Carolyn De Arteaga: Watching God Work

Carolyn De Arteaga, Watching God Work: The Stuff of Miracles (Alachua: Bridge-Logos, 2014), 192 pages, ISBN 9781610361217.

I recently finished reading this delightful book and I must admit the title threw me off just a bit. I picked up this book, I think, expecting something more dramatic and perhaps, even mystical. The term ‘miracles’ perhaps brought up for me the many stories as well as biographies of great spiritual leaders that I have read and have been inspired by.

I was not at all disappointed, but Carolyn certainly threw me a curve ball, and initially, I missed it badly. Not to imply that this book does not have miracles and inspiring stories. Quite to the contrary. It is chock full of stories and events which could be nothing but a clear presentation of Divine intervention. But where I was expecting hyperbole – she presented simplicity. I was expecting the dramatic – she made it normal. I was expecting some struggle in theological defense and presentation – she wove her way through those issues like leading a child through a crowded airport.

I was pleasantly surprised by her understatement and perhaps the strongest trademark of this book may be that Carolyn has taken that which is divine and somewhat mysterious and presented it as a part of her everyday life. I suspect that was her intent. In that regard, she truly succeeded.

I found myself (as I believe most readers will) captured by the differing emotions evoked by Carolyn’s stories. I could relate to the times of victory as well as the times of heart-rending struggle that she shared so candidly. One of Carolyn’s strengths is her ability to pull the wall down, show more humility and vulnerability than the average writer and yet not make the reader feel uncomfortable. She makes this seem so normal.

Carolyn presents this book in almost an autobiographical manner. Almost, in that is not designed to do so, but because it reveals so much of her own life and experiences. She takes the reader on a journey with her, her spiritual journey. It reveals how the miracles were formed and how the miracles formed her. To Carolyn’s credit, she discloses the hard times – the times when God did not seem to work and also the times when her theology was challenged. As she reveals in the book, those were the times that her understanding of God seemed to grow the most.

One of the exciting characteristics of the book is that Carolyn has done the extra service of putting a short study guide, complete with discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I think she really wants the readers to get it, not just read it and forget it. Several of these chapters should offer up some very interesting discussion. This makes Watching God Work especially useful as a text for Sunday School and home study groups.

Carolyn begins with a time in her life when she did not know much of anything about God’s miracle power and she was in the throes of struggle and challenge. She shares some of the details of going through a divorce – a subject that many in Christian circles still find difficult to discuss. She describes the subsequent events leading up to and including her finally marrying Bill DeArteaga as a direct reflection of God’s guidance, flavored with a touch of the miraculous. Now that Carolyn has caught on to the working of God in her life, she takes the reader back through her life demonstrating how God has, in fact, had His hand on her life all the way. Many people, I believe, can relate to that revelation.

Carolyn reveals the next step of her spiritual journey which was instigated by her relationship with Bill DeArteaga. Bill brings an element of faith and spiritual freedom into her life that is both liberating and terrifying at the same time. He simply believes God: he believes His word and he believes in His miraculous power. She tells her story of the struggle between hanging on to her cessationist background and believing what she is seeing in Bill’s life and following that lead. Happily, she chose to follow. I might add here, Carolyn’s candid discussion of choosing to follow Bill’s spiritual lead and even choosing to marry him – in spite of the family pressures, cultural differences, and theological gulfs – is one of the highlights of the early portions of the book. The reader is left to decide whether she is a woman of great faith or perhaps just a little crazy. Upon reflection, perhaps this is the case with most people who walk in the miraculous. Maybe people of great faith are a little crazy with a twenty year track record.

Then the miracles start coming. One story after another, Carolyn begins to rehearse how God has lead her and Bill to minister to hurting people – primarily in the arena of healing. I love how she reveals her own doubts in some moments of crisis. But God worked anyway. I warn you – if you believe divine healing has ceased or have a problem with formulas, your theology will be shaken. Though Carolyn and Bill do have a method to their madness, she describes the adventure of learning to pray for and heal the sick with a refreshing child-like simplicity. They primarily learned to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The other caveat she reveals is that of the boldness to just pray – in public, in front of unbelievers, wherever the need arises. Just Pray. They learned to pray for people, pets, circumstances, everything. She relates stories which are as diverse as God helping find lost items to the healing of cancer. A common thread which seemed to run through these stories was a growing dependence on prayer and trust in the God who is concerned over the smallest detail and yet powerful enough for the greatest challenge.

Carolyn then moves into a chapter relating experiences with the demonic. Demonic activity is not an easy subject for anyone to tackle. But Carolyn’s experience as a counselor has offered her a unique opportunity to deal with troubled people, even to the point of demonic involvement. Her stories expose her growing pains as she learned how to face this spiritual challenge – the needs of people forcing her into on the job training. Carolyn reveals that the word of God, the blood of Jesus and praying in the Spirit became powerful tools for her in dealing with Satanic manifestations of various kinds. From something as simple as demonic harassment in her computer to full blown demonic possession, she shares how these tools consistently demonstrated the authority of Christ over every work of Satan.

Praying for provision is something most Christians can certainly relate to at some point in their lives. Carolyn shares several stories of God’s intervention in their own provision and supply. She gives some insights into the growth of her faith in these matters, coming to understand that “His eye is on the sparrow.” But she also has learned that it’s possible to try to twist the arm of God with our prayers – fundamentally seeking our own will and way in matters of provision rather than seeking the plan and will of our Heavenly Father. There is certainly evidence enough in Carolyn’s stories to safely conclude that the old adage is true, “Where God Guides, He Provides.”

Carolyn then turns her attention to stories related to God’s protection. She is obviously a person who believes in and seeks God’s divine protection. Her first story is about Marci, a young lady who needed a miracle in the court system. It’s a great story, by the way. I believe the message of this chapter is the fundamental issue of trusting God. Carolyn makes a statement at the start of this chapter that is worth quoting.

This book is a testimony of different encounters with the Father … God is in charge of my life and He heals, guides, and protects me.

Again, Carolyn offers these incidents of God’s protection, not in the mode of the miraculous as they truly are, but in the mode of the normal that she and Bill have come to expect.

Carolyn’s spiritual journey here offers another exciting development – finding the God she was taught about as a child. She can now have an abiding relationship with the Heavenly Father, her Abba Father (Daddy God), who will work on her behalf just because He loves her. Her stories take on a very personal note at this point. From the Nova Scotia people to the Kitty Angel (you will just have to read it for yourself), the genuine concern of the Father is revealed even as Carolyn exposes her own weaknesses and presents His faithfulness.

Finally, the author takes a few pages to discuss other spiritual gifts and even eternity – subjects that rightfully demand a book of their own. She leaves the reader wishing for more, baiting them into seeking the gifts of the Spirit on their own and experiencing their own stories.

Simplicity, transparency, and child-like faith are the cornerstones of this book. The reader will eagerly look forward to the next story and realize there is true excitement in Watching God Work. It is after all, the stuff of miracles.

Reviewed by James Nichols