Living on the Ragged Edge: Finding Joy in a World Gone Mad

By Charles R. Swindoll

Book Overview

The ultimate secret for "the good life."

In the never-ending quest for fulfillment, we sometimes convince ourselves that life would be better if we just had a different career . . . more education . . . a new spouse . . . a fresh start in another location. The solution to life's challenges, we think, is just around the corner, a few steps ahead--always just out of reach.

Living on the Ragged Edge opens the pages of an ancient journal--the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. In this very personal, unbelievably honest book, King Solomon chronicles his search for satisfaction, experiencing everything the world offered. The wisest man who ever lived, he certainly had the intelligence and the vast resources to pursue whatever his heart desired?from personal riches to sexual pleasures. Solomon had it all. He did it all with abandon. And he came to the end of his days with the ultimate secret for the "good life."

Do you want to know the secret? Do you want to know how to find joy and peace in this world gone mad? In this bestseller, Charles Swindoll delivers his characteristic insights and wisdom in an exploration of the book of Ecclesiastes and brings home to you Solomon's powerful message for living at its best.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0849945402
• ISBN13: 9780849945403
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Bible study.

This book puts the worlds perspective where it belongs. I don't have to get caught up in what the world thinks is important. There can be joy in a broken world. I used this as a tool to deepen my understanding of Ecclesiastes. Great tool for new Christians.

A wake-up call to seek God's wisdom

Quick. Name the author who wrote the famous lines, "Vanity, vanity! All is vanity!" If you said Solomon, the ancient king of Israel, you'd be right. It's the opening refrain from Ecclesiastes, uttered after Solomon goes on the ultimate road trip, searching the world for meaning and happiness. He goes on to describe his journeys and offers observations including, "A human being is no better off than an animal because life has no meaning for either. They are both going to the same place --- the dust." And, "In this world you find wickedness where justice and right ought to be ... If you love money you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed." For the most part, the book is a downer. It would be tempting to skip over Ecclesiastes. To not delve into its hopelessness and wrestle with why it's part of Scripture. But as renowned bible teacher Charles Swindoll points out in his book, LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE, Ecclesiastes is as true and relevant and important today as it was thousands of years ago. "Ecclesiastes has today's world woven through the fabric of every page. Whether or not we are willing to admit it, deep within most of us there is this restless, irresponsible, adventuresome itch. Deadlines and responsibilities grate at us. We find ourselves ready to run --- to escape into the back road of our memories, to travel down the blue highways of life under the sun. 'Surely, there I will find what it takes to fill the void.' Before we are able to crank up the car Solomon's advice brings us back to reality: 'Don't bother, it's a pipe dream, empty as a puff of smoke, lacking in substance. It may look like it's worth the effort, but don't bother, life without God under the sun is despair personified.''' And that's the catch; life without God is worthless. Still, Swindoll doesn't blithely skip to that part, spouting platitudes about God's goodness along the way. He doesn't pull any punches in describing the world we live in and his take on life is refreshingly honest as he describes the dissatisfaction, discouragement, and despair so many people feel. We are all living on the ragged edge, as he puts it, and ignoring that fact doesn't make us better Christians. This book, however, does have insight that can make the Christian life more vibrant and authentic. "The good life --- the one that truly satisfies --- exists only when we stop wanting a better one. It is the condition of savoring what is, rather than longing for what might be. The itch for things, the lust for more --- so brilliantly injected by those who peddle them --- is a virus draining our souls of happy contentment. Have you noticed? A man never earns enough. A woman is never beautiful enough. Clothes are never fashionable enough. Food is never fancy enough. Relationships are never romantic enough. Life is never full enough. "Satisfaction comes when we step off the escalator of desire and sa

Inheritance for my children

I read this book about 10 years ago - when I was younger, single, and worked like crazy. It made me reconsider my life and realize that life without God and His purpose is pointless. Even if you choose to deny there is a God and choose to believe in nothing- you can not deny the truths about the purposeless of life and the "race of the rats". No peace or satisfaction at the end of the day. It is funny at times and even may seem depressive and dark too. But there's a lot of light at the end of the tunnel -as you read on.I loved this book so much that I want to give a copy of it to both of my children (ages 1 and 2) as wisdom or advice for when they come of age. I hope it can impact them as much as it impacted me and will have some insight as to the "race of the rats".

Profound and insightful

Living on the Ragged Edge, although repetitive at times, is profound in it's interpretation of many areas of the Bible. As a young businesswoman living on the ragged edge, I found it to be painfully honest and a great source of inspiration for my future. Rev. Swindoll has a deep understanding of the professional world and at times described my life to a tee. I feel the content of this book will change my life forever and that the author is a truly "inspired" individual.

Great insight for busy people - time independent

Although this book is a few years old I found its material to be time independent. The priciples taught go back to the time of Solomen and still apply today. Great reading for busy people - particularly the type A overachiever like me. Thanks Chuck for all your good work.