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The first book in the Life Shape series reminded me immediately of studies I did when I first became a Christian back in the 80’s. It was the tail end of the so called Jesus movement and tracts, diagrams, all sorts of visuals were available to make learning how to live the new Christian life easier. A Passionate Life similarly breaks down the Christian life into doable pieces.
Using simple everyday items – shapes – the writers connect bible living truths and give us tools necessary to bump our relationship with Jesus to the next level. Perhaps that sounds a little simplistic, but Jesus used easy stories as well as deeper parables to convey His message. Once a person gives her life to the Lord the fervent excitement and love is overwhelming, but after awhile we can become tired of doing the right thing, saying the right thing, acting the right way, and we begin to doubt, thus we cripple our walk with the Lord. Living the Passionate Life gives us the tools to drop our crutches and once again ignite the zeal of the first love.
Divided into twenty-five chapters covering subjects like: Is that All There Is?, Change is Good?, Faith is a Four Letter Word, From Learners to Leaders, We’re Alive!, amongst others, the book lays out easy to use tools to help us draw closer to Jesus while also reaching out to others.
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren has helped folks figure out exactly what it is God has put them on this earth for. A Passionate Life helps up live that purpose with passion. One message from A Passionate Life really stuck with me. ‘Jesus did not ask the disciples to be something they were not.’ So many times I listen to the gentle spoken Christian woman. She doesn’t raise her voice to get heard, she doesn’t laugh out loud, and she oozes peace. I want to be her. But in all the twenty six years I’ve been a born again believer I could never achieve that goal. I see now, it is because Jesus did not ask me to be that way. God gave me the spirit, personality and sometimes too loud laugh He wants me to use, and it is not the same as the gentle, shy, quiet woman. So what? So, I should embrace who I am and seek how to use the elements He instilled in me for His kingdom and not try to change into someone who, times has proven, will not last in me.
Does this make any sense? I sure hope so.
I’m not sure how this book will relate to others, but for me it was a welcome addition to my life. There was one drawback. It took me a while to review the book because I was taking notes and applying the lessons to my life. It’s not often I get so much out of a book, but my review copy is well marked and used. I suppose it’s one of the benefits of reviewing – every now and again you get blessed!
If you’re wondering if there is something more to your spiritual life, if you’ve fallen away and keep looking back to the life that once was, if you are a new Christian and want an easy to use method to serve, or maybe you don’t know the Lord at all, and wonder what all this Christian stuff is about – get a copy of A Passionate Life. Anyone who has gone through the Purpose Driven Life should get a copy of A Passionate Life. Your spiritual life will be forever changed if you use the tools supplied.
Always a bit odd to find this sort of review on a romance site, but readers of romance are a curious bunch and we want to give them good reads as well as stories. Thus the reason such a book as this is reviewed on Road to Romance. Of course this book is highly recommended. I love the shape applications and the way I can instantly apply them to my life.
Reviewed by Linda Mae Baldwin
for The Road to Romance
July 7, 2005
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