Crazy Love

First, let's get the obvious out of the way. Yes, it's my due date and yes I'm still pregnant. No signs of nothin' right now so this little lady could be making us wait it out a little while. We shall see...

What I really wanted to write about is a book that I just finished: Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Let me preface this by saying that if you're not one to be down with the idea of a faith that revolves around Jesus, this probably isn't the book for you. Basically, this book is a swift kick in the behind for folks who call themselves Christians. It would be really hard to summarize or tidy it up into a neat little package for you, but let me attempt to share some ideas that struck me personally. Here are some tidbits that have had me pondering and praying for change and sometimes even taking offense to as I recognize the truth to them...

The best things in life are gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God of just His stuff? ... Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you?

Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.... The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.

The fact is, I need God to help me love God. And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault-filled humans.

God is the only true Giver, and He needs nothing from us. But still He wants us. He gave us life so that we might seek Him and know Him.

What are you doing right now that requires faith?

Do you grasp the beauty and deep joy of walking in genuine intimacy with God, our Holy Father and Friend? Do you want to see God more than you desire security?

At the end of the book there is an interview with the author and he is asked the question, In one chapter you state, "Dare to imagine what it would mean for you to take the words of Jesus seriously." What does this mean? Why do you think so many Christians would turn down this dare?

Here's part of his response: "We've conditioned ourselves to hear messages without responding. Sermons have become Christian entertainment. We go to church to hear a well-developed sermon and a convicting thought. We've trained ourselves to believe that if we're convicted, our job is done. If you're just hearing the Word and not actually doing something with it, you're deceiving yourself." (emphasis mine) He goes on to say, "I remember preaching on Luke 6, and I brought up the passage that says, "Do good to those who hate you." I told the congregation to think of someone who hated them, and I asked "Are you willing to go do something good for them? Will you do that? Yes or no?" I said, "Tell God right now, "No I will not do that." We're not willing to make that statement because we don't want to say that to God, but we're doing that every day." (emphasis mine)

That last part really resonated with me. There are many things that I would not say to God, but I would do (or not do) them anyway. And that speaks much louder than anything. There's so much more and I am thankful for this book and the women I've been discussing it with as we strive to live out our faith. It's a journey for sure.