Crazy Love

I recently read a book intended to challenge and stimulate discussion on the Christian faith, especially as it pertains to American society. It’s called “Crazy Love” and is written by Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Community church in Simi Valley, California. It is definitely a thought-provoking book and has made me re-think about my relationship with God.

The first three chapters describe God - His attributes of holiness, power, omniscience, and immortality, as well as His magnificent creation. Chan talks about the “craziness” of God’s love for us - He knows us and desires an intimate relationship with us even though we continually sin. He ends chapter three with these words: “The greatest good on earth is God…The best things in life are gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God or just His stuff?...Our love for Him always comes out of His love for us. Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you?” (p. 62-63)

Chapters 4-8 deal with our response to God’s love. Chan’s goal is to make us think about how we live our lives - do we “just let life happen, which is tantamount to serving God your leftovers, or actively run toward Christ.” (p. 113) In discussing Jesus’ parable of the sower, he cautions us: Don’t assume you are the good soil. And then he goes on to talk about “lukewarm” Christians, asking if you can be a Christian and be lukewarm, reminding readers that God said He would spit the lukewarm churches out of his mouth. Wow - talk about convicting! These chapters go into much greater detail, showing the difference between living a typical American life and actively living like Jesus, loving both God and other people sacrificially.

As I read through the middle of the book, I began to question how I really live my day-to-day life. Feelings of guilt ran through my mind. By the end of the book I renewed my desire to live more completely following Christ. He talks about true faith as holding nothing back; totally trusting in God to keep His promises. I think it’s very difficult in our affluent American society (compared to the rest of the world) to live this way. After all, money is king here and independence and self-reliance are the American way. In some ways, maybe it’s more difficult to be an authentic Christian here where we don’t have to depend on God for survival.

In the final chapter, Chan talks about what will happen at the end of our lives. “What will people say about your life in heaven? Will people speak of God’s work and glory through you? And even more important, how will you answer the King when He says, “What did you do with what I gave you?” (p. 174) I tell my second graders that my hope is that when I die people will say, “she did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,” but do I really live my life that way?

Although it was a difficult (challenging and convicting) read, I do recommend this book as it brings an important reminder that Christians need to live differently than typical Americans. It would be a great book for a book club; at times I wished I could discuss some of the chapters with others. Chan also has several short videos dealing with each chapter online at www.crazylovebook.com. Reading this book has renewed my thankfulness for God’s “crazy love” for us, and my desire to live for Him.