Things Unseen: Living in Light of Forever

I can't believe there is only one review for this book.. and that I haven't reviewed it before now! I originally received this book by mistake.. but since, have purchased two more copies as gifts. This is one of the most incredibly moving, stirring, life and perspective altering books I have ever read.Mark Buchanan's writing style, first of all, makes it a very easy read - like he is "talking" to you. But this book touched me so deeply. It gave me some sort of "confirmation" for the stirrings I felt inside. A sense of understanding of the spiritual focus I was taking. The funniest part is that I had this book on my shelf for about 4-5 years before I finally read it. Once I did, I started it and read it in a day and a half... I couldn't put it down. I truly felt like God put that book in my hands at the very moment I was meant to read it. It was incredible. When I was finished, I almost didn't want it to end... it was such a sense of revelation and comfort to me, that I wanted to wallow in it a while longer. So what did I do? I read it again! hehe I've read it several times actually and each time, grasping something new.What I gleaned most from this book was what it means to be "Heaven Bent"... what I felt stirring in me and the longing I sometimes feel with no explanation... no real desire for something of this world - something I can't explain - yet something very real and deep seated within. When I read this book, I felt this incredible sense of "YES! That's it! That's what I feel.. that's what I sense! THAT'S IT!" :) It was an incredible sense of ... I don't even know the word - reassurance? Peace? Calm? Familiarity? I couldn't put my finger on it.. and still can't, but as I was turning those pages, I felt so reassured that the stirrings I've felt are a longing, literally, for Things Unseen.You will not be disappointed in this book if you are a Christ follower and "Heaven Bent" .... it is an incredibly eye opening, life changing book. Thank you to Mark Buchanan for an absolutely incredible book!

I actually picked this book up at a junk store. I have to say it was providential. At a time in my life when I really felt like giving up on God (although I never would) and so often looking at all the suffering in the world - including my own bag of disappointments, I found this book. I feel like all of a sudden the whole world of being a believer has somehow shifted completely. Though I've known the Lord for almost 30 years, and have read those scriptures over and over, the author's take blew me away. Since finishing that book, I'm looking at everything in a whole different way. Nothing seems as bad as it did, and when you look at your troubles in the way the author shows you how to, they do in fact seem so small in comparison to what we have to look forward to. I hope those who read it will be as blessed as I have been. We have an amazing God who has done so much for us and we have so much to look forward to.

I am just finishing up this book and I can say that it has truly been an inspiration to me! We do tend to lose our perspective of Heaven being our destination or we get bogged down in our earthly troubles so much that we can't see clearly that this is temporary. We can't pursue all the earth's fame and fortune and keep a Heavenly focus, but we can have a Heavenly focus and still be grounded while we manage our earthly goods. It's difficult to maintain a balance sometimes and be real with both, but it can be done! Mark Buchanan helps us to learn how. Great insight. I love how he writes, it keeps you captivated from beginning to end.

This is one of my favorite books. It truly strikes a chord and provides so much hope. Would highly recommend.

Mark is a wordsmith, able to poetically convey Biblical truth about subjects most people avoid dealing with. But as we follow the journey of his stories we can come to places of peace and rest and acceptance of life this side of eternity with it's imperfections and difficulties. Framing life in eternity can empower us to fully live each day

Christian or not, everyone should read it. It is such an incredibly soul stirring read.. and if you are a Christian, it will fill you with a warmth and understanding and a new appreciation for that feeling and "groaning" that Mark Buchanan refers to. This is a book I have read several times... and each time it is like a soothing balm. It clarified for me what it means to be "Heaven-bent". What an awesomely inspired book. :)I also meant to add that I find it interesting that several people who reviewed this book, including myself, had it on the shelf for some time before reading it. God's timing perhaps? ;)

Mark Buchanan is one of my favorite authors. This is perhaps my favorite of all his books. It not only demonstrates his amazing way with words - it backs them up with significant insights into suffering loss and death. Everyone who has a heart for people experiencing grief and pain will find this excellent book helpful. A friend who is coping with the death of a child told me that of all the various books and resources recommended to her -- this was the most helpful.Life's greatest treasures really are the things unseen.

Things Unseen is a book not about heaven itself, the author tells us, but about "heavenly-mindedness." He observes that this world is not enough for us. He writes about feelings that are both "laughter and mourning, spring and winter, homecoming and exile," longings that are really homesickness for heaven. He points out that we're all dying, and that we'd best all look up. This is not the only Mark Buchanan book I've thoroughly enjoyed, but it's probably my favorite. He really gets it.

good read