What I'm Reading

This picture has nothing to do with the below post. I just like it. 

Derwent, Alberta, Canada

I noticed on someone else's blog that they say "what is in my basket"  as in what they have on the go for reading and knitting.  (still don't get the reading and kitting both... but beside the point)  So the point is that I would need to call my posts on what I'm reading "What is in my stack"  because I have an entire stack of books I'm going to try and push through before they come due at the library.

So last night was back to Crazy Love again (which actually isn't a library book, but I'm already half done so I figure I'll finish it then start another so I don't have 3 going at the same time).

But Mr. Francis Chan (who I really like) made some GREAT points in my chapter from last night.  It was Chapter 6- When You're in Love (if you have your own copy) and the first thing that hit me was actually a quote from another author:

The critical question for our generation - and for every generation- is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever like, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?  John Piper, from God is the Gospel

And somehow I think it is exactly what we need to be asking ourselves.  I definitely don't think that I'm fully there, but I feel very blessed to say that I am beginning to see how important it is that I don't just go to heaven, but that I am with God.   A good friend of mine once said, "God didn't make heaven so he could chuck us in there for eternity".   God wants us to be with him, and if we only realized what that means, we would want to be with him too.   But unfortunately, we are more interested in if we might be able to bungee jump in heaven (real overheard conversation).

So as the chapter title suggests, Chan begins to talk about how we can love God more.  And then he tells us the most important thing about loving Jesus:  "His counsel wasn't to 'try harder,' but to let Him in."  I loved how succinct he made it. We can't just will ourselves to love Jesus.  Doesn't happen like that.  But we can ask him to help us love him more, and by opening our defenses we let him in to make it happen.  That is why it can say in James 4:8 "Come near to God and he will come near to you"

I'm really liking this book... definitely on my "should read" list.  ESPECIALLY if you grew up in church.  Somehow we take our relationship with God more for granted I think, and maybe we never really realize how to love him.  So Crazy Love, is a great way to spark something to change in your heart.