando os anos começam a vir, também na maioria das vezes, chegam sentimentos de fracasso, arrependimento, inadequação e a conclusão de que alguns sonhos ficaram perdidos pelo caminho. A sensação de que o tempo a frente já não é tão longo. É então nesse momento que alguns ficam paralisados com tal sensação, sentindo-se desanimados com o peso da idade.
Perdido no Meio revela que essas dificuldades da vida não são evidência da falta de cuidado de Deus, mas sinais de sua graça, amor e fidelidade e da oportunidade de crescer e desenvolver um caráter mais maduro e dependente de Senhor. Este livro oferece a esperança de uma graça desconfortável, a qual, quando entendida e abraçada, nos capacita a seguir adiante confiantes daquilo que Deus quer de nós.
Dificilmente você sairá dessa leitura da maneira que entrou, é uma leitura desafiadora, que mostra claramente nossa idolatria e pontos de falha, que poderá resultar em dias futuros em desesperança e frustração, mas também é um livro que demonstrará que graça do Senhor nos é suficiente para vencermos e sairmos do outro lado com uma nova perspectiva da vida e da adoração ao verdadeiro Deus. Aproveite cada instante e compre mais de um marca texto, você irá precisar.
Perdido no Meio revela que essas dificuldades da vida não são evidência da falta de cuidado de Deus, mas sinais de sua graça, amor e fidelidade e da oportunidade de crescer e desenvolver um caráter mais maduro e dependente de Senhor. Este livro oferece a esperança de uma graça desconfortável, a qual, quando entendida e abraçada, nos capacita a seguir adiante confiantes daquilo que Deus quer de nós.
Dificilmente você sairá dessa leitura da maneira que entrou, é uma leitura desafiadora, que mostra claramente nossa idolatria e pontos de falha, que poderá resultar em dias futuros em desesperança e frustração, mas também é um livro que demonstrará que graça do Senhor nos é suficiente para vencermos e sairmos do outro lado com uma nova perspectiva da vida e da adoração ao verdadeiro Deus. Aproveite cada instante e compre mais de um marca texto, você irá precisar.
June 30, 2019
Audio: This is not available on Audible. The audible version is only available through the Paul Tripp website. It is read by the author and is not polished, but honestly, I'd take a not-polished, read-by-the-author audible book over a professionally-read, robotic sounding voice any day! So, my biggest frustration with the audible was not being able to save my place or bookmark my "highlights."
The Book:
While I am only at the beginning of midlife and have not experienced a mid-life crisis, I'm glad to have read this book! It was a great encouragement to remember where to continue to my focus, on Christ. This life is not about me or my dreams - even good, God-glorifying, kingdom building dreams - we exist to glorify God and that might look different than what we always expected.
The book is very much centered on examples from others' lives. My biggest complaint is that Tripp often uses (what seems to me) extreme examples, in this book, those who've completely lost health or work. In reality, there are probably a lot more people who are just plodding along with no major life change, but need encouragement to simply stay the course and honor God in life, work, and family. There was a lot of good stuff in the book and I would definitely recommend it to others!
The Book:
While I am only at the beginning of midlife and have not experienced a mid-life crisis, I'm glad to have read this book! It was a great encouragement to remember where to continue to my focus, on Christ. This life is not about me or my dreams - even good, God-glorifying, kingdom building dreams - we exist to glorify God and that might look different than what we always expected.
The book is very much centered on examples from others' lives. My biggest complaint is that Tripp often uses (what seems to me) extreme examples, in this book, those who've completely lost health or work. In reality, there are probably a lot more people who are just plodding along with no major life change, but need encouragement to simply stay the course and honor God in life, work, and family. There was a lot of good stuff in the book and I would definitely recommend it to others!
December 7, 2014
Excellent.
October 20, 2018
Paul Tripp is consistently on the mark in diagnosing the sinful condition of the heart, whatever stage of life or topic he addresses. Lost in the Middle does not disappoint. Tripp accurately describes the mid-life problem: a heart fixed on idols that have disappointed you leaves you dissatisfied with and disinterested in life if you don’t re-orient your heart away from the things you crave on earth and back to the Lord. We start excavating our past and are disappointed to find the career or relationship or identity we invested ourselves in for years has not satisfied as we had hoped.
Tripp takes a long time to say it, though. This is the only downside to the book. The stories are often useful for the reader to identify himself as “lost in the middle.” So I don’t begrudge the use or amount of stories. It’s an inherent part of the problem to not realize what is happening to you – that you are lost. So stories of real people suffering a mid-life crisis really help. But the book could have been much shorter and still gotten the point across, it seems. Still, the content of Tripp’s books involved necessary soul searching, which in turn requires slowing down and a meditative, ambling mood. So going over a theme a few times doesn’t hurt. “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you” (Philippians 3:1).
Highly recommended reading for anyone aged about 35-45.
I give this book a rare 5 stars, because it was immensely helpful to me, personally.
Tripp takes a long time to say it, though. This is the only downside to the book. The stories are often useful for the reader to identify himself as “lost in the middle.” So I don’t begrudge the use or amount of stories. It’s an inherent part of the problem to not realize what is happening to you – that you are lost. So stories of real people suffering a mid-life crisis really help. But the book could have been much shorter and still gotten the point across, it seems. Still, the content of Tripp’s books involved necessary soul searching, which in turn requires slowing down and a meditative, ambling mood. So going over a theme a few times doesn’t hurt. “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you” (Philippians 3:1).
