Challenging, Not for the faint of heart; Buckle-up! With over 1 million copies sold, Crazy Love by Francis Chan is a MUST READ.
His overall theme of encountering God’s love and how it leaves you forever changed creates parallel messages that can be applied to marriage. Also, the personal challenges that Chan presents in CL (Crazy Love) create awesome discussion topics for you and your spouse.
Parallel themes
If you know anything about Francis Chan, you know he does not hold back in his writing. He is honest in how he challenges modern church culture and he causes you to ask yourself, ‘Have you ever wondered if we’re missing it?’
Chan’s message about the necessity of a passionate love relationship with the Creator of the universe creates a parallel theme to marriage.
When we’re married we absolutely have moments and thoughts similar to what Chan poses: “Have you ever wondered if you’re missin it?”
Looking around, we see every other couple in a magazine or on tv/internet appearing happy, problem-free and financially liberated.
We begin the comparison game and start obsessing over the  “do’s and don’ts” of marriage, sex, money, etc.
In CL Chan encourages us to take the focus off of the do’s and don’ts of religion and simply says, fall in love with God.
Wow. Imagine if we let everything else fall away and we focused on falling in love with our spouse?
More about Crazy Love
Opening the table of contents may cause some anxiety…with chapter titles like “You Might Not Finish This Chapter” (that’s Ch. 2 by the way) and “Profile of the Lukewarm” you will undoubtedly feel your pride well up.
One of my favorite parts of CL is chapter 3, when Chan talks about mercy.
On page 60, he says:
“God’s mercy is a free, yet costly, gift. It cannot be earned. Our righteous acts, just like menstrual garments, certainly don’t help us deserve it. The wages of sin will always be death. But because of God’s mercy, sin is paid for though the death of Jesus Christ, instead of the death of you and me.“
His message is powerful – and when we truly start to understand the depth of God’s love and mercy towards us, a fallen, broken, imperfect creation, it’s THEN that God can work in our hearts and move us towards compassion for those relationships we are having trouble with. More specifically, our marriage.
How to read Crazy Love
Again, you may start reading this book and want to throw it in the trash, burn it, or start another book. I would encourage you to see it through. Commit to it.
I would also encourage you to connect with someone that you look up to in terms of their relationship with the Lord. Â Maybe see if they will read it with you, or if they have read it, maybe they could be available to answer any questions you might have.
I’m not saying that I agree with everything Chan says, but I will say that he presents powerful, scripture-based thoughts on what it means to really live for God, to cultivate joy in your life that depends on God and not circumstance; to know what it means to have true faith that trusts God with your every breath.
Read it for yourself. Draw your own conclusions and above all listen to God.
This book is truly incredible and should absolutely be read at least once in your life, if not yearly (and for some, a few times a year).
Have you heard of the The 31-Day Pursuit Challenge?
Every marriage begins with passion, purpose, and pursuit, but few stay that way. That’s why we wrote Husband in Pursuit and Wife in Pursuit Together, they make what we’re calling the 31-Day Pursuit Challenge. Couples are encouraged take the challenge together. We’re already starting to hear stories of transformed marriages! Are you up for the challenge?
