The River Within: Loving God, Living Passionately

Rating:
Summary: The Passion of the Trinity is Expressed in Our Hearts
Review: A good friend recommended this book to me. I bought it and read it slowly over 4 months. It is an insightful and compassionate description of spiritual formation rooted in the character of the Triune God. It has profound applications to how we relate to God and to one another.

There are several significant themes and messages woven throughout the book, which could not be expressed sufficiently in a short review, except to give a short description of a few of them. The theological foundation which Jeff Imbach continues to build on throughout the book is that the passion which is expressed among the persons of the Trinity is the source of our own passion. This becomes the thematic center for the rest of the book as Imbach tries to 'rescue' passion from the chopping block of traditional discipleship. Passion is not all bad, argues Imbach. In fact, passion is an essential element in our spiritual formation as we seek to be connected to and formed by a Passionate God.

Imbach describes the "Union and Uniqueness" of the Persons of the Trinity and effectively argues that this characteristic of the Godhead expresses itself deeply in our own hearts and lives. For example, as people we have a longing for "Union"; we desire to be connected to a larger whole, to belong to a body of intimately relating friends. However, we also have the sometimes competing desire for "Uniqueness"; we long to be recognized as valuable individuals. For myself, this was the most significant theme of "The River Within". I connected well with his description of God here and with his many examples from real life experiences (both his own and others').

The image of the "River Within" becomes an important one in the book as Imbach describes the flowing of godly passion in our lives as a river with its source in God. The "river banks", then become an important symbol of the necessary boundaries of passion which, if distorted or completely unhindered, can become dissipated or destructive to our spirital lives. Imbach explains that it is up to us to carefully discern the banks for passion on our own lives.

Sometimes the examples and stories became slightly repetitive, which made the book drag a little. This is especially true while Imbach is pounding on the point that our passions are God-given and God can redeem them as an integral part of our spiritual formation.

When I first began to read chapter 12, which describes the role of Creation in our spiritual lives, I was a little uneasy about such an emphasis on nature and our role as stewards, etc. After finishing the chapter I was still not completely at home with all of the ideas, but I was able to truly appreciate some of his observations about the intimacy and presence of God which are made evident in Creation, and also about our connectedness to the earth. In fact as my wife and I were celebrating our first anniversary in rural New Hampshire, I took the book along with us during an outdoor hike and we read a section of this chapter together.

Imbach brilliantly concludes the book with chapters describing what it looks like to live passionately in community, in relationships, and with God. It is in these chapters that his wisdom and experience in listening to people becomes most evident.

There were times when this book became somewhat of a chore to persevere in, but it was worth the effort. "The River Within" was definitely good for my soul and I don't doubt that many lives would be transformed and many personal burdens lightened if believers could spend time with Imbach's ideas in this book.

After reading "The Sacred Romance" and other books describing the role of passion and "the heart" in Christian Spirituality, this book fit well into this "conversation" (as my friend would call it). Thanks Rob.

Rating:
Summary: The Passion of the Trinity is Expressed in Our Hearts
Review: A good friend recommended this book to me. I bought it and read it slowly over 4 months. It is an insightful and compassionate description of spiritual formation rooted in the character of the Triune God. It has profound applications to how we relate to God and to one another.

There are several significant themes and messages woven throughout the book, which could not be expressed sufficiently in a short review, except to give a short description of a few of them. The theological foundation which Jeff Imbach continues to build on throughout the book is that the passion which is expressed among the persons of the Trinity is the source of our own passion. This becomes the thematic center for the rest of the book as Imbach tries to 'rescue' passion from the chopping block of traditional discipleship. Passion is not all bad, argues Imbach. In fact, passion is an essential element in our spiritual formation as we seek to be connected to and formed by a Passionate God.

Imbach describes the "Union and Uniqueness" of the Persons of the Trinity and effectively argues that this characteristic of the Godhead expresses itself deeply in our own hearts and lives. For example, as people we have a longing for "Union"; we desire to be connected to a larger whole, to belong to a body of intimately relating friends. However, we also have the sometimes competing desire for "Uniqueness"; we long to be recognized as valuable individuals. For myself, this was the most significant theme of "The River Within". I connected well with his description of God here and with his many examples from real life experiences (both his own and others').

The image of the "River Within" becomes an important one in the book as Imbach describes the flowing of godly passion in our lives as a river with its source in God. The "river banks", then become an important symbol of the necessary boundaries of passion which, if distorted or completely unhindered, can become dissipated or destructive to our spirital lives. Imbach explains that it is up to us to carefully discern the banks for passion on our own lives.

Sometimes the examples and stories became slightly repetitive, which made the book drag a little. This is especially true while Imbach is pounding on the point that our passions are God-given and God can redeem them as an integral part of our spiritual formation.

When I first began to read chapter 12, which describes the role of Creation in our spiritual lives, I was a little uneasy about such an emphasis on nature and our role as stewards, etc. After finishing the chapter I was still not completely at home with all of the ideas, but I was able to truly appreciate some of his observations about the intimacy and presence of God which are made evident in Creation, and also about our connectedness to the earth. In fact as my wife and I were celebrating our first anniversary in rural New Hampshire, I took the book along with us during an outdoor hike and we read a section of this chapter together.

Imbach brilliantly concludes the book with chapters describing what it looks like to live passionately in community, in relationships, and with God. It is in these chapters that his wisdom and experience in listening to people becomes most evident.

There were times when this book became somewhat of a chore to persevere in, but it was worth the effort. "The River Within" was definitely good for my soul and I don't doubt that many lives would be transformed and many personal burdens lightened if believers could spend time with Imbach's ideas in this book.

After reading "The Sacred Romance" and other books describing the role of passion and "the heart" in Christian Spirituality, this book fit well into this "conversation" (as my friend would call it). Thanks Rob.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I've read many books on this topic and this is one of the best I've ever read. Mr. Imbach is theologically sound and intimate with the deeper things of God. The book is well written, balanced and thoughtfully comprehensive. A must for anyone pressing in to the heart of God.

Rating:
Summary: Writing That Flows
Review: Not only is Imbach an excellent writer, but he gently clasps readers hands as he freely admits his own weaknesses and fears. Imbach challenged me to think and to grow. I loved this book.