Highly recommended reading for anyone aged about 35-45.
I give this book a rare 5 stars, because it was immensely helpful to me, personally.
September 15, 2023
This book had been sitting on my shelf for years, waiting for the right midlife moment. It finally came. Though not my favorite Tripp work, this book still offers good reminders and admonitions for keeping the faith. I'm grateful for Tripp's words of wisdom, rooted in Scripture. A bit of repetition made this book a bit longer than it needed to be, but it didn't hurt to give certain principles a chance to sink in a bit more. Incidentally, I did buy a new guitar during this stage, and I'm always on the lookout for a Porsche 911. Just saying. :) God's goodness looks different through different eyes, and I'm grateful to the help with perspective.
January 13, 2026
So good!!! I am not in mid-life, but it’s coming for me haha, and I love reading books and learning from people a couple steps ahead of me. Honestly this isn’t a stage I’ve thought much about, which is probably why it catches a lot of people by surprise. The regrets, disappointments, dreams that never happened, or just the emptiness people can feel at a certain point in their lives- this is all discussed in this book through a biblical lens that is incredibly helpful. I love Paul David Tripp’s books because his examples are so excellent and relatable. This definitely took me months to read haha- it’s long and a lot to chew on! But it was great. Highly recommend
February 21, 2018
I literally turned the book face down when I was reading in public because... ahem... I'm not really ready to discuss my midlife crisis with the world. (And yet here I am, right?) This book is EXCELLENT. I cannot understate how helpful it is. Tripp has such a compassionate, pastorly way of writing. He gently leads readers into understanding how our own misaligned thought processes can lead to devastating and hurtful periods of life in this midlife time. Spoiler alert: aligning our hearts to God's is the antidote.
April 7, 2025
I needed a dose of Paul Tripp's tough love gospel medicine.
It's absurd that this is 350 pages; it's verbose and repetitive and would have benefited from ruthless editing. But it's full of truth, goodness, and beauty--a sometimes painful yet very necessary call to repentance and faith and reorienting your story in the context of the much larger story of Christ and His kingdom. The "case studies" were sometimes simplistic and cheesy and I definitely think it could have been a lot shorter (and would be more helpful and accessible to more people if it was), but I'm still glad I read it.
It's absurd that this is 350 pages; it's verbose and repetitive and would have benefited from ruthless editing. But it's full of truth, goodness, and beauty--a sometimes painful yet very necessary call to repentance and faith and reorienting your story in the context of the much larger story of Christ and His kingdom. The "case studies" were sometimes simplistic and cheesy and I definitely think it could have been a lot shorter (and would be more helpful and accessible to more people if it was), but I'm still glad I read it.
November 23, 2022
Lots of genuinely helpful content here. I think most of what was most helpful was in the first third of the book, and I find the machine-gun exhortations pretty exhausting to wade through. Some issues resonated more than others. But the overall thesis - that the kinds of things that trigger midlife crises are things that need dealing with, and that midlife is therefore an opportunity for genuine Christian repentance and growth - is sound and helpful.
June 11, 2017
Are living with regret or disappointments as you enter the midlife? This is a book for middle age to older people who are facing their legacy in life. Great book and thoughtful in it's approach of how God is using everything in our lives to get our attention to depend and worship him fully even in the midst of regret and disappointment.
August 8, 2017
Tripp nails the feeling of discontent and the elusiveness of satisfaction that every human being experiences at all phases of life: this sense of disappointment is often heightened in mid-life, hence the title. But, this book is a wonderful read for any person who has ever said, "Surely there is more to life!"
April 21, 2018
Timely in my life. I had read the first third then set it aside. I thought it was interesting and well written, but it didn't pull me along. Then something I couldn't understand happened in my life. I needed counsel and picked up this book again. It helped me begin to understand the formidable grace of God at work in me and around me.
November 25, 2025
Paul Trip has exceptional insight into the workings of our "inner man". I found this book challenging because I could relate to much of what he wrote about. This is a time of self-examination and even exploration to who and what we are, or have become, and a great opportunity to re-evaluate who we are becoming. Thank you for this. It was hard to see myself as I truly am, but excited to know that God hasn't changed, and His plans will always top ours!
July 20, 2021
Thank you, Paul
As always, Paul David Tripp captures the essence of Scripture in addressing my emotional and physical realities of this fallen world. I cherish his insights as I walk through challenges today.
As always, Paul David Tripp captures the essence of Scripture in addressing my emotional and physical realities of this fallen world. I cherish his insights as I walk through challenges today.
August 9, 2025
Good things to ponder, regardless of your age. It took me a good 2 months to work through it, but I enjoyed thinking through what he mentioned. He addresses heart issues more than quick advice, which I appreciate.
October 14, 2017
Best. Book. Ever. This book should be required reading for all believers in their forties and fifties. Really gives a Christ-centered view of life, aging, empty nest.
May 31, 2019
Excellent book! I wish I could have read this at age 20 with the same wisdom I have now. Paul Tripp masterfully dissect middle age and the real problem that constitute middle age - which is totally counterintuitive in our day and age. But he also gently, encouragingly nudges us in the right direction.
did-not-finish
December 10, 2019Started audio book. Couldn’t handle the reader he was so bad. Content seemed good though
May 24, 2021
Wow. This book really helped with a much-needed perspective shift for me. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is struggling with the Empty Nest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews