Customer Reviews

Crave: Wanting So Much More of God

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4 star:		(11)
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2 star:		(1)
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Crave is a great in-depth look at the fundamental questions about God we ask ourselves everyday. Chris Tomlinson is a great story teller who keeps the reader involved at all times. He prods at areas in your life you've never really questioned and shows us how God is built into our being whether we know it or not. Learning to crave what is right is a definite bi-product of this book. I recommend it to everyone no matter what spiritual level or interest.

I did something rare this evening: I started - and finished - a non-fiction book. Crave, by Chris Tomlinson - no, not Chris Tomlin - he's the singer - Chris Tomlinson. (Don't know if he can sing, but he writes well...)

This book is about wanting more of God. Craving Him more than we crave the other things in life. Chris writes in a very easy to read and often humorous style. I found myself smiling and even laughing out loud a couple of times. He addresses everything from waiting on God to witnessing to what we allow into our lives by way of our eyes - which was a great chapter, though I had to say "ouch!"

I enjoyed the book immensely, but was also challenged and convicted by it. God so often takes a back seat to everything else, and though reading a book like this isn't a quick fix, Chris really nails it in this book, and any book that can convict and challenge as this book does, is definitely worth reading.

And though the book description says "these slices of life connect with 20- and 30-somethings who crave a deeper level of intimacy with God", this 40-year old guy really enjoyed the book. :-)

It's not that we have a literate dog; it's just that our dog has a knack for finding nourishing food for the soul. Two years ago, she ate the cover off my Bible; this winter, she ate Chris Tomlinson's new book. Clearly, she was craving something more from God, also. Personally, I think it's a sign.

Having known CT since 9th grade, I was stoked to read his book. It is encouraging, challenging, and compelling. From valiant attempts at prayer when most of us are sound asleep to a hilarious adventure trying to reach out to a winter-battered cop, Chris's stories formed the riveting backdrop to keep me engaged with the book's serious spiritual lessons and eternal ramifications.

Chris's doubts, concerns, triumphs, and joys reveal the heart of a man who has found that God is the best there is and who is unrelenting in his passion to share that knowledge with anyone who will listen.

Ultimately, the power of this book resides in its ability to show what amazing things God can do in your life and through you if you will only give him the chance and step out in faith and love. You'll laugh, you might cry, and you will definitely find a road map for deepening your relationship with God.

Chris is a graduate from the US Air Force Academy and UCLA Anderson School of Business.

The book is part autobiography, part devotional and part theological rambling from Chris' point of view. It is about his doubts, fears, victories and mistakes. It is about his personal relationship with God. It's about our craving for God - our wanting more from God. We live by rules, but God changes the rules for His own purpose in our life. Many churches use their own set of rules - this leads to legalism. The Bible compares the church's bond with Jesus to a marriage. God wants your obedience and love. This is a struggle most Christians face. We struggle with our purpose in life. We act like children and God treats us like children. God gives us gifts we are to use to further his kingdom. Nothing compares to knowing Jesus and heeding his commandments.

The question is - How can we get so much more of God? Answer - confess we are a mess and set our goals on Jesus - strip away all the garbage that smothers our craving for God. Always answer your pager - it may be the Holy Spirit calling.

Tomlinson takes us through the challenges of a Christian's walk - we need to step out of the box and become a passionate christian - craving more from God.

Highly recommended. Tomilson is an excellent writer of christian literature.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

"From the heart of one seeking Christ, comes an exceptional book for the new believer as well as those who have walked with God for some time."

In the fifteen chapters of Crave: Wanting So Much More of God by Chris Tomlinson, you will find provocative questions, humorous real-life stories, and perhaps even some answers to questions that have lingered in your mind about Christianity.

Popular icons anchor each topic to connect the question to reality. I especially enjoyed the Treasure Chest icon associated with the topic of Joy.

The writing style engaging. The tempo is quick and keeps your interest from Chapter One through to the end. Great illustrations and glimpses of a what a believer really asks about Christianity.

Sound teaching on truth with his own reflections about hard concepts like `God is good - but He is also just' which addresses the issue of trust and justice. And the issue of suffering as instruction and eventually a blessing. And of pride, he speaks from a been-there done-that perspective, always key when connecting with others.

Recommended highly, I suggest you grab a copy and settle down for some interesting reading that may even present some new questions for you to ask God yourself.

Disclaimer:
The review copy of this book was provided free of charge by Chris Tomlinson and donated to the library of Westwood Baptist Church.

Reviewed by: Keiki Hendrix
Reviewed for: Chris Tomlinson

Crave is and unassuming yet hilarious discussion of what it really means to follow Jesus Christ.

Through a series of stories from Chris's life, he gently draws you in as a reader and then lovingly gets you to question the limitations that you have placed on your relationship with Christ. Through it all he makes the point that there is so much more to God than any of us realize and that deep down all of cravings (for food, or sex, or status, or whatever) are meant to draw us to him.

What to expect from the book -
The book is 210 pages long and is broken up into 15 chapters. Each chapter tells an anecdotal story through which Chris reveals deeper insight about an aspect of his relationship with God.

The stories are quite amusing which is enhanced by the fact that Mr. Tomlinson seems to be retrospectively amused at how he felt, thought, and acted in those situations. I definitely appreciate Chris pointing out his own ridiculousness in his stories, it makes him more relate-able which in turn made me willing to travel with him as he goes from experience to insight about God in each chapter.

Why this book matters-
This book is important because it addresses a serious hindrance to the work of the Gospel in the world - namely, we make God too small. Our culture, our teaching, our churches, even our own idiosyncrasies distract us so much from being open to the truth about God is and how he loves us.

Crave lovingly and gently challenges the areas of our lives, our knowledge, and our hearts that, for whatever reason, have become lazy and fat and cause us to settle for some much less than what the God of the universe offers us.

Chris Tomlinson's first book is a winner! Sometimes when I read books from guys who have Been There Done That, I get the feeling that they've somehow arrived and I'm still so lacking. Crave reads like Chris's personal journal. He's a BTDT guy, but he humbly paints the picture of someone still on the journey for more of God (which is also, aptly, the subtitle of his work).

The fifteen chapters all point to the same overarching theme: how can I get more of God? Chris opens up his heart and lets us peek inside to see what his journey has looked like, and what it still looks like. Never did I have the feeling that he was telling me what I should do, but more like he was saying to me, "Here's where I struggled; here's where I blew it; here's where I overcame; here's what I'm still learning. Learn from my successes and failures, and let's go after more of God together."

Many times I gauge a book by how many passages I highlight, but I couldn't do that with Crave. Too much of it rang true to me. If I were to highlight the heart-tugging passages, pages and pages would have become saturated with orange ink. Instead of the pages soaking up ink, I let my spirit soak up the truthfulness, applicability and timeliness of Chris's words.

If you're craving more of God, if you want a more satisfying relationship with Christ, even if you feel like your relationship with God has parked on a plateau, Crave can help you rekindle your pursuit of intimacy with your Creator.

"Crave" is both a Spiritual Growth book and an open, honest memoir of Chris Tomlinson's often-humorous journey of spiritual discovery. He used experiences from his life as parables to teach solidly Bible-based principles in an easy-to-grasp fashion.

He came across as encouraging rather than judgmental, and his focus was on drawing closer to God by focusing on building our relationship with Him. It's written for regular Christians who aren't entirely satisfied with their Christian walk, and it helps them get their focus back where it ought to be rather than the mechanics of doing prayer, service, etc, "right."

I appreciated that he acknowledged the tensions of God's character (God is love, but He's also just) rather than focusing exclusively on one trait. I also liked that he referred to all three members of the Trinity.

The chapters built progressively on each other, and some of the topics covered were: praying as a conversation (which involves listening), purity (what we let in our minds might be hard to get rid of), being different (in a good way), getting out of your comfort zone and following God's leading when reaching out to others, loving others, God is God and we're not Him, who sets the standards of right and wrong, trusting God like a child, spiritual nourishment, how God uses suffering, and finding the joy of the LORD and in the LORD.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Overall, I thought it was well-written and easy-to-understand, and I'd highly recommend it.

I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.

Reviewed by Debbie from ChristFocus Book Club
(christfocusbookclub. blogspot. com)

Chris Tomlinson hates being a comfortable Christian--one who believes in God and wants to do his will, but isn't fully committed to being a disciple of Jesus and all this entails. And that's why he wrote Crave, to explore the deeper longings of his heart that being comfortable simply can't satisfy. He wants to be a passionate follower of Jesus. And he wants you to be one, too.

Over 16 short chapters, Tomlinson gives readers a glimpse into his struggle to, essentially, get over himself and to be consumed by his craving for more of God. Whether sharing his futile attempts to pray more by training himself using a green post-it note (the same way he developed a habit of flossing daily), trying to figure out how to help a tween girl on a plane whose diary he's inadvertently read, or considering the gift of suffering, he is extremely transparent about his own sin and selfishness.

What's refreshing is that he doesn't wallow in it. Being "authentic" isn't his idol because he's realiz(ing) that he's not the big show. God is.

Perhaps that's why I found chapter 8, Different, to be so moving. In this chapter, Tomlinson explores the game we all like to play, "If I were God..." You know the one, right? It's the game where we put ourselves in God's role and pass judgment on others and (inevitably) on God Himself because we think we'd be better a God than God. In exploring the otherness of God, he is forced to ask the question, "Am I sure I want so much more of this God?" (p. 109)

Tomlinson's question is profound: Do we really want to crave the God created the heavens and the earth, and man and called him very good, who later regretted ever having made humanity and flooded the earth? Do we want more of the God who planned the brutal death of His Son on a filthy Roman cross--this terrifying and powerful God who loved the world so much that He sent His Son to suffer and die for us? The God who saves His enemies by His grace, even though we can do nothing to warrant such kindness and mercy?

"God is different. He's much more terrifying than I had imagined but also so much more glorious and beautiful than I thought possible. I've spent too many years glossing over hard truths about God in favor of pleasant ones in an attempt to make Him much more palatable to my taste or softer to the touch of others' ears. . . . I know this is hