Book Review: Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Crazy Love has been quite the adventure and I'm a little sad to be closing the final chapters of this inspiring book. I wanted to share a few highlights:

In his opening chapter, Francis directs his readers to view two videos available on his website. The Awe Factor of God is brilliant.

Chapter 4, "Profile of the Lukewarm," gets pretty personal as Francis addresses some specific attitudes and behaviors of so-called lukewarm Christians. (He even at some points go as far as to say that lukewarm Christians cannot exist.) Page 68:

"Lukewarm People don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don't genuinely hate sin and aren't truly sorry for it; they're merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one."

He included a beautiful prayer from A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God, which has been prodding my heart more towards the heart of Jesus:

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I ant to want Thee; I love to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long."

Good book. Great author. Glorious God.

Day #5: Let's Kick Fear in the Face

I was on the treadmill at the gym this morning when an interesting line popped up on the TV screen during a commercial for Ghost Hunters. Yes, ridiculous show but they are hooking viewers with a quite profound line:

"Get Fluent in Fear"

I have been spending my time on the treadmill praying, reading a Beth Moore book, and interceding for the Village small group that Brad and I are going to be leading at our church, The City Church. And I tend to be one of those people that likes to turn everything I encounter into something spiritual or having to do with the Gospel. Please, don't stop reading because I found a piece of truth in a dusty corner of media.

Assuming all my readers are English speakers, have you ever noticed how we never have to think to speak in English? Our thoughts, even though rarely put into vocabulary, always seem to be in English. We rarely have to grasp for a word, or translate in our heads when we need to communicate. Those that have learned other languages have probably encountered a time when their thoughts (or sometimes dreams) switch easily between their native & new language with ease. That might be considered a time when we become fluent in something other than our native tongue.

The same is true when our minds think in fear, like the above quote. When we start learning the language of fear, whether through bad experiences, uncontrolled emotions, or just plain humanity, parts of our brain start making the switch. We practice the language because, for many of us, it's actually easier to speak & think "in fear" than remember how we were created to think. Before long, our minds are fluent in the language and - because we live in a land that thrives on fear - it becomes our primary way of functioning.

We make decisions because we are fluent in fear.

We build walls around our hearts towards others & God that protect us - because the language of fear requires isolation.

We don't even realize that we are dreaming, thinking, and living "fluent in fear" because it's become so natural.

I don't know about you but I want this to be the year that I kick fear in the face. How many times in our lives have we missed out on something great because we're afraid? As I stand on the fifth day of 2010, I want to view the year before me with eyes of FAITH & ADVENTURE. I want words spoken to me "in fear" to sound like gibberish, easily recognized as such and even more quickly dismissed.

Walking in this adventure requires leaving FEAR behind so I'm bolting for the cross, where faith meets my soul.