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Summary: Will cause a paradigm shift . . .
Review: . . . and I detest buzzwords. Beautifully written, the authors open one's mind to the possibility that those nagging inner voices about God's abandonment are our enemy's attempt to keep us from seeing the Lord's true heart for us. I am going through a struggle right now that can easily send me into panic and I've-got-to-take-care-of-myself mode. This book has forced me to stop and take a deep breath, listen to my deepest heart, and has produced peace like a river. Beautiful.
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Summary: Helps you understand life, pain, disappointments and love!
Review: A great book which gives you a framework to understand hurts and disappointments in life and how God can use those to really love you well! It is the language of the heart and shows you the vastness of God's heart for the reader. Great for discussion and small groups!
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Summary: Life changing, heart shaping, wonderful, real reading
Review: This book is one of hundreds written by Chrisian authors offering new hope after life/self examination... the difference with this book is that it delivers. Probably the most influencial book I, as well as several friends, have read in the last five or six years. Easy to understand, hard to race through. Each chapter asks you to examine parts of your life, including the hard parts, and forces you to come face to face with a God who has an incredible amount of love for you. Absolutely fantastic.
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Summary: This book has changed my life!!
Review: This book touched a place deep in my spirit-a place that was hungry for the certainty that God loved me. When I finished this book, all uncertainty was gone. I had lost my heart and God let me find it again, through this book. God bless John and Brent!
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Summary: This book is being used by God
Review: The Sacred Romance is being used by God to invite people to true Christianity. So many people who are weary of the contemporary version of Christianity (that leaves the soul simply tired) are being invited to something rich and lifegiving by being reminded of God's pursuit of us, not the other way around! This book is written by two men whom I trust and respect....they live their lives in response to the Sacred Romance.
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Summary: The best book I have ever read after the Bible!!!
Review: This is such an awesome book! This book really gets at the root of why we were created (for fellowship with God) and His pursuit of us. This "Romance" is the common thread that runs through the entire Bible. I hesitate to recommend books to people because I don't want them to think that I think I have somehow found something that they need. However, I have bought a number of copies of this with my own money to pass along to people. It is a book I would recommend to anyone at anytime in their life in order to gain a deeper understanding of our first and foremost purpose in life.
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Summary: God can use this
Review: The writing style was bland and went in circles at times. Max Lucado's work has a simplicity and truth that this book lacks. However, if you have the desire to see God as the "Ageless Romancer" you will find what you're looking for. It takes some time to get past the writing style, but it's worth the read for what's underneath. Many of us struggle with self-hatred. We see ourselves as filthy and "never quite good enough", but we are the objects of a Great Romance, being pursued until our hearts have been won by our Romancer. I walk away with a deeper knowledge of God's passion for me. If you struggle with understanding God's love for you, take the time to read this book.
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Summary: a love affair with God
Review: I am going into the ministry and come from a background of legalistic Christianity. While I moved into the 'nondenominational' sect - bordering on First Church of God - I still handled the Gospel as a gospel of sin management, as a list of do's and don't's, even though I told people it wasn't. I felt many unexplainable insecurities with this mindset until I was recommended this book by a friend. It brought all the insecurities to the light and my love with God has been revolutionary in my life.
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Summary: fave Eldredge book
Review: This is my favorite book by Eldredge, though I know that is not true for all readers. But that is because I'm pursuing an Enlgish degree and this book has changed the way I see the world. Not only do I now look for God when I read, but I also now see my life as a story. I look for God in my personal dramas.
Granted, the scope of this book is broad, even epic. Eldredge points to the Bible's bigger story like Milton's Paradise Lost. Then he contrasts that with modern concepts of church, tugging on our 'heartstrings': our desire and fear of personal drama. According to Eldredge, those curious emotions are acts of God reaching out for us, romancing our hearts into a more intimate relationship.
Certainly, the 'romancing of God' is Biblical, found in most of the prophetic books and the Gospels. ie - The prophets are always writing of Israel's adulturous heart, and Jesus calls himself the Bridegroom and his church the bride.
He touches such themes as risk, loss, enemies, apathy, confusion, and deep intimacy, which all creates an active reading experience.
Lastly, I loved the ending. It is not quite a 'lived happily ever after' ending, but almost. Eldredge ties in those curious emotions to heaven, for that is when the bride meets the bridegroom in marriage. Though we remember this end, we are not there yet.
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Summary: An Epiphany in Print
Review: I experienced a dilemma while reading this..I didn't want to put it down!! Yet I had to stop every few pages, sometimes after just a few lines, to let the message 'soak in'. The content of this book was life-changing for me. I've been in church all my life, and born again for over 20 years, but so much of what we hear about His love for us can become rote...devoid of any meaning beyond the academic. The picture painted here will transform all the platitudes into a vibrating truth that will quicken the Spirit within the reader, and bring breathtaking life into the journey.
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