How Bold Are You?

I've become an avid reader in my adulthood -- my father is so proud! I grew up seeing a stack of "current reads" beside his recliner in the living room at all times. If he wasn't eating, sleeping or working, there was a 90% chance he was engrossed in a book.

I'm turning out to be a lot like him, although I do have enough other responsibilities pulling me away at different times that the opportunity to read at all feels precious.

Most recently, God has strongly convicted me to get back into Scripture -- and it has been an amazing journey, which has supplied much of the content of my posts on this blog.

But, over the past few days, because I finally made a trip to the library to get something to pass the time as I endured "jury duty," I have been rocked by Bold Love by Dr. Dan B. Allender and Dr. Tremper Longman III.

There have been so many "aha" moments as I've turned the pages, written primarily by Allender, a M.Div. graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.

I usually read a portion from a book, then paraphrase and expand on it with my own thoughts in my journal. With Bold Love, I found myself just copying paragraph after paragraph word for word.

So, while I'll be processing this book for many more days and further blogs are likely to come from it, I wanted to share some of the high points:

The Sum Total is this: There is NO method, path or plan, NO activity or set of relationships, NO emotional experience or physical state, NO material good or financial status, NO degree of power or level of prestige that can satisfy the deepest, truest hunger in our souls, which is for relationship, for union with God Himself.

"Destructive lust is filled by a determination to make life more palatable and perfect than it can possibly be in a fallen world." We, even though we may be believers, are still unwilling to admit that there simply is no heaven this side of heaven.

The joy of eternity is "set before us," and though there are certainly glimpses and tastes which are sweet and beckoning and that keep us mindful of what awaits us, that joy is not to be had fully for the taking here and now.

Even our actions as Christians, those that we want others to believe are the result of pure and loving motives and which in all likelihood actually appear to be so, are suspect because of the truths stated above. Because they are also just another way that we seek to make this fallen world something that it cannot be until it is set right by Christ's return.

We believe that if we do enough of the right, Christlike -- at least as we've been taught -- things and if we achieve our predetermined idea of the "good life" in whatever specific way we define it, then we'll avoid the consequences of life in a world wrecked by sin.

"A lot of activity that is seen as spiritual is infused with fear, pretense and ritual" and is based on "protecting self or others from difficult truths."

"Is it possible that many are involved in using talents, exercising power, and sacrificing enormous portions of money and flesh without being driven by a heart of love?" Allender says yes. So, do I.

We also believe that we can sidestep repentance on the road to healing, wholeness and the only true joy in life on either side of heaven, and we ignore the reality of spiritual battle between God and His enemy for the souls of all. And this battle is more often waged in the most seemingly innocuous moments of our day-to-day than it is in great tragedy or crisis.

Finally, for now, not only are we and those around us devastatingly harmed as we refuse to come face to face with these truths, God Himself -- a deity bent on "emotionally rich relationship" -- suffers our arrogance, deceit, disloyalty and rebellion.

"Our divine Lover actually endures enormous abuse from His chosen bride as she turns to others to find what only her true Spouse can provide."

I hope these tidbits have pricked your ears and, most importantly, your heart. Bold Love is another tool in the total remodeling of mine!