Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Crazy Love
Overwhelmed By A Relentless God

For some reason this book became wildly popular on Miami's campus this past year, despite it's 2008 publication.  I bought it, but before I even read it, other students borrowed it, and read it first!  Once I finally opened Crazy Love for myself, it took more highlighters than days to read it.

Chan's clearest desire is for his life, preaching, and writing is to ignite a response, not just in word, but in deed.  Referencing the early church, Chan reminds us "After the apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, people 'were cut to the heart and said... 'Brothers, what shall we do?' (Acts 2:37).  The first church responded with immediate action: repentance, baptism, selling possessions, sharing the Gospel."  Why is this relevant to us today?  Because the church today has a frighteningly different response!  "We respond with words like Amen, Convicting sermons, Great book... and then we are paralyzed as we try to decipher what God wants of our lives."  This was never the response that God desired for us!  In Chan's final chapter, 'The Crux of the Matter', he writes:

I wrote this book because much of our talk doesn't match our lives.  We say things like, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," and "Trust in the Lord with all your heart."  Then we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists.  We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine if God doesn't come through.  But true faith means holding nothing back.  It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises.

Sooo-ooh many people would agree that Christian's talk-the-talk, but don't walk-the-walk, but their only response is embitterment and complaining.  This is why Chan's response is so true and refreshing.  Honesty and passion emanate from the pages of this book.  When Chan is asked "Do you think God calls you to live a radical, crazy life?" his response is simple, honest, and powerful:

It's not that this lifestyle should be crazy to us.  It should be the only thing that makes sense.  Giving up everything and sacrificing everything we can for the afterlife is logical.  "Crazy" is living a safe life and storing up things while trying to enjoy our time on earth, knowing that any millisecond God could take your life.  To me that is crazy, and that is radical.  The crazy ones are the ones who live like there is no God.  To me that is insanity.

Chan's writing overflows with passionate love for God and for others, with an exciting, deeply convicting, vision of what it looks like to really live it out.  This book inspires a new, and Biblical, way of life while enticing it's reader to wholeheartedly worship God.  I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Crazy Love and reading it from front-to-back.

Have you read it?  Post your comments!

Click here more book reviews from my library.

New Books for the month of May

Books I'm reading this May

Perfecting Ourselves to Death
The Pursuit of Excellence and the Perils of Perfectionism
by Richard Winter

Crazy Love
Overwhelmed by a Relentless God 
by Francis Chan

Forgotten God
Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
by Francis Chan

What is a Healthy Church Member
by Thabiti Anyabwile

Titus by the Apostle Paul
Paul's brief letter to Titus teaching the inseparable link between faith and practice, belief and behavior. This truth is the basis for Paul's critique of false teaching as well as his instruction in Christian living and qualifications for church leaders.

1 and 2 Timothy by the Apostle Paul
First Timothy is a warning against false teachers as well as clear call for the church to live out in tangible ways the ethical implications of the gospel.
Second Timothy is a bold call for perseverance in the gospel in spite of suffering. Paul calls on his young coworker to continue the fight of faith, even as Paul approaches the end of his own life.


Have any comments about any of these books?  Please share them!  I'll post mine soon...

Entering the Dating World

For my senior capstone as a psychology major at Miami University I co-authored a book From Clash to Complement An Analysis of Gender Roles and Marriage with my friend, Austin.  We humorously and scientifically claimed that complementary gender roles within dating and marriage will foster the most happiness.  Our aim was to write a book that explained a radical alternative to the dating and marriage life that most people know today.  "A culture that has suffered the causalities of traditional marriages and explored the battle grounds of egalitarian relationships must turn toward a complementary understanding for refuge."  Our viewpoint was strong, and it led to quite a book... I was reading portions of it last night and thought it would be fun to share some of the more humorous aspects. 

Table of Contents
Section I Dating
Chapter 1: Playing House
                Traditional Stereotypes & Dating
Chapter 2: Romantically Challenged
                The Egalitarian Attempt to Dating
Chapter 3: The Best Date Yet
                Complementary Dating
Section II Marriage 
Chapter 4: Unpleasantville
                The Life of Traditional Marriage
Chapter 5: Two Left Feet
                The Dance of Egalitarian Marriage
Chapter 6: Peanut Butter & Jelly
                The Delight of Complementary Marriage

As introductions for each chapter Austin and I shared personal stories either from our own lives or from the lives of our friends or family members.  The most entertaining stories we included were those that recalled each of our entries into the dating world...

