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Summary: very true subject
Review: I bought this book on accident, (by a well planned "accident" by God), and I came to find out that the author is saying somthing that has been on the edge of my mind for years now. I personally think people would be less hostile towards Christianity if more Christians were honest about their desire, their need for God, rather than trying to bring others to the faith through some sort of convincing. Definitely recommended.
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Summary: Absolutely Read This Book !
Review: I for one for awhile became somewhat self abusive, not doing what I wanted and not living up to my potential.This book helped me understand that sometimes you have to take a new path,find a new friendship,relationship,something that will work for you better and in turn help you fullfill your Christian walk to greater glory and peace in your life.I thought life had to be fixed,I really believed I had only to deal with what I was "given" or saw as given.I lived by the old belief "life isn't fair" but it CAN be,you can find a new way of looking at your past and building a better future and a relationship with God. Live doesn't have to be fixed;especially if you find yourself beating your head against a wall, stagnated,and full of sorrow.You can change and your life can change as well.
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Summary: An astounding read
Review: I found the book balanced well the 'yet but not yet' with a message of carpe deum. Whilst there are disappointments with life - and we are to expect imperfections and unfulfilled dreams in our lives - we still have a Father in heaven who wants us and is willing us to fulfil those things in us that are groaning on His behalf. This is a superb, enlightened book and I read pretty much in one sitting.
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Summary: A rare read for all serious Christ followers
Review: I have devoured John's Waking the Dead and The Journey of Desire within two weeks! I couldn't put them down. Everything within his writing resonated with me, but yesterday when I read the final chapter in The Journey of Desire about his belief that grieving must be part of the daily spiritual disciplines and that grief must be balanced with the beauty of God in nature, I wept. As an adopted person,I have had my own portion of grief from my birth mother's rejection of me 11 years ago. I thought I had grieved it fully, but before coming to Florida on vacation, my work as an author and speaker had become a "duty." I realized when I read John's beliefs about beauty and grief that God had brought me to this beautiful, sunny place for a month so that I could get in touch with the true desires of my heart once again. I leave tomorrow, refreshed and renewed. Thank you, John, for baring your soul and bringing so much comfort through your honesty, Biblical insights, and wisdom. I know I will be re-reading the book, taking notes, and highly recommending it, and any of your books, to those who truly desire intimacy with Christ.
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Summary: Did he write any of it?
Review: I have never seen a book with soo many quotes from other authors. Every page it seems contains a few different excerpts from someone else's material. Rather than be a unique or new information on the subject of human desires vs. God's, this was more of a collection of many people's insights without a true steady focus staying on one approach. My eyes tended to skim and skip over the quotes as more of a distraction than insight and as a result I was often rereading and disappointed. The overall content and message is ironically desirable, however the author's clarity is lacking somewhat.
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Summary: Excellent Devotional Work!
Review: I have now read all three of the books in the Sacred Romance series. The last two volumes authored by John Eldridge are far superior to the first volume co-authored with the late Brent Curtis. It appears God has used the painful, tragic death of a close friend to make a much better writer of John Eldridge. This work is not so much about desire for life in itself, but rather about the lack of desire for life and the regaining of it. Eldridge speaks of a passion for living, and how multitudes of Christians have lost it by settling for little or no passion at all. The author takes the reader through a literary journey to recapture the deepest desire of one's heart, which is ultimately nothing less than a love relationship with God himself. I enthusiastically recommend this book and the third book in the Sacred Romance series, "Wild at Heart." The author is Scriptural, spiritual, and sound theologically. Your devotional life will be greatly enhanced as a result of reading them.
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Summary: Good points, but too much quoting.
Review: I have to admit that I didn't quite finish the book. The biggest problem I had was that he constantly quoted other people and more times than not, it took away from the context that he was in. When I began to skip all the quotes I actually enjoyed the book a lot more. The content of the book itself was good and should help to bring most people out of any type of "rut" they might be experiencing. His general outlook on life and our desires was an inspiration in and of itself. In the end I didn't read the last few chapters simply because to me the point was driven home about half way through the book. I would really be interested in reading a book by this author with no quoting in it, he has a great writing ability, but the problem to me was almost half the content seemed to come from others, which to me actually seemed to take away from his own writing ability.
