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Yawning at Tigers: You Can't Tame God, So Stop Trying
"A needed corrective to self-indulgent Christianity." Philip Yancey "A stirring challenge." Lee Strobel "A strong antidote against a domesticated God." Matthew Lee Anderson When was the last time you were overawed by God's majesty? Have you ever stood in stunned silence at his holiness and power?In our shallow, self-centered age, things like truth and reverence might seem outdated, lost. Yet we're restless. And our failed attempts to ease our unrest point to an ancient ache for an experience of the holy.Drew Dyck makes a compelling case that what we seek awaits us in the untamed God of Scripture--a God who is dangerous yet accessible, mysterious yet powerfully present. He is a God who beckons us to see him with a fresh, unfiltered gaze.Yawning at Tigers takes us past domesticated Christianity, into the wilds where God's raw majesty, love, and power become more real and transformative than we could ever imagine.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 13, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
December 22, 2014
I'll be honest...I started reading this book, arrogantly thinking that the topic wouldn't much apply to me. I already have a pretty hefty fear of God--I certainly do not see Him as my "buddy". In fact, my awe of Him sometimes even has an adverse effect--causing me to shy away from the time I so desperately need to spend in seeking Him out daily.
However, as I dove deeper into this book, I realized, as I often do, that what I pridefully pride myself on, is often the very thing that I need to work on. And so it was, with this book.
The author, Drew Dyck, lined truths out like pictures that I could easily grasp---emphasizing both the holiness of God along with the accessibility of God. His words helped to strip away some of the assumptions that I, in my fallen human-ness, tend to project upon God.
I was particularly taken with Drew's words on Jesus, focused on and in the book of John. John was a very important book for me in my journey to belief that Jesus was real, and that He was more than just a man. The author took me back to those scriptures in such a way that reaffirmed to me the truth of John 1:1 ("In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.") What does that even mean? Drew lays it out in such a way that it is clear---maybe not comprehensible, because honestly will we ever understand the ways of God?---but Drew's words go a long way towards reminding us that this scripture is truth, not just in a philosophical way, but in the sense of a truth that gets under your skin. That means something.
I'm grateful for this book. I'm grateful for the reminder that God is dangerous. Mysterious. Yet He is also loving, present, and is a God who sees and knows.
However, as I dove deeper into this book, I realized, as I often do, that what I pridefully pride myself on, is often the very thing that I need to work on. And so it was, with this book.
The author, Drew Dyck, lined truths out like pictures that I could easily grasp---emphasizing both the holiness of God along with the accessibility of God. His words helped to strip away some of the assumptions that I, in my fallen human-ness, tend to project upon God.
I was particularly taken with Drew's words on Jesus, focused on and in the book of John. John was a very important book for me in my journey to belief that Jesus was real, and that He was more than just a man. The author took me back to those scriptures in such a way that reaffirmed to me the truth of John 1:1 ("In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.") What does that even mean? Drew lays it out in such a way that it is clear---maybe not comprehensible, because honestly will we ever understand the ways of God?---but Drew's words go a long way towards reminding us that this scripture is truth, not just in a philosophical way, but in the sense of a truth that gets under your skin. That means something.
I'm grateful for this book. I'm grateful for the reminder that God is dangerous. Mysterious. Yet He is also loving, present, and is a God who sees and knows.
May 24, 2014
Yawning at Tigers. The title grabbed my attention. The book itself grabbed my spirit. I find myself yawning at God. We are so full of hearing God is grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love that we ignore that He is HOLY, and He calls us to be the same. This book brings us back into balance. As Dyck says, he begins with God because today even our worship time focuses on US; then he works his way through the God of wrath and what that means to the God of love and what that means in the context of His whole self--the "God of the Old Testament." The product is thought-provoking and encouraging. A meaty read for the yawning Christian!
