The Caleb Quest: What You Can Learn from the Boldest Dreamer in the Bible

By Mark Atteberry

Book Overview

Most of us began our adult lives with ambitious dreams and the energy and determination to make them come true. But somewhere along the way our focus changed-life "happened," and we allowed our dreams to fizzle or even die. Is that the way it has to be? Do dreams come true for "ordinary" people? And if so, what does it take to make them happen? Author Mark Atteberry believes God has answered these questions in the life of Caleb, the boldest dreamer and achiever in all of Scripture. In The Caleb Quest, Atteberry allows us to see that dreams don't come true by accident. On the contrary, fulfilled dreams are the result of clear thinking, strong faith, patience, and hard work. Geared to the everyday Christian, this biblical plan helps readers to test their dreams, identify "dream assassins," get God involved, accept His perfect timing, take action in pursuit of their dreams, and use their dreams to bless others. This inspirational book offers a realistic hope to anyone seeking to make a lifelong dream come true.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0785261877
• ISBN13: 9780785261872
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Motivational Book

This book is an easy read and it's quiet motivational. How to go about fulfilling your dreams and goals with God by your side. Very worth the read, especially for young people.

This is the kinda Stuff you can Use!

This book so struck me because Mark takes you right into the campfire of the appointed spies. We get to visit with Caleb as he lives a dream planted by God. Every boy filled with adventure wants to know; "Do I have what it takes"? Mark through the biblical account of the 12 spys answers that question for us; NO! But if you'll exercise a "grape" of faith the God of the Bible will take you on a jouney that fulfills your wildest dreams! Thanks for the ride Mark. Who's next?

A moving personal testimony

The Caleb Quest presents one Christian man's search for answers to the troubling question: "If God's promises are true, then why are so many of His people walking aroud with dashed hopes and unfulfilled dreams?" The answers discovered lie in the message of Caleb, the boldest dreamer of the Bible, who dared to make the right moves and was rewarded with riches. Written with both spiritual and earthly concerns in mind, The Caleb Quest strives to present the wisdom of God and the Bible in tangible form with discussion questions, and solid advice than anyone can ponder and follow in their struggles to make their own dreams come true. A moving personal testimony combined with a call to take action and stay true to one's faith the Lord.

An Intriguing and Well Thought-Out Book

Author Mark Atteberry knows firsthand from his day job as a minister that countless Christians are discouraged by the way their lives are turning out. "Their dreams have fizzled, and in some cases, turned to nightmares," writes Atteberry. "The dream job was never offered, the dream marriage lost its fire, the dream kids went astray, and the dream house was never built." In THE CALEB QUEST he promises, "Hope could be resurrected in your heart...Your faith in God could be renewed...Suddenly, your life could have meaning and purpose again."Big promises, and they come from Atteberry's own personal quest. He writes that he was troubled that so many scripture verses in the Bible promised so much, yet so many Christians were mourning the death of their dreams. "Has God been unfaithful to His promises?" asks Atteberry. "Do dreams really come true? And if so, what does it take to make them happen?"Atteberry went looking for answers. He found them, he believes, when he studied the life of Caleb, whom he calls "The boldest dreamer and achiever in all of God's word." Writes Atteberry, "I'm convinced that the main reason his story was included in Scripture is to show us that dreams really do come true, not just in Disney movies, but in real life."When we look at the life of Caleb, we discover that fulfilled dreams are the result of clear thinking, strong faith, patience and lots of hard work, Atteberry writes. The key is taking a hard look at your dream and making sure it fits with God's will. "Nothing...will help you if you've already committed to a course of action that puts you in opposition to God." He also cautions readers, with some humor, that God's blessings always harmonize with His gifts ("If you're tone-deaf, you'll never be an opera singer. Rap maybe, but not opera.").Atteberry is the minister of Poinciana Christian Church in Kissimmee, Florida, and the author of THE SAMSON SYNDROME. His passion for his topic in THE CALEB QUEST is contagious, and his first person writing is reminiscent of and is as well thought-out as a good sermon series. He mixes biblical narrative and interesting anecdotes, from art to baseball to crabbing. He also alludes to his own dream fulfillment, from his first attempts to write a novel eighteen years ago to becoming a published author. "Don't ever tell me dreams don't come true," writes Atteberry, who then cautions, "...they don't always come true when you want them to." Our timing for our dreams isn't always God's timing, he reminds us. Patience is called for. "Our job is simply to be faithful in the meantime," he writes.Atteberry devotes a chapter to the "dream killers," pointing out that they are often our family members and our friends, and challenging readers to defeat them with courage and trust in the Lord. Of course our own worst enemy, he cautions, may be ourselves. "Have you grown lazy? Are you hanging around with negative people?"There's a bit of THE PRAYER OF JABEZ tone to this book, and occasionally some of