In case you forgot, I love to read.  Stacks of books seem to pile up all over the house — most of them half read.  Other women buy shoes; I buy books.  For 2012,  I am purposing to be a bit more intentional about my reading plan.  I hope to read 12 books and post a “Net Out” here on the blog using a  format similar to Michael Hyatt’s.

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan is a book that unpacks how the unconditional love of God breaks through and radically changes our lives. Chan’s book packs a lot of punches — he hits the mediocre, materialistic believer right in the gut.  The book provides narrative examples of every day people who have literally taken up their cross and given up all to pursue Christ.

Here are some “take away” truths that captured my attention:

• God demands all:  “It is important that we not measure our spiritual health by people around us, who are pretty much like us…The core problem isn’t the fact that we’re lukewarm, half-hearted, or stagnant Christians.  The crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God…Jesus came humbly as a servant, but He never begs use to give Him some small part of ourselves.  He commands everything from His followers” (p.22).
• God desires for us to be reverently intimate with Him:  “The very fact that a holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, fair, and just God loves you and me is nothing short of astonishing….The irony is that while God doesn’t need use but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time” (p.61).
• Our lives should be a love letter to God:  “When we work for Christ out of obligation, it feels like work.  But when we truly love Christ, our work is a manifestation of that love, and it feels like love”  (p.110).

Chan’s book is not for the fainthearted — he will challenge your assumptions and make you examine your Christian walk in a whole new way.  He moves you to see your mediocrity and despise it.  This book is a life changer for those who respond to his challenge.

Up next will be The Resolution for Women, a book written to challenge women to passionately pursue their unique roles as God’s chosen feminine agents.   Want to read it with me?  I will be posting about it on July 27th.

I would love to hear about what you are reading.  Feel free to share in the comment section below to be entered in a Giveaway — I will be giving away a copy of each of these 2 great books.

One additional entry can be earned for each of these:

• Follow @3dLessons4Life on Twitter. Leave a comment indicating that you did.
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Just make sure to enter on or before June 29th to participate.  Thanks for stopping by!

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