March 17, 2015
In this book Drew Dyck presents a God worth worshiping and a Savior worth giving your life to. My favorite chapters were Chapter 3: The God Worth Worshipping, Chapter 4: A Vision Of Holiness, and Chapter 8: Tenacity And Tenderness. The following quotes comes from Chapter 8:
"We are conflicted creatures. On the one hand, we want to be known. We have a core-deep need to share the essence of who we are with others. On the other hand, we want others to accept us, to love us. So we create facades, highly edited versions of our true selves that others will find acceptable. Social-media platforms like Facebook and Twitter bring both desires into sharp focus. They bear witness to our deep desire to be known (why else would we spend hours online divulging details about our lives?). We post pictures and comments about everything, from our favorite foods to our most deeply held beliefs. At the same time, it exposes our tendency to erect facades. We often present idealized versions of our lives. We post the pictures in which we look the thinnest, even if they were taken many years ago. We upload images of our meals from fine restaurants, not of the boloney sandwich we had for lunch. the dullness and drudgery of daily life pales compared to the illusion we construct in our online profiles. As one popular post put it, "Lord, please make my life as good as it looks on Facebook."
Dyck goes on to show how Children of God are fully known by God, yet fully loved. If you want to be reminded of God's great mercy on your life, give this book a read.
"We are conflicted creatures. On the one hand, we want to be known. We have a core-deep need to share the essence of who we are with others. On the other hand, we want others to accept us, to love us. So we create facades, highly edited versions of our true selves that others will find acceptable. Social-media platforms like Facebook and Twitter bring both desires into sharp focus. They bear witness to our deep desire to be known (why else would we spend hours online divulging details about our lives?). We post pictures and comments about everything, from our favorite foods to our most deeply held beliefs. At the same time, it exposes our tendency to erect facades. We often present idealized versions of our lives. We post the pictures in which we look the thinnest, even if they were taken many years ago. We upload images of our meals from fine restaurants, not of the boloney sandwich we had for lunch. the dullness and drudgery of daily life pales compared to the illusion we construct in our online profiles. As one popular post put it, "Lord, please make my life as good as it looks on Facebook."
Dyck goes on to show how Children of God are fully known by God, yet fully loved. If you want to be reminded of God's great mercy on your life, give this book a read.
January 1, 2021
What a magnificent book to end the year of 2020 with! Drew Dyck’s words draw one to contemplate that the holiness, power, love, righteousness, magnitude, infiniteness, awesomeness, glory, and impenetrableness of the Almighty God are such that we dare not take it for granted. And that such a sacrificial love as demonstrated by the Lord Jesus Christ in His death for us, can only be responded to with hearts bonded to Him and lived out in sacrificial love in action to those around us, and even to the unloveable who may not live so close to us.
May 13, 2018
The thesis of the book is a worthy pursuit: our culture has lost a sense of God's holiness. However, the scant use of Biblical texts and extensive use of personal anecdotes is wearing. The thesis gets repeated in a plethora of ambiguous ways, making the book drag on without leaving a lasting impact of God's character in Christ. Chapter 7 is dangerous, as it promotes looking for a "mysterious presence" of God in places other than the Bible and promoting fluffy music like "I Believe I Can Fly" as true worship. It is also lacking a clear presentation of the gospel. You'd be MUCH better off getting R.C. Sproul's "Holiness of God" and reading it if you wish to know more about the topic of God's Holiness and gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for the gospel and how much it cost Christ to pay for the sins of the church.
July 14, 2014
This was a refreshing book. Somewhere I read an appropriate sub title for this book, "Honey, I Shrunk our God." That is the basic premise of this book, Dyke sets out to rectify it. He paints a clear, sharp picture of God from the scriptures with plenty of illustrations to help us grasp the in-graspable. The opening sentence pretty well captures the message, "People are starving for the awe of God." It is a great read and a good one for rereading. It will awaken you to the God you may have been yawning at.
