Assaulted by Joy: The Redemption of a Cynic

by Stephen W. Simpson

When the author made a commitment to the Lord at age seven, he believed the Christian life would be simple. Over the years, his beliefs about God were challenged by painful and confusing experiences... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310283779
• ISBN13: 9780310283775
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 235 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Assaulted by Joy by Stephen Simpson

Assaulted by Joy by Stephen W Simpson A Book Review This is a interesting book. I loved how Stephen W. Simpson uses his own testimoney to write a book. He writes in such a down to earth way that I think even a rebellious teenager could get a real Blessing out of this! In fact, I want to buy several of these books for some teenagers that I know! I loved in the book when Stephen says that what cynicism does is split the truth in half. We forget because of our preoccupation with the things that have hurt us. about the things that have nutured us. The things we love, that bring us the most joy, they make us the most crazy. He also said, which I believe that being a Christian means exchanging comfort for something so much better, JOY! You will want to read this book. It's something for young and old alike. Thanks Stephen W. Simpson for writing this book!

Good reminders!

This was a good book for me to read, as I have struggled with many of the same feelings the author talks about, having grown up in the church, and been hurt so many times by "church people". I was expecting it to be more of a how-to/self-help book... "Follow these certain steps to rediscover the joy." But, no, it is "just a guy" telling his own story, of his own struggles, and an honest look at what the Christian life is like. That he happens to be the father of quadruplets just makes it that much more interesting! I appreciated the reminder to always make sure our focus is on Jesus and not on other people, and that joy supersedes circumstances.

Wonderfully written testimony of grace and joy

Assaulted by Joy by Stephen W. Simpson is a moving story of one man's journey through faith to joy. Simpson came to Jesus when he was only seven, but like many of us Christians, he thought that accepting Jesus into his heart would ensure an easy life. It would be easy not to sin, and the roadblocks that everyone else faces wouldn't exist. The discovery that that's a false belief is difficult for many new believers, and the troubles Simpson faced made him angry at God. He still attended church, but stopped communicating with his Savior, which made bearing all of those troubles even more difficult. But God has a funny way of bringing us back to Him. After a struggle to become pregnant, Simpson and his wife, Shelley, became pregnant with quadruplets. What should have been a time of joy became a time of torment as they had to consider selective reduction, Shelley was on bed rest for eight months, and the constant worry that the children would face major physical and mental disabilities after birth. Simpson is a captivating writer; I read one chapter a night as part of my devotional time, and I had a hard time putting it down after just that one chapter. The writing is excellent, and Simpson's story is one of real triumph. Not Simpson's triumph, but God's to show him the true meaning of joy and faith. It's a beautiful story with powerful lessons for those who may be seeking joy and something to believe in.

Assaulted by Joy

Assaulted by Joy is my first ARC that I am reviewing. What an exciting book! The question that was posed when I was asked if I would review this book was "Is this the perfect gift for the man in your life?" and I must answer with a resounding "YES!" I have already asked my husband if he would read it. But let me back up a little here. The author accepted Christ at the age of seven - (I love it when he says that this is where the story begins.) "When I walked down the aisle of a Baptist church as a boy to receive Christ as my Saviour, nobody told me that being a Christian is difficult, dangerous even. . .the closer you were to God, the happier you would be. The less you sinned and the more you followed God's Word, the more your life would be meaningful, happy, and complete. In my years as a follower of Christ, however, I've discovered that the opposite is often true. Don't get me wrong - the most ecstatic, victorious moments of my life resulted from having a relationship with Jesus, but so have the most aggravating and painful ones."* His story, about his sometimes painful high school years (can everybody relate?), to college, losing a close friend, and meeting his wife and starting a family is engaging, humorous, in many instances I caught my self shaking my head in agreement - and is full of insight and wisdom that touched my life. I would like to share two of those nuggets here. From chapter 3: What we don't realize is that we teach one another wisdom even when we hurt each other. We learn how to love in the midst of brokenness and imperfection. Those who hurt us sometimes teach us far more than those who love us. Sometimes they're even the same person. Those we care about have the greatest capacity to hurt us. Love creates the possibility of pain like nothing else. It's just like our relationship with God.* From chapter 6: We could only make the best decision in a situation where there was no obvious choice. He told us that either choice involved potential guilt and loss. We might have to ask forgiveness from God regardless of what we chose.* Now -for the question about a perfect gift for my husband. I would hope that this book would bring him a little closer to accepting Christ. He has been on the journey for awhile now and I have hope that letting him see someone else's walk with Christ (other than mine..) would open his heart even more. I highly recommend this read for where ever you are in your personal journey - *any quotes from this book are from an Advanced Reader's Copy and may not reflect the final published version.