Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (original 2008; edition 2008)

Enjoyed this look at really living for Jesus. Some of my favorite quotes:
"The core problem isn't the fact that we're lukewarm, halfhearted, 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. We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He’s great and deserves to be the center of our lives. Jesus came humbly as a servant, but He never begs us to give Him some small part of ourselves. He commands everything from His followers."
“Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.” R. C. Sproul
“There is an epidemic of spiritual amnesia going around, and none of us is immune. No matter how many fascinating details we learn about God's creation, no matter how many pictures we see of His galaxies, and no matter how many sunsets we watch, we still forget.”
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us…. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.”
"When I am consumed by my problems - stressed about my life, my family, and my job - I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have the "right" to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities.”
“Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ? Or do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?”
“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.”
“LUKEWARM PEOPLE rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.”
“LUKEWARM PEOPLE are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God.”
“LUKEWARM PEOPLE probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong.”
"When I was in high school, I seriously considered joining the Marines; this was when they first came out with commercials for "the few, the proud, the Marines." What turned me off was that in those advertisements, everyone was always running. Always. And I hate running.”
“But you know what? I didn't bother to ask if they would modify the rules for me so I could run less, and maybe also do fewer push-ups. That would've been pointless and stupid, and I knew it. Everyone knows that if you sign up for the Marines, you have to do whatever they tell you. They own you.“
“Somehow this realization does not cross over to our thinking about the Christian life. Jesus didn't say that if you wanted to follow Him you could do it in a lukewarm manner. He said, "Take up your cross and follow me."
"If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream."
"Or, to use another metaphor more familiar to city people, we are on a neverending downward escalator. In order to grow, we have to turn around and sprint up the escalator, putting up with perturbed looks from everyone else who is gradually moving downward."
"I believe that much of the American churchgoing population, while not specifically swimming downstream, is slowly floating away from Christ. It isn’t a conscious choice, but it is nonetheless happening because little in their lives propels them toward Christ."
"When you are truly in love, you go to great lengths to be with the one you love. You'll drive for hours to be together, even if it's only for a short while. You don't mind staying up late to talk. Walking in the rain is romantic, not annoying. You'll willingly spend a small fortune on the one you're crazy about. When you are apart from each other, it's painful, even miserable. He or she is all you think about; you jump at any chance to be together.”
“How would my life change if I actually thought of each person I came into contact with as Christ—the person driving painfully slow in front of me, the checker at the grocery store who seems more interested in chatting than ringing up my items, the member of my own family with whom I can’t seem to have a conversation and not get annoyed?”
"This place of trust isn't a comfortable place to be; in fact it flies in the face of everything we've been taught about proper planning. We like finding refuge in what we already have rather than in what we hope God will provide. But when Christ says to count the cost of following Him, it means we must surrender everything. It means being willing to go without an extra tunic or a place to sleep at night, and sometimes without knowing where we are going."
Profile of the Obsessed
Lovers: People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly, without censure. Obsessed people love those who hate them and can never love them back.
Risk Takers: People who are obsessed with Jesus aren’t consumed with personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God’s Kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain and distress.
Friends of All: People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. Obsessed people believe Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was very important to him.
Crazy Ones: Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don’t always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth. As Martin Luther put it, “There are 2 days on my calendar; this day and that day.”
The Humble: A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never be “humble enough,” so they seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known.
Servers: People who are obsessed with Jesus do not consider service a burden. Obsessed people take joy in loving God by loving His people.
Givers: People who are obsessed with God are known as givers, not takers. Obsessed people genuinely think that others matter as much as they do, and they are particularly aware of those who are poor around the world.
Sojourners: A person who is obsessed thinks about heaven frequently. Obsessed people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is here in front of them.
The Engrossed: A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed, settled, and passionate love for God, above and before every other thing and every other being.
Unguarded Ones: People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures. Obsessed people don’t put it on God; He is their safe place, where they can be at peace.
THE ROOTED: People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God’s Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages.
The Dedicated: A person who is obsessed with Jesus isd more concerned with his or her character than comfort. Obsessed people know that true joy doesn’t depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God.
Sacrificers: A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the best thing he can do is be faithful to his Savior in every aspect of his life, continually saying “Thank you!” to God. An obsessed person knows there can never be intimacy if he is always trying to pay God back or work hard enough to be worthy. He revels in his role as child and friend of God.
"We tend to think of joy as something that ebbs and flows depending on life's circumstances. But we don't just lose joy, as though one day we have it and the next it's gone, oh darn. Joy is something that we have to choose and then work for. Like the ability to run for an hour, it doesn't come automatically. It needs cultivation.”
“When life gets painful or won't go as we hoped, it's okay if a little of our joy seeps away. The Bible teaches that true joy is formed in the midst of the difficult seasons of life.”
"A friend of mine once said that Christians are like manure: spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they stink horribly. Which are you? The kind that reeks, around which people walk a wide swath? Or the kind that trusts God enough to let Him spread you out — whether that means going outside your normal group of Christian friends, increasing your material giving, or using your time to serve others?"
My suggestion as you think, make decisions, and discern how God would have you live is to ask yourself, "Is this the most loving way to do life? Am I loving my neighbor and my God by living where I live, by driving what I drive, by talking how I talk?" I urge you to consider and actually live as though each person you come into contact with is Christ.
"I've made a commitment to consistently put myself in situations that scare me and require God to come through. When I survey my life, I realize that those time have been the most meaningful and satisfying of my life. They were the times when I truly experienced life and God."
Do you think God calls you to live a radical, crazy life? “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 that live life like there is no God. To me that is insanity.” ( )

