Crazy Love

I started reading this book back in March. I bought it for my Kindle and kind of forgot about it. But I picked it up again earlier this month and finished it in about a week. I think the timing of it was perfect. I don't know it I would have been ready for it a couple of months ago, but I'm in the perfect place for this book to have made a difference right now.

This book was about what Christianity should really look like, something that always gets me thinking. The author, Francis Chan, talks about loving other people and how our actions demonstrate that love. Truth is, Jesus' message was love. Plain and simple. He was not about judgment or condemnation. That doesn't mean that God isn't saddened by our sin or that there aren't consequences when we sin. But it means that God desires that all of his creation would love and worship him. And the best way that we can do that is by loving those around us, specifically those who are difficult to love. I was truly challenged to live out my faith more. I don't know exactly what that is supposed to look like in my life, but I do know that I'm more open and willing to whatever God has in store for me.

I desire to give my whole heart to God and to let him be in control of every aspect of my life, which means giving over my finances and stepping out of my comfort zone. Chan continually mentions how privileged we are just to live in the US. Simply living in this country makes us richer than most of the world. He challenged my thinking on how we spend our money. Yes, Brad and I give faithfully to our church and we try to donate to other charities/causes when we have the money, but I know that we could do more. It's not that I felt guilty after reading this book. I hate it when books do that to you. I felt inspired, challenged. Like God has blessed me with so much, why shouldn't I want to use that to turn around and bless other people?

I'm honestly not sure what impact this book will have on my life or how things will change. I'm still waiting to see what happens. But I do know that I highly recommend this book to anyone who knows that there's more to their faith than how they've been living.