"Whatever, God": Rediscovering the One I Thought I Knew

Don’t judge this book by its title… it’s not what you’d expect. The chapter headings might come off as trite but without an ounce of exaggeration or hesitation I can say that this book is so much more than its table of contents. “Whatever, God” hits home. It strikes a lot of chords and it strikes them hard. The beauty of Fr. Anthony’s writing style is how he is able to give so much life and context to seemingly common, “heard that a million times”, Christian notions that would otherwise remain ignored. Because of that, the book reads more like a primer on the power of orthodox thought, soaked through with more humor than you thought a man of the cloth could muster, than a Sunday School class made into a paperback. From what he writes and the stories he tells, it’s abundantly clear that Fr. Anthony is not the type to have his head in the ground, ignorant of the reality of the world around him, nor is he the kind of pie-in-the-sky, un-relatable, ivory-tower academics/theologians who analyze the world from afar without ever really living in it. Fr. Anthony has been a priest for nearly two decades and all those years of rolling up sleeves, getting involved in the mess of the world and everyone in it, shows. His message lies perfectly at the nexus of theological truth and non-sugar-coated reality – it’s where dogma hits the dirt and believers start walking the walk. At its core, this book is written by an unflinching realist (it’s not a self-help book, or a feel-good Christian story). It’s full of real stories, real questions, and real struggles. And the mark of that reality lies in the weight of the questions the book poses: For better or for worse, how closely does my image of God match the image I have of my parents? How much of what I think I know of God stems from extrapolations of my own behavior? If He’s all-powerful, then why all the tragedies and suffering? Is He unable or simply unwilling? Who gets to define what “good” is? Is God more like a miserly welfare office or a wealthy and gracious Father? What happens when I “push the ‘pray’ button and nothing happens”? Am I blaming God in the “right” way? I would recommend this book for the questions it asks alone. Now, is this book going to answer every question you’ve ever had about God, whether theological, philosophical, or personal? ... No. But that’s through no fault of its own. No book really can. Good answers require good questions and good questions, in turn, require good paradigms. That’s where this book shines because it has good paradigms in spades! Timeless truths phrased in ways that break them out of the monotony that lead us to ignore their relevance and the impact they can have on our lives. Fr. Anthony helps makes things real in this book, and in so doing, he succeeds in bringing an ancient faith to a modern world and he does it all with a joke on every page. What’s not to love?

A must read orthodox book

Whatever, God by Fr. Anthony Messeh is the perfect book to bring in the New Year. Fr. Anthony makes a case for fully surrendering our lives to God so that we can experience His goodness, graciousness, and relevance. He uses personal and accessible examples to help readers understand how God can work if we are willing to cooperate with Him and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. Written in his trademark conversational style, readers will feel like Fr. Anthony is speaking to them personally. Some of his examples and illustrations are ones I will go back to. One of my favorite quotes explains the Biblical story of the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves and two fish: “God doesn’t want us to limit ourselves to only what we have in our hands, but He also doesn’t want us to neglect what we have in our hands. He wants us to OFFER what we have into His Hands.” I have also reviewed this book on my blog, beingincommunity dot com.