Francis Chan is the founding pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, and is the founder of Eternity Bible College. Chan is also the author of Forgotten God and has written some children’s books. In Crazy Love, Chan verbalizes the truths of the bible of how Christians should be living their lives. This includes describing “lukewarm” Christians, proclaiming specific Christians that have truly lived their lives through Jesus Christ, and a profile of the “obsessed” with God. All of these insights lead to introspective questions of faith and life choices.

Though some consider Crazy Love, by Francis Chan, inspiring, I found this book to be a 175-page very pushy sermon. As what is described as a “lukewarm” Christian, I responded to Chan’s writing as being preached to and being yelled at. Chan does a very good job of proving his points with well-known scriptures and some not-so-well-known scriptures. This, to me, emphasizes that he knows what he is talking about and can back himself up with evidence from the bible. It is not that I do not agree with Chan’s ideas, it is that the way he was telling his audience about how to be the “perfect” Christian that did not sit well with me. I would recommend this book to someone who is looking to be inspired to be a better Christian. ( )

This is the first book I’ve read so far for my [CULTIVATE] project, and I found it deeply convicting. This book isn’t for people who are okay living their safe Christian lives; instead, it’s for those of us who really feel like something is missing. We read our Bibles and look at “normal” Christians and think, these people are nice…but they don’t look all that much like Jesus. (I put myself in that same “normal” category, but at least I’m wondering why I don’t look more like Jesus.) Chan not just encourages but downright implores us to fall more deeply in love with God (not just God’s stuff), through seeking him in His word, taking risks, serving the poor and those in need, and stop trying to be so safe. He offers real-life examples of people who have used their time, talent, and money to really love God. Love God.

One of the things that struck me the most was his portrait of his grandmother-in-law. They went to see a play and Chan asked her how she liked it. She answered (I’m paraphrasing), “I’m not sure this is where I want to be if Jesus comes back.” That really made me think. If Jesus comes back, do I really want to be in the middle of a game of Draw Something? Do I want to be trying to build my own little kingdom? Or would I rather be serving or praying or in fellowship? Chan really has challenged me to rethink some of my priorities, and I’m grateful for that.

Here’s one thing you can do right now to see how you’re living a life of love that God has called you to. Chan says of 1 Corinthians 13:2-3, “Tale the phrase Love is patient and substitute your name for the word love…. Do it for every phrase in the passage.” Let me try it:

Cori is patient and kind; Cori does not envy or boast, she is not arrogant or rude. She does not insist on her own way; she is not irritable or resentful; she does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Cori bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

While I think I am consistently improving in these things, I know I have a long way to go. I think [CULTIVATE] will help me feel like slightly less of an impostor when I put my name into that verse.

Read my full review here: http://letseatgrandpa.com/2012/04/10/book-review-21-crazy-love-by-francis-chan/ ( )

Francis Chan pretty much nails it. No lame christianese feel good tome is this. It confronts us right where we're at and tells you what's wrong with Christians in America.

Read it. ( )

This is probably one of the hardest books on Christianity I've read. Not in terms of "difficult to understand," but more like, "difficult to apply." It addresses some much needed areas in modern Christianity that have long been pet peeves of mine. But it also touched on a lot of issues I hadn't realized about myself.

The thing I like about this novel is that it really does focus on love. And it pulls away from the self-centered, egotistical spirituality that many Christians possess. Instead, it focuses on what you're doing for other people, for God, etc. It leads you down a path of much more importance than politics and petty social issues. This book reminds you of what was and is the most important function of Christianity.

This book has to be devoured bit by bit. You cannot simple sit down and read the entire book in one sitting. To do so would be like eating food and not digesting it. A terrible waste.