September 30, 2014
A good introduction to the nature and character of God, focusing particularly on his holiness (or his "big-ness"). Felt like the beginning was really strong, but the second part of the book meandered somewhat.
November 26, 2020
Great book on God's Character as a Holy God and how mankind has functionally tamed him in the way they deal with him. Rather than living in gratitude we live as if God is in our grasp. What a foolish thought. Great reminder on the awesomeness of God.
August 6, 2014
When was the last time you heard a sermon or read something remotely close to God’s holiness? How about the last time prior to that? I bet that will probably leave you scratching your head for a little while. Now compare that with the love of God, i’m sure that would be an easy question to answer, but wouldn’t it surprise you that God is far more often praised for his holiness in the bible? What’s with this skewness in our churches today?
With this concern in mind, Drew Dyck hopes to remind today’s christians that God is holy, and a untameable God. Dyck introduces God as a being who’s holy, one who’s set apart, one who’s the ‘other’, and fully worthy of praise. He mentions the importance of having the vision, the vision of God’s holiness which no doubt will shape and mould our lives. I agree with him on this point, as the common aphorism states ‘your attitude determines your altitude’, so much of weaknesses in today’s christianity often lies in the low, trifling view of God.
Dyck also brings out the point of the relief of holiness in this book. RELIEF you say? How can holiness be relieving? Well, it can, because you and I are meant to be holy, and by being holiness we will find relief from our greatest enemy: sin. (You have to read the book for this and many more! I shall not reveal too much)
Often as I read, I find my self thinking, have I have too low a view of God? Have I been worshipping a puppet God? And this is the strength of the book, it help us to reflect on what kind of God we’ve been worshipping, is that the same God as the God described in the bible? Far too often we want a tame down version of the God of the bible, but that will only be to our detriment. We need to recover a right of God, and soon, because God is far, far too valuable to be tamed.
This is a great book for all christians, but especially preachers or small group leaders. Ask yourself this, does your church treat God as holy? If not, read, be enthralled and repent.
Rating: 4.5/5
With this concern in mind, Drew Dyck hopes to remind today’s christians that God is holy, and a untameable God. Dyck introduces God as a being who’s holy, one who’s set apart, one who’s the ‘other’, and fully worthy of praise. He mentions the importance of having the vision, the vision of God’s holiness which no doubt will shape and mould our lives. I agree with him on this point, as the common aphorism states ‘your attitude determines your altitude’, so much of weaknesses in today’s christianity often lies in the low, trifling view of God.
Dyck also brings out the point of the relief of holiness in this book. RELIEF you say? How can holiness be relieving? Well, it can, because you and I are meant to be holy, and by being holiness we will find relief from our greatest enemy: sin. (You have to read the book for this and many more! I shall not reveal too much)
Often as I read, I find my self thinking, have I have too low a view of God? Have I been worshipping a puppet God? And this is the strength of the book, it help us to reflect on what kind of God we’ve been worshipping, is that the same God as the God described in the bible? Far too often we want a tame down version of the God of the bible, but that will only be to our detriment. We need to recover a right of God, and soon, because God is far, far too valuable to be tamed.
This is a great book for all christians, but especially preachers or small group leaders. Ask yourself this, does your church treat God as holy? If not, read, be enthralled and repent.
Rating: 4.5/5
April 8, 2016
When I first saw this book the title alone gripped me. I added it to my 2015 reading list with the intention of challenging my view of God in a healthy way. Far too often we settle on a view of God that in many ways is nothing like what we see described in the Bible. In my opinion…how we view God will directly correlate to how we approach Him as well. May we never settle for assuming we have God all “figured out” but continually seek to know Him more!
In Yawning at Tigers, Drew Dyck, has approached the gap between divine holiness and divine love by piercing the heart of American Christianity. Readers will leave both convicted and comforted as they encounter a fierce God on the prowl for his glory, who is closer than expected.