It takes a lot to get me motivated enough to sit down and write a review about something I've ordered, but this book is far and away the exception to that. Not only is it a light-hearted read, but it walks you through step-by-step and with real-life examples, anecdotes, and parables how to build a strong relationship with your Creator and make your ways His own. What particularly stirred me to write this review was that the day after finishing this book, I asked God to give me the courage and wisdom to pick up another book that I had set off to the side: "Headings on Spiritual Knowledge" by St Isaac the Syrian. I had read St. Isaac's "On Ascetical Life" and found great wisdom in it, but his writings can sometimes be dense and this book was almost 3 times as long. 2 pages in, I stumbled upon a quote that PERFECTLY SUMMED UP what "Whatever, God" was all about: "When you hear the testimonies of the fathers concerning the glory of the solitary way of life,...do not grow despondent…They are yours in due course, but it is not yet the time to give them to you, for these good things are kept by Him for you…provided only you will live in the sheepfold in accordance of the will of Him who will crown you. He Himself desires to give them to you, but you are not able at present to receive in the way that you desire until, when their due time arrives, the Lord will cause the knowledge of them to shine out in you without any asking on your part”. I was SHOOK, to say the least. It felt like the Holy Spirit was reinforcing what I learned from Abouna's book and encouraging me to continue putting his guidance into practice. To be clear, this isn't an ad for either of St. Isaac's works (St Isaac, sponsor me!), but I invite anyone considering "Whatever, God" to crack it open and, once finished, to come back to this review, reread this quote from St. Isaac, and contemplate the things which God has prepared for those who love Him according to His will and His timing. TL;DR: the fact that you're here reading this review means that God is calling you to read this book BECAUSE HE WANTS A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU. He is calling you PERSONALLY, don't leave Him hanging!

I’ve always been a fan of fr. Anthony’s sermons, and this book did not disappoint. It is written exactly how he speaks and what I like the most about it is how honest he is in it. He shares his personal story with God for our benefit, not holding back points that may be embarrassing or what not. The book is very easy and pleasant to read— definitely a page-turner! He balances his message with humor in a perfect way. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get to know God or deepen their relationship with Him!

God Bless you Father Anthony. It is a Great book. Hope God makes it a way to change my life . Thank you!

Refreshing and real take on Christianity that makes a relationship with God real. Lovely read!

I love this book, there isn't enough good things to say about it. Honestly life changing if you're debating whether or not to buy it, do it. I was a little turned off by the price but I would pay much more know after listening/reading it. I got my whole family now listening to it and recommended it to friends we ordered it while we were speaking. I also suggested it as a graduation gift for high schoolers because this book is crucial at that age. Thank you Father Anthony for this book. If you don't know who Father Anthony is, this book is a great place to start. After finishing this book I started listening to his sermons on the way to school and work and he has me laughing out loud and nodding my head throughout the drive. He's said it before but his calling is truly bringing an "ancient religion to a modern world" and he does it amazingly, may God bless him. Highly recommend!!

Father Anthony Messeh is incredibly gifted to be able to explain the fundamentals of establishing a relationship with God in a very simple manner. The book delves into seemingly complex topics such as repentance, faith, prayer etc. and is able to elucidate them in a manner that makes logical ( and divine) sense. A light read in a genre which is full of complicated theology.

Truelly amazing book, Father Anthony in my eyes is a disciple of Jesus and an extension of Gods arm. He delivers his points effortlessly with no boring moments, fully inspirational. Always interesting especially with the use of todays modern language and his past life experiences. This book provides you with the right tools on discovering God, knowing God, forging a real relationship with God and trusting God for all good in your life. After reading this book, I really want to strive to be that 5+2=5000 guy. i highly recommend this book to anyone requiring that little help and knowledge in connecting with Him. With the right tools in place i believe that spiritual changes is possible in anyones life as long as they fully trust in God. Many thanks again for producing such a fine piece of work and look forward to reading your next book in the future.

This is my first Amazon review. I highly recommend this book to Christians of any denomination. (I myself am Catholic, not Orthodox.) Father Anthony’s book is full of funny stories and practical advice on how to start turning your life over to God, in a manageable and accessible way. I really appreciated the practical, easy first steps that he presented. I also recommend his videos on Youtube and his website. Thank you, Father Anthony!

I love this book! It's not the first book that discusses faith, but it's by far one of my favourite. It's both serious and funny, and written with any parables that makes the teachings easy to understand. Father Anthony is very relatable and not your typical Coptic Priest - I'd love to meet him sometime. I'll definitely be referring back to this book from time to time

Easy read, with lots of humour, yet powerful and impactful. Helped give me more peace in my life and reminded me of many valuable points that I seem to have lost over thr years. Game changer so highly recommended! Thank you!