Peter Chin is a Korean/American pastor and writer who chose to share the most difficult year of his life in order to demonstrate the “untamable goodness of God.” He does not approach the subject of suffering from a theological perspective but from the perspective of an average person trying to reconcile the reality of pain with the purpose of a loving God.

As a Christian, Pastor Chin had been educated at Yale and Fuller Seminary, planted (Christian-speak for “started”) churches, and written timely articles for several popular publications. Yet when the year of suffering began to unfold, he was unprepared for how to deal with the barrage of calamities. “In just one month, my view of life and of God had been quickly and totally destroyed by a quick succession of trials.”

"[Peter Chin] does not approach the subject of suffering from a theological perspective but from the perspective of an average person trying to reconcile the reality of pain with the purpose of a loving God."

“What had betrayed me were my modern and privileged sensibilities, which were obsessed with keeping suffering at arm's length, and my diluted and selfish understanding of faith, which equated hard times with an absent or unloving God.” A refreshingly honest self-appraisal for anyone but especially so for a pastor. It is this kind of honesty that raises BLINDSIDED BY GOD above many in the same genre. It makes me wish I lived in Seattle so I could listen to him preach every week.

For a pastor to admit that he did not know how to comfort his wife after she had a miscarriage takes an amazing amount of transparency. Yet, because he had no idea how deeply she felt the loss, he knew that platitudes and pats on the shoulder would not suffice. Nothing in his education neither formal nor informal had prepared him to deal with the suffering that his wife was experiencing. So he turned to God for answers.

As he cried out to God, weeping and mourning in the basement of his house, he heard a voice inside of him that clearly said, “Stop crying.” “Stop Complaining.” “This is real life, and this is your life.” Pastor Chin admits that he wasn't certain if it was actually the voice of God, but he heard it deep within him and was shocked. How he reconciles his belief in a loving God with the harsh realities of life make up one of the best books on the subject, sure to become a classic that we'll share with many who need encouragement.

This section of the book reminded me of the Bob Newhart segment in which his psychiatric advice to the paranoid patient, who couldn't stop thinking about death, was “Just stop it!” In the face of hard reality, one does not need platitudes or esoteric promises. Lamenting has to have a limit or one will get sucked into the abyss of depression. Pastor Chin's own unique sense of humor is both engaging and endearing --- and no doubt makes him an “in demand” speaker.

Eventually, Pastor Chin concludes that God does indeed see the “end from the beginning,” and we can find comfort in the knowledge that blessing and suffering can co-exist. As a matter of fact, he acknowledges that it was at the “Seminary of Suffering” that he got the degree he never wanted but now uses the most as a pastor.