The title perfectly depicts the nature of the book. Yawning at Tigers: You Can’t Tame God, So Stop Trying, presents God as a roaring tiger full of dangerous holiness and fierce love. However, Dyck writes that in our attempts to domesticate God, we totally miss him which is so true!
Theologically, Yawning at Tigers is a book about two paradoxical attributes of God. Dyck examines both God’s transcendence (his “otherness”) and his immanence (his “closeness”).
“GOD IS DANGEROUS, YES, BUT LOVING. HE’S ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR PHYSICAL WORLD, YET MYSTERIOUSLY PRESENT WITHIN IT…WE WORSHIP A GOD TRANSCENDENT AND IMMANENT, OTHER AND INTIMATE, HIGH AND LIFTED UP YET CLOSER THAN OUR OWN BREATH” (11).
The book is divided into two major sections, which deal with each attribute respectively. Correctly, I believe, the author begins with God’s transcendence. In the first six chapters, Dyck shows us just how different God is from us. God’s holiness is expounded. In this section, the reader will feel a conviction similar to that of reading David Platt’s Radical. Statements like this will challenge your perspectives:
Read full summary and review here:
http://wp.me/p1GgST-cA
In Yawning at Tigers, Drew Dyck, has approached the gap between divine holiness and divine love by piercing the heart of American Christianity. Readers will leave both convicted and comforted as they encounter a fierce God on the prowl for his glory, who is closer than expected.
The title perfectly depicts the nature of the book. Yawning at Tigers: You Can’t Tame God, So Stop Trying, presents God as a roaring tiger full of dangerous holiness and fierce love. However, Dyck writes that in our attempts to domesticate God, we totally miss him which is so true!
Theologically, Yawning at Tigers is a book about two paradoxical attributes of God. Dyck examines both God’s transcendence (his “otherness”) and his immanence (his “closeness”).
“GOD IS DANGEROUS, YES, BUT LOVING. HE’S ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR PHYSICAL WORLD, YET MYSTERIOUSLY PRESENT WITHIN IT…WE WORSHIP A GOD TRANSCENDENT AND IMMANENT, OTHER AND INTIMATE, HIGH AND LIFTED UP YET CLOSER THAN OUR OWN BREATH” (11).
The book is divided into two major sections, which deal with each attribute respectively. Correctly, I believe, the author begins with God’s transcendence. In the first six chapters, Dyck shows us just how different God is from us. God’s holiness is expounded. In this section, the reader will feel a conviction similar to that of reading David Platt’s Radical. Statements like this will challenge your perspectives:
Read full summary and review here:
http://wp.me/p1GgST-cA
July 21, 2014
http://pagebypagebookbybook.blogspot....
Drew Dyck’s Yawning at Tigers serves as a powerful reminder of God’s character. So often we as Christians tend to boil God down to a manageable, understandable being – one who fits neatly and comfortably wherever needed. Yet, by shrinking God, we lose sight of His awesome greatness – holiness, righteousness, love. Dyck addresses these often neglected characteristics of God, as well as the importance of recognizing them. He roots his explanations in Biblical truths, yet makes the ideas accessible by providing stories from his personal experiences. Presented as more of a conversation than a lecture or sermon, Yawning at Tigers is a valuable read for any Christian and I highly recommend it. Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of this book and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
Drew Dyck’s Yawning at Tigers serves as a powerful reminder of God’s character. So often we as Christians tend to boil God down to a manageable, understandable being – one who fits neatly and comfortably wherever needed. Yet, by shrinking God, we lose sight of His awesome greatness – holiness, righteousness, love. Dyck addresses these often neglected characteristics of God, as well as the importance of recognizing them. He roots his explanations in Biblical truths, yet makes the ideas accessible by providing stories from his personal experiences. Presented as more of a conversation than a lecture or sermon, Yawning at Tigers is a valuable read for any Christian and I highly recommend it. Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of this book and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
September 26, 2014
When I first read the title of this book, I was intrigued. What in the world does yawning at tigers have to do with the topic of trying to tame God? Hook. Set. Reel it in. Maybe you too are intrigued. You should be.