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Summary: I Didn't Get It...
Review: I have to confess that I got over halfway through "Journey of Desire", then had to stop. I skimmed through the rest of it, but just lost interest. I know it's unfair to review a book in this fashion, but I thought there needs to be at least one dissenting voice. It's not that I don't agree with many of Eldredge's points. It's just that I didn't know what to do with them. There were times he had me going, but then he'd switch gears and move on and confuse me more. Maybe I'm just stupid, but I couldn't understand what he wanted me to actually do as a result of his insights. I grasped his basic concept: that we are living in a flawed world with flawed people, we succumb to the mundane rather than pursuing our desires, and that we have lost sight of our true destination (heaven) and live in the "mud puddle" instead. I kinda got some of what he was pointing out, but then it seemed like he would contradict himself at times, like the story of God "ruining" his fly fishing trips, which are big on his "desire" list. It just all seemed too vague for me. I kept wanting more concrete examples of how to apply it to my life, but it felt like it was more about HIS life. Maybe too specific for where he's at, and not general enough for me. (I kept thinking that not everyone enjoys nature like he does, and it seemed to be a big part of his message). Eldredge even mentioned that a few of his friends told him that not everyone has "longings" like he does. I get the impression he's a deep thinker, very aware of his feelings, almost a poet. That was another thing that I had a hard time getting past. I've always hated poetry. I don't get IT, either, and Eldredge uses a lot of it to reinforce his points. And now that I think about it, Eldredge's book is a lot like poetry, in that it expresses profound feelings and thought, but it's usually cloaked in words I don't understand. I suspect Eldredge reads a LOT of poetry and works by the major philosophers, and maybe that's why I don't get it. It's too much philosophy, not enough practical meat and potatoes for this simple guy. I just couldn't apply it to my life. I'd love to, though. My life is exactly what he describes as far as the "settling-for-less" part is concerned. I no longer have the enthusiasm I once had for life, faith, or work. But after reading his book (or most of it, anyway), I still don't know how to restore that, and maybe I believe it's not really possible. As I age, my views change, my perspective is different, and I've experienced joys and sorrows that have made me be more realistic, and therefore, to some degree, less enthusiastic. Maybe I'm just too lazy to even try. Or, as Eldredge suggests, perhaps I'm just too comfortable in my little "mud puddle".
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Summary: Highly personal book reaffirms author's sincerity
Review: I highly enjoyed the predecessor to this book The Sacred Romance and was shocked to discover that Eldredge wrote this book on his own because his friend and co-author of the Sacred Romance, Brent Curtis, had died of a tragic accident. The title sums up the message of the book. If you're going to develop a personal relationship with God then bring your heart a long! He doesn't want you to check it at the door. Eldredge is highly contemporary in his examples using popular culture and explaining how our desire for God manifests itself in ways we don't even realize. My favorite line in the book is: "nothing in the world can penetrate our hearts more than beauty and affliction." For me the process of coming to know God was certainly summed up by that statement and I am sure that there are other readers who share a similar testimony to Eldredge's as well.
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Summary: This book will rock your little world
Review: If you have lost your desire somewhere on the journey, this is a must-read. I read it all in one gulp! Now I'm going back to savor each chapter. Having read Curtis and Eldredge's last book, "The Sacred Romance," I wondered how they could top that one. John Eldredge hit one out of the park with this one! I loved his use of stories, especially the story of the Sea Lion. It alone is worth the price of the book. Not only had I lost my desire, I had been trying to fulfill it with things that could never, and will never fulfill it in this life. Eldredge has done a great service to the body of Christ to re-tell the Christian Story as a romance filled with ecstasy and wooed on by desire for Jesus, our Bridegroom.
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