Romantically Challenged
The Egalitarian Attempt to Dating
Entering the Dating World
    In kindergarten I remember having pigtails, purple stretch pants, and a love for macaroni and cheese.  My mom once showed me pictures of myself wearing a cardboard cut-out of macaroni and cheese for a class performance.  I thank the Lord that aside from those pictures I have no real recollection of why I was wearing 'mararoni' and dancing around on stage.  However, one memory I unabashedly recall is my kindergarten Valentine's Day.
     We can all remember the Valentine's cards with cartoon characters or pretty princesses on the front.  The whole class swaps "Your Sweet" valentines and candy hearts to ensure that kid in the back row isn't left-out.  But that's not the memory I'm talking about.  I did the whole class valentine swap alright, but it was after I got home from that busy kindergarten day that my doorbell rang.  I skidded through the kitchen to see who was at the door, and Raymond, the cutest boy from my class, was standing at the door with a single rose!  As he handed me my first real red rose he stammered, "W-would you like to go see B-Beauty and the Beast on ice with me... and my dad?"  Dad, or no dad, I was going on my first date!  Pigtails, purple stretch pants and all - that's when I entered the dating world.  And had I see all the jerks, heartbreaks, and break-downs coming, I might have waited... at least until first grade!
    Now, eighteen years later, I still find myself in the 'dating world'.  Although, I do believe I've learned a thing or two along the way.  I have gained knowledge from the preps and skaters, the short-term and long-distance, and cheaters and the clingers.  I've been there as my friends have hooked-up, shacked-up, and broken-up.  I've spent many late night learning from 'expert' Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City's New York Times sex columnist.  I've journaled, researched, and studied; and prayerfully this journey will end with a book worth your reading and a man worth my loving.

We turned-in our book and graduated college the next week... I doubt we changed many people's minds about gender roles, but a year later I still think it's a book worth reading.

Love the Father has given to us

Everything is really all about the Gospel, and I love when I'm freshly reminded of that simple and beautiful truth.  This is an animation built on 1 John 3:1 and a song by Sovereign Grace Music entitled Prodigal. 

The Riches of His Grace

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight" Ephesians 1:7-8

God created Adam and Eve in a condition of sinless freedom, yet, they subjected themselves to slavery through disobediently eating from the tree of knowledge.  Their rebellion sold the entire human race into bondage under sin and death.  A just God ought to leave us there, entangled in sin, fully deserving of His judgment and wrath.  However, our God, both just and merciful, repurchased a people to Himself through Jesus Christ.  Through His blood we have redemption, the forgiveness of our trespasses.  Such beautiful news - we are ransomed from our previous captivity and slavery, according to the riches of his grace!  Our every action earns us guilt and wrath, but God richly poured out his grace upon us through the sacrifice of his Son.  We are unreservedly offered freedom from slavery to sin and guilt through Christ's blood, an atoning sacrifice.  However, God's grace did not stop there, for he lavishes grace upon us in all wisdom and insight.  It is extended in great amounts, without limit, openhanded, extravagant grace upon grace!  We, who are so undeserving, are generously offered grace and mercy by our Creator and Savior.  This is not a God who begrudgingly allows us into His presence.  Far from that, He is a God who loves deeply and powerfully in both word and deed.  This is a God worth worshiping. 

My Theme Song

If I had to pick a theme song for my year it would be

If You Say Go

If You say go, we will go

If You say wait, we will wait

If You say step out on the water

And they say it can't be done

We'll fix our eyes on You and we will come

Your ways are higher than our ways

And the plans that You have laid

Are good and true

If You call us to the fire

You will not withdraw Your hand

We'll gaze into the flames and look for You

The Top 10 Truths that Changed my Life 2010

1. Growing in godliness is predominantly about desiring God above everything else.
Blaise Pascal one said, “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end.” By nature we live for what we value. Therefore, the battle ground of the Christian life is about what we desire. We are called to fight, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to value Jesus above all other things – then we’ll choose Him. As Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
DESIRING GOD BY JOHN PIPER, PSALM 16:11; PSALM 43:4; PSALM 119:103-104, 1 SAMUEL 12:21

2. Believers MUST memorize chapters and books of Scripture!
God’s Word says, “Blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:2-3). You cannot meditate on Scripture day and night without having it committed to memory! Paul wrote “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (3:16) which requires reading and memorizing God’s word!
A CALL TO SCRIPTURE MEMORY BY SUSAN HECK, DEUT 6:6; DEUT 11:18, PSALM 119, ROMANS 12:2, AND SO MANY MORE!