In Yawning At Tigers,Drew Dyck discusses several topics centered around the theme of God's holiness and love. While it is difficult to summarize this book in a paragraph, I can give you a drive-by, whistle-stop tour.
finish this review at:
http://christian-intellect.blogspot.c...
In Yawning At Tigers,Drew Dyck discusses several topics centered around the theme of God's holiness and love. While it is difficult to summarize this book in a paragraph, I can give you a drive-by, whistle-stop tour.
finish this review at:
http://christian-intellect.blogspot.c...
February 14, 2021
A good wake-up call to remember God’s transcendence, but to also never let that eclipse our understanding of His love.
3 stars because, though the treatment of the topic was good, the book seemed to lack focus, especially after the first few chapters. The author wanted to say everything.
“Our souls find satisfaction only in the God Who is grand enough to worship and close enough to love. We need a home, but we also crave adventure.”
3 stars because, though the treatment of the topic was good, the book seemed to lack focus, especially after the first few chapters. The author wanted to say everything.
“Our souls find satisfaction only in the God Who is grand enough to worship and close enough to love. We need a home, but we also crave adventure.”
July 15, 2014
This is a very enjoyable book with a clear call to see fully the reality of God, his holiness and his love. We can slide into patterns of embracing one side over the other but Dyck calls for a course correction winsomely and engagingly. This book will push you to humble yourself before the overwhelming mystery of God and rest in his loving and gracious embrace of us.
January 29, 2021
His perspective and his way of delving into the various aspects of God's mystery are intriguing. I enjoyed the beginning few chapters the most. There were a few topics that, to me, came across like he was trying to match what he started off with.
I wish Goodreads would allow half points because this wasn't a "5" but it wasn't a "4" either.
I wish Goodreads would allow half points because this wasn't a "5" but it wasn't a "4" either.
April 1, 2014
Great little book. Review forthcoming.
July 12, 2014
Great book! Timely and encouraging topic.
May 9, 2015
Best book I've read in quite awhile. I need a couple days to fully process it. Wow.
January 29, 2017
Provided some helpful reminders about the character of God.
July 13, 2022
Was it hormones, stress, lack of sleep or something less explainable that had me tearing up in each chapter?
February 4, 2018
This is probably close to 3 1/2 stars but it’s still a good book. It started out strong with Dyck feeling that we do not see God as we should. He says “We might imagine that God is a sort of Superman, just like you and me but with additional powers. But that kind of thinking betrays a dangerous illusion about Gods nature. The truth is that God is radically different from us, in degree and kind. He is ontologically dissimilar, wholly other, dangerous, alien, holy and wild.” Dyck is also obviously a well read man as he quotes from many authors from all over the Christian spectrum. He quotes Sproul, Calvin, Eugene Peterson, Origen, Rudolf Otto, C. S. Lewis, Kevin DeYoung, John Eldredge, Miroslav Volf, Ajith Fernando and hosts of others. But as he points out how at a typical evangelical worship service, “The spotlight then falls on the speaker, who tells entertaining stories, cracks a few jokes, and assures everyone that ‘God is not mad at you. He loves you unconditionally.’” (Pg 34) and then turns around later in the book and tells you that God loves you unconditionally. It was kind of confusing for me but other than that instance this is a solid book.
February 28, 2019
This book has been split into two essential parts: God's Holiness and God's Love.
Drew does a great job of reminding the reader that God is absolutely dangerous. His very presence able to kill, convict and subdue all things, all people. A power so great and fearful is, unfortunately, forgotten and minimized in place of God's Love. As opposed to keeping them all in view of each other.
If this book was formulated into a single question it would be, "How can we fully appreciate God's Love without keeping in mind His Wrath, Holiness and other 'unappealing' characteristics?"
