9780310324966

For more than three decades, apologist Ravi Zacharias has shared bits and pieces of his personal life and experience.In Walking from East to West, now in softcover, Zacharias invites you to follow him on a journey through his life: to see and smell the neighborhood in India where he grew up, to feel a motherÃs love and the consternation of a harsh father Ã and the lure of a rebellious soul.In a crisis experience, Zacharias exchanged pantheism for monotheism, and meaninglessness for true fulfillment in Christ. He has traveled from the East to the West, and then back again to answer skepticsÃ penetrating questions about the meaning of life and the existence of a God who is there for his children.Zacharias invites you to follow him on this journey through his life and into the lives of others, and to see how he has become more convinced with each year that Jesus Christ is the one who came to give you life to the fullest.

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Walking from East to WestCopyright Â© 2006 by Ravi ZachariasThis title is also available as a Zondervan ebook product.Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks for more information.This title is also available as a Zondervan audio product.Visit www.zondervan.com/audiopages for more information.Requests for information should be addressed to:Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataZacharias, Ravi K.Walking from east to west : God in the shadows / Ravi Zachariaswith R. S. Sawyer â€” 1st ed.p. cm.ISBN â€“ 13: 978-0-310-25915-2ISBN â€“ 10: 0-310-25915-01. Zacharias, Ravi K. 2. Christianbiography â€” India. 3. Christianbiography â€” Canada. I. Sawyer, Scott. II. Title.BR1725.Z33A3 2006269'.2'092 â€” dc222005020433This edition printed on acid-free paper.All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New InternationalVersionÂ®. NIVÂ®. Copyright Â© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used bypermission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means â€” electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, orany other â€” except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of thepublisher.Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth and Associates, Inc.Part 3 title page photos by Tigert Communications, Nashville, TN, USAInterior design by Beth ShagenePrinted in the United States of AmericaWe want to hear from you. Please send your comments about thisbook to us in care of zreview@zondervan.com. Thank you.PrefaceSome books are difficult to write; others border on the almostimpossible. This one is in the latter category. Many friends and evenstrangers over the years have asked if I would pen such a story, andwhen Zondervan asked me to write a book of my memoirs, I concludedthat the time had come. The difficulty lies on many fronts.First is that of accurate recall. How does one piece together all of thepast? How does one be truly objective when oneâ€™s own feelings arelocked in to the situation? Then arises a very personal matter. Howdo you tell a story of such intimate issues and not at the same timemake someone else look unduly bad or good? That was the toughestchallenge of all. It is one thing for an individual to disclose his or herown heart, but to do so for someone else runs an unfortunate risk. IfI have erred here, I sincerely hope it is not because of any personal illwill but only because I know the story did not end as it had begun.As I struggled with these issues, the publisher agreed to have metell the story to another writer, who would spend hours with me andothers to cull the material and then write it in the way it unfolded.I took the narrative he penned and wrote the story line in my ownwords, along with his. Throughout this process, the publisher askedif I would keep it at a simple level of reach and not make it inaccessiblein content and depth. The goal was simple: â€œTell us your story inthe simplest terms with your heart on your sleeve.â€ I suppose beingaccustomed to writing on philosophical themes, this was a reminderto me as â€œa word to the wise.â€So that has been the approach. Much more could have been saidand said at a lofty level portraying all my philosophical struggles andso on. But we avoided that. Maybe some instances in the narrative12 prefaceneed not have been shared, but were in order to show the backdropof what was shaping me all along. What I do know is that as I retracedsteps and memories, some of them were hard to relive, while othersbrought a renewed sense of happiness; some memories brought thedepth of tears to the surface, and yet others brought to mind cherishedmoments long forgotten. I have concluded that it is an exercise thatis well undertaken by everybody â€” to journal and write down oneâ€™sthoughts at shorter intervals. Memories are good reminders of whatGod has done and where we could have done better. I remember thetime an older man asked me when I was young, â€œDo you know whatyou are doing now?â€ I thought it was some kind of trick question.â€œTell me,â€ I said.â€œYou are building your memories,â€ he replied, â€œso make them goodones.â€If each reader would glean just that from the book, then it willhave been worth it.But there is something greater here, and it is this: as life progresses,you wish there were some safeguards you had taken along the way,and even some different decisions you had made along the way. Forone, I wish I had talked more to my parents about their past and aboutmy ancestors. What did they know? What were the stories of theirlives? What made each one the way they were? Now it is too late forthat, for my parents have both passed away. I nevertheless come awaywith the absolute certainty that God has ordered my steps and thatGod was there, even in the darkest moments of my life. I know thisas surely as I know I exist. He never abandoned me and has broughtme by His grace and mercy this far. This is the most certain truth Ipossess, and it is truly liberating.One other great enrichment was to think back on my youth inIndia, even as now the West has become home. India gave me muchthat I can never repay. It really is an intriguing culture â€” weaknessesand ironies notwithstanding. Now living first in Canada and then inAmerica, these countries have become home. I am so grateful to Godfor the privilege of living here. Beyond my residences, the heart hasfound its home in my faith and love for Jesus Christ. I sincerely hopeand pray that as you read these pages, you will feel Him near to youand that you will be guided by His wisdom and kept by His grace.Without Him, this story would not be worth telling or reading.Part 1EastChapter 1A Life Out of NothingOne of my earliest memories is of the old man on my street, a mysticwho wore only a loincloth. He was tall, with matted hair and piercingeyes, quite fearsome to look at. Mud was caked all over his bony frame,his face was scarred by deep gashes that were self-inflicted from hisreligious devotion, and his skin was burned by constant exposure tothe torrid heat of the midday sun. â€œHow did he come to look likethis?â€ I wondered as a boy. â€œWhat had he done to himself?â€I found out soon enough. Two or three times each week he wouldappear on our street; then, almost like a coiled rope unwinding, hewould lie down on that filthy road and begin his routine. Cow dungand dog droppings littered the path, to say nothing of the stones orsharp objects that cluttered it as well, yet he would roll down thelength of the street with a howl that sounded as if it came from thedepths of a cavern.â€œGovinda! Govinda! Govinda!â€I had no clue what his cry was about â€” I only knew it terrified me.It was an astonishing sight to a five-year-old, and I recall scamperingto my mother and asking her, â€œWhat is he doing? What is he doing?â€â€œHeâ€™s OK,â€ she replied. â€œJust ignore him.â€â€œBut what is he doing?â€ I would implore. â€œWhy is he doing it?â€â€œHeâ€™s calling to his god!â€ she said.That did not quench my curiosity. But I did not pursue it as long ashe continued to roll away from me, and his voice became a faint buthaunting sound in the distance: â€œGovinda!â€

Excerpted from Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows by Ravi Zacharias
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Walking from East to West : God in the Shadows

Walking from East to West : God in the Shadows

0310324963

Summary

Supplemental Materials

Excerpts

Write a Review