About 2 years ago (I think?), Larry got wind of a new book on the market by a pastor named Francis Chan. The guy was, at that time, just hitting the mainstream Christian view & he was taking people by storm with his book titled Crazy Love. Larry got the book & read it and was left unimpressed. Soon after he sold the book on half.com or bookmooch or something. Never the less, I've heard a thousand people rave about this book since that time & have wondered if I'd feel the same way my husband did. I haven't pursued reading it until about a month ago when I finally decided to buy a copy & see what I thought. I got a Barnes & Noble gift card from one of my students at the end of the school year, so I went on the site & found a cheap used copy & made my purchase. It came in the mail last week and while I wanted to start it, I was eyeball-deep in a book by Karen Kingsbury, so I decided to wait til I finished that one to start it. I mentioned it tonight on Facebook and got a lot of comments about it, so I thought I'd write up a little book review.
After laying in the bathtub with some bubbles & reading chapter 1, I was tempted to lay there & get pruned up & read several more chapters, but decided I needed to go to bed & sleep instead. I really wanted to keep reading, though. Not because of the book's words, but because of the things the words said to me...the marvel & awe I was feeling for the God of the universe...the sense of worship & humility the author's words brought me to. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the book, but just like I enjoy the lyrics & tunes of the praise & worship songs at church, I am left in wonder & awe of the God I'm singing TO and that's what worship's all about.
I don't want to give away the whole book, so I'm just going to post some of my favorite parts along the way as I read the book. I hope you will be inspired & left longing for your first Love as you read along with me.
*"Men are never duly touched & impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God." -RC Sproul
*His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can't contain Him. Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we can't exaggerate?
*Not being able to fully understand God is frustrating, but it is ridiculous for us to think that we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of understanding. What a stunted, insignificant God that would be!
*It is sobering to realize that this is the same God who is holy & eternal, the Maker of the billions of galaxies and thousands of tree species in the rainforest. This is the God who takes the time to know all the details about each of us. He does not have to know us so well, but He chooses to.
*God is the only Being who is good, and the standards are set by Him. Because God hates sin, He has to punish those guilty of sin. Maybe that's not an appealing standard. But to put it bluntly when you get your own universe, you can set the standards. When we disagree, let's not assume it's His reasoning that needs correction.
Much of the rest of the chapter reminded me of this beautiful worship song that we sang at our old church. I love those Scripture-filled worship songs that make you want to fall on your face before God.
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