Things I want to take away from this book:
- See God for how He revealed Himself to be and not how others make Him out to be.
- God is dangerous to all things evil and, as His children, we should be a threat to all things evil as well.
- "Are you willing to believe in God's Love for you?"
- The Bible is useless if it does not draw us to the one to whom it talks about. God's grace is in the person of Jesus, not simply words on a page.
Drew does a great job of reminding the reader that God is absolutely dangerous. His very presence able to kill, convict and subdue all things, all people. A power so great and fearful is, unfortunately, forgotten and minimized in place of God's Love. As opposed to keeping them all in view of each other.
If this book was formulated into a single question it would be, "How can we fully appreciate God's Love without keeping in mind His Wrath, Holiness and other 'unappealing' characteristics?"
Things I want to take away from this book:
- See God for how He revealed Himself to be and not how others make Him out to be.
- God is dangerous to all things evil and, as His children, we should be a threat to all things evil as well.
- "Are you willing to believe in God's Love for you?"
- The Bible is useless if it does not draw us to the one to whom it talks about. God's grace is in the person of Jesus, not simply words on a page.
December 14, 2018
It started in a very captivating way with the description of a God who cannot be tamed or domesticated. Then it switched into a loving, intimate God who could be seen as very much domestic. While the author's point was to impress upon readers the nature of God in a better way, he didn't quite succeed. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either, so I gave it three stars. Had it not been for the power opening on God's transcendence, I would have only given it two. If you're looking for books on understanding better how to relate to a holy yet loving God, J.I. Packer's book "Knowing God" would help you far more than this title.
January 14, 2020
This is a great book that talks about the "hugeness" and sovereignty of God. Our world and even our "Christian" culture tries to bring God down to our level, humanize Him. We need to resist this trend and perspective of God. He is not like us. This book does a great job reminding that the UNCREATED GOD, is not like us created beings and challenges us to believe that and to wrestle with the implications of that on our daily lives. Dyck does a good job in this fairly brief book (by comparison to other theological books) in communicating that to the reader.
I highly recommend this book if you want your view of God to increase and your view of yourself to decrease.
I highly recommend this book if you want your view of God to increase and your view of yourself to decrease.
September 29, 2017
Well, Drew Dyck, you've hit it out of the park with this one. Although there is nothing essentially new here, Drew does a marvelous job of presenting the two main characteristics of God: His holiness and His mercy. Too often we forgo one for the other. Clearly written, Dyck also draws on the writings of many authors who have gone before. Since Drew is a good friend of my son-in-law, I am extra pleased that I can give this a glowing review.
May 18, 2020
Drew does an amazing job unpacking aspects of God we like to minimize or possibly just have never been taught about from a spiritual leader! This book is a great reminder of the fact that our God is a Powerful, Fear-Inspiring, Awe-Inspiring God who Loves, Forgives, and Redeems deeper than we can ever imagine as human beings.
February 11, 2018
4.5 stars.
I really liked this author’s approach to some of the harder to embrace parts of the Old Testament. I wish he had kept going a bit further along those lines but nonetheless, it was a good start.
I really liked this author’s approach to some of the harder to embrace parts of the Old Testament. I wish he had kept going a bit further along those lines but nonetheless, it was a good start.
March 5, 2019
This is an interesting book in which the author points to the need for Christians to begin with the greatness of God and not begin with man to develop their ideas of God. The first part of the book deals with the transcendence of God and the last part with the immanence of God.
July 15, 2019
One of the best books I’ve read this year. The author provides a very compelling case about the need for to appreciate God’s holiness and love (not an either-or situation). I hope to read more books by this author.
November 25, 2019
An excellent topic. His handling of our lax attitude toward an awesome and fearful God is on point. I do disagree with a few theological points he makes, but this does not detract from the book at all. This is a wonderful read!
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