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

This is a must read for any Fr. Anthony fans, however, if you don't already know him/listen to him, this book might be a little hard to appreciate. Filled with personal anecdotes, 'Whatever, God', tells Fr. Anthony's spiritual journey from an ordinary run-of-the-mill, middle class, American college student, to the well known, passionate, God proclaiming Fr. Anthony Messeh we know today. On its surface, this book accomplishes the task of delivering Fr. Anthony's spiritual insights to the reader, but on another level, this book tells a relatable story of transformation. Speaking to a generation of privileged, suburban, middle class, millennials (or close to it) like himself, Fr. Anthony says: "you too can let God transform you." I recommend this book to anyone looking for a reason to let God into their eleven-hour work day, their german cars, their cubicle at the IT consulting firm, and their twenty one hundred dollar one-bedroom luxury apartment in Arlington, VA. Once in there, God can work miracles, however, the first step is to want Him inside, and Fr. Anthony's story shows what can happen if you do.

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.

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?

This book changed my life - and I mean that literally - not just as a way to compliment the content and the author:) I had the opportunity to hear and meet Fr. Anthony Messeh at his church before reading the book, which was amazing because then I could really hear his voice in this book while reading. It’s truly so powerful, loving, moving, and makes God so relatable as a Father and not a distant God. I haven’t been the same since. Thankful for God’s Word, love and this amazing book! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

Not your typical "Christian" book!If you want to understand God better, this book can help. As I read this book I laughed, I cried, and I laughed some more. In this book, Father Anthony sheds light on the depth and implications of God's love for us. He shatters through many misconceptions of God-- and he does so in very relatable ways.Oh-- and the author even GIVES away the ancient, secret formula for success (5+2=5000).I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will be recommending this to all of my friends.

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!!

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 to read. Two good thins: very understandable and well explained points but also practical advice. Definitely recommend for your next read.

BrilliantSpiritual & wittyVery honest and down to earthMe& my teenage kids love it

This book unexpectedly rang true in so many ways, at different times through its reading that it surprised me. A true step along the path to being closer to God.

Loved it! So easy to see God how we want to see Him..but Fr Anthony has helped me see how different His ways are to ours. Bought copies for my friends.