3. You respond to the Gospel through repentance and faith for both justification and sanctification.
You will grow in Christ the same way that you came to Christ: Repentance and Faith. You must continually see and confess that you are a more wretched sinner than you thought, yet through faith in Jesus, you are more loved and accepted than you could have ever imagined! This is the Gospel – never move past it! The Gospel both immediately justifies and continually sanctifies you. This is why you need to preach the Gospel to yourself every day.
THE SLOPE OF REPENTANCE & FAITH FROM THE OAKS, THE CROSS CENTERED LIFE BY C.J. MAHANEY

4. You must constantly repent to yourself, to God, and when necessary to others.
Pervasive, all-of-life repentance is the best sign that you are growing deeply and rapidly into the character of Jesus. You must be resolved, as Jonathan Edwards was, to confess frankly to yourself, all which you find in yourself, either sickness or sin; and also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help [the Holy Spirit and the accountability of brothers and sisters in Christ].” You must ask yourself every night and every week: What sin have I repented of? Is there anyone I need to repent to or any sin that remains unconfessed?
ALL OF LIFE IS REPENTANCE BY TIM KELLER, THE RESOLUTIONS OF JONATHAN EDWARDS, ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS

5. Do not give authority to your feelings; they often arise from your flesh, which is totally depraved.
Martin Luther wisely said, "All natural inclinations are either without God or against him; therefore none are good.” The desires of your flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, so you must choose to walk by the Spirit. You cannot blindly trust your feelings. They often arise from the flesh and are therefore sinful. Always take your thoughts captive, question their aim (God or self), and reinterpret them through Scripture.
SEEING WITH NEW EYES BY DAVID POWLISON, FLESH CARTOON BY JOSHUA HARRIS, ROMANS 7, GALATIANS 5:16-24

6. You will live most freely when you believe that dying is gain.
Christ came to set you free, so that sin and death no longer have power over you (Galatians 5:1). “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:54-57). Christ bought your freedom, but you must now live in it. Look to Paul’s words in Philippians 1:20-26 as an example, primarily “For to me to live in Christ, and to die is gain” (v. 21). Do not allow yourself to be content with the level of your surrender to Christ until you learn to cry out as Esther did, “If I perish, I perish!” (v. 4:16).
DOING MISSIONS WHEN DYING IS GAIN BY JOHN PIPER, GALATIANS 5:1, 1 CORINTHIANS 15:54-57, PHILIPPIANS 1:20-26

7. Discipleship is a Biblical command so that our lives do not bring shame to God’s word.
Live as a Titus 2 Woman: “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women … that the word of God may not be reviled.” Scripture commands that women be discipled by qualified older women and disciple younger women, so that the word of God may not be despised.
TITUS 2:3-5, FEMININE APPEAL BY CAROLYN MAHANEY

8. Learn to treat the church like Jesus Christ’s beloved bride.
The local church is not meant to be treated with a critical, me-centered, non-committal, two-timer attitude. The Church is Christ’s bride and we must treat it as such - love it, speak well of it, serve it, give to it, and become a part of it. Joshua Harris writes, "The greatest motivation we could ever find for being passionately committed to the Church is that Jesus is passionately committed to the Church." As Christians we are called to be imitators of God (Eph 5:1) and to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). Therefore we must love the Church and put that passion into action by thinking globally and loving locally. Briefly put, stop dating the church and commit!
STOP DATING THE CHURCH BY JOSHUA HARRIS, WHAT IS A HEALTHY CHURCH MEMBER BY THABITI ANABWILE 

9. When committing to a local church, you cannot afford to unwisely asses its healthiness!
Therefore, we cannot afford to unwisely asses the health of a church! We need to Biblically consider the crucial, deal-breaking, qualities of a church. Mark Dever writes that the 9 marks of a healthy church are: 1) Expositional Preaching 2) Biblical Theology 3) The Gospel 4) A Biblical Understanding of Conversion 5) Evangelism 6) Church Membership 7) Biblical Church Discipline 8) A Concern for Discipleship and Growth 9) Biblical Church Leadership.
9 MARKS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH AND WHAT IS A HEALTHY CHURCH BY MARK DEVER

10. Please, read wisely.
A. Invest in a study Bible and learn how to use it. Don’t settle for a diet of predigested truth (Christian books). Read your Bible more than you read anything else. 2 TIMOTHY 3:16, HEBREWS 4:12
B. The New Testament is written to an audience well versed in the Old Testament; therefore you cannot compromise your time reading and understanding the Old Testament.
C. Know the authors of the Christian books you read. Find-out their beliefs, publishings, reputation and legacy. If their life isn’t worth emulating, read a different book. HEBREWS 13:7, 3 JOHN 1:11