Crazy Love by Francis Chan

I was hoping Crazy Love would be like a love letter from God. (After all, the subtitle is "Overwhelmed by a Relentless God.") And, yes, Chan starts the book by talking about God’s amazing love, but the gist of the book is what our response to that love should be.

Just as we are loved extravagantly and unconditionally, we are to love God and others with the same relentless passion. This includes wholehearted - and sometimes difficult - obedience. I wanted a shot in the arm, but instead I got a kick in the pants. I must say, I was glad for the wakeup call.

Here are some great quotes:

Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. Basically, these two behaviors communicate that it’s okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. (p.42)

Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be a failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter. (p. 93, quoting Tim Kizziar)

If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream. (p. 95)

As long as we are pursuing Him, we are satisfied in Him. It is when we stop actively loving Him that we find ourselves restless and gravitating toward other means of fulfillment. (p. 104)