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Connecting the Dots: What God is Doing When Life Doesn't Make Sense
Everything that has happened to you has prepared you for your greatest days ahead. When you understand the patterns of God’s work in each season of your life, you can see His faithfulness in making all things work together for the good of His children.
What if everything that has happened to you has prepared you for your greatest work?
What if those confusing, uncomfortable seasons when you felt like you were walking in circles were actually the path God was leading you on to fulfill the destiny He has planned for you?
Connecting the Dots helps you make sense of your life, seeing each day as part of an epic that God is writing. Joël Malm shows you how to detect God’s work in each season, keeping your eyes lifted to Him who makes all things work together for the good of those who love him.
What if everything that has happened to you has prepared you for your greatest work?
What if those confusing, uncomfortable seasons when you felt like you were walking in circles were actually the path God was leading you on to fulfill the destiny He has planned for you?
Connecting the Dots helps you make sense of your life, seeing each day as part of an epic that God is writing. Joël Malm shows you how to detect God’s work in each season, keeping your eyes lifted to Him who makes all things work together for the good of those who love him.
206 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2023
6 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 17, 2023
This has been a great companion to Wilson and Waggoner’s “A Guide to Theological Reflection,” because what Joel has done with this book is provide another model for theological reflection. Tracking closely with the “hero’s journey” framework Joseph Campbell introduced in “The Power of Myth,” with a generous helping of personal experiences and a side order of pop culture references, Joel shows how we can “connect the dots” of our own journey to understand what God is doing with the bigger picture.
The book is worth the price you pay for it just for the quotes alone. Joel throws off GK Chesterton quotes like he’s memorized his complete works (for all I know, he has). Some gems:
“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered; an inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”
“Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”
Joel also gave me the second half of a proverb I had only ever heard the first part of:
“When the student is ready, the teacher appears. But when the student is really ready, the teacher disappears.” This is the model for disciple making.
Also:
“Experience is NOT the best teacher. Evaluated experience is the best teacher.” This is mentoring.
I loved this book. And I loved the audiobook, narrated by Joel. It’s a quick read that should nevertheless be read slowly.
The book is worth the price you pay for it just for the quotes alone. Joel throws off GK Chesterton quotes like he’s memorized his complete works (for all I know, he has). Some gems:
“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered; an inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”
“Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”
Joel also gave me the second half of a proverb I had only ever heard the first part of:
“When the student is ready, the teacher appears. But when the student is really ready, the teacher disappears.” This is the model for disciple making.
Also:
“Experience is NOT the best teacher. Evaluated experience is the best teacher.” This is mentoring.
I loved this book. And I loved the audiobook, narrated by Joel. It’s a quick read that should nevertheless be read slowly.
April 30, 2023
"This book has three key premises:
1. God is always at work in your life but most of the time you can't see it or understand it.
2. God's work tends to follow a specific, circular pattern in every season of life. When we understand the pattern of his work it helps us gain perspective on His Divine hand in our life.
3. God's work in your life has prepared you with a unique message to share and a problem to solve that will point people to His goodness and in the process will give your life meaning and purpose." - Joel Malm
This is a good book to read if you find yourself in a "dark night of the soul" season or a season of transition, or having just completed a difficult season and you'd like to do a postmortem on your experience and compile the lessons you learned from it.
A couple quotes -
"Way too many people never really live because they're trying to arrive safely at death."
"There comes a point when you have to go all in. You have to decide to fully commit to moving ahead, like Tarzan swinging from vine to vine in the jungle you'll have to let go of the one you're holding now and grab the new vine which hasn't been fully tested yet. If you decide to hold on to both vines just to be safe you'll be left dangling there arms stretched between them, stuck. You'll have to let go of what was and dive into the adventure of the new circle God is leading you into. The only way to move forward is to fully engage and be present with the journey ahead. You'll have to stop researching and analyzing and just live it out. Surrender the outcome and go all in. The good news is this: if you commit to the path, a way will open to you."
1. God is always at work in your life but most of the time you can't see it or understand it.
2. God's work tends to follow a specific, circular pattern in every season of life. When we understand the pattern of his work it helps us gain perspective on His Divine hand in our life.
3. God's work in your life has prepared you with a unique message to share and a problem to solve that will point people to His goodness and in the process will give your life meaning and purpose." - Joel Malm
This is a good book to read if you find yourself in a "dark night of the soul" season or a season of transition, or having just completed a difficult season and you'd like to do a postmortem on your experience and compile the lessons you learned from it.
A couple quotes -
"Way too many people never really live because they're trying to arrive safely at death."
"There comes a point when you have to go all in. You have to decide to fully commit to moving ahead, like Tarzan swinging from vine to vine in the jungle you'll have to let go of the one you're holding now and grab the new vine which hasn't been fully tested yet. If you decide to hold on to both vines just to be safe you'll be left dangling there arms stretched between them, stuck. You'll have to let go of what was and dive into the adventure of the new circle God is leading you into. The only way to move forward is to fully engage and be present with the journey ahead. You'll have to stop researching and analyzing and just live it out. Surrender the outcome and go all in. The good news is this: if you commit to the path, a way will open to you."
April 17, 2025
A friend gifted me this book after we went through a difficult time in our larger community. That time was painful and challenged me, my faith, and my ability to forgive those on the other side. It took a long time to process and I certainly stumbled along the way, but today I feel an incredible sense of peace and have forgiven those who are not sorry for their actions, but still hurt me nonetheless.
This book was incredibly helpful to me throughout this journey. Malm helped me to change my perspective, and to lean into God and rest in His Grace, trusting His perfect plan to navigate through all the chaos and uncertainty surrounding the "event."
I am now on the other side, still not fully understanding, but accepting that it's God's will. He has healed my heart and deepened my faith and I am better because I went through it with Him as my guide.
This book was incredibly helpful to me throughout this journey. Malm helped me to change my perspective, and to lean into God and rest in His Grace, trusting His perfect plan to navigate through all the chaos and uncertainty surrounding the "event."
I am now on the other side, still not fully understanding, but accepting that it's God's will. He has healed my heart and deepened my faith and I am better because I went through it with Him as my guide.
June 20, 2023
This book comes with such wisdom. A perspective that is not normally the first take in unfamiliar and uncertain circumstances. Such a great reminder that God is always working for our good in every situation, using circumstances to pave the way for us to do the work he's called for us to do and helping set the path to do it.
October 13, 2023
I believe that God sends you exactly what you need when you need it and He knew that I needed the message that was shared in this book. I am so thankful for this new perspective and feel that I may just need to reread this book each time that I go through a difficult season in life as a reminder of God's goodness and His perfect plan for my life.
August 6, 2024
I didn't know I needed to read this book, once I stared reading it, I could not put it down. I have never read a book so fast. (5 days) Every page was talking to me. I had a fear, but the Lord took it all away two days after I read the book. I needed this book to help me not knowing I was connecting the dots.
So much great information. It's a must read.
So much great information. It's a must read.
September 13, 2023
Good perspective for life events
Good opportunity to evaluate life events and find purpose in them. Good book to practice forgiveness for all the negative seasons we've encountered and give thanks for all seasons.
Good opportunity to evaluate life events and find purpose in them. Good book to practice forgiveness for all the negative seasons we've encountered and give thanks for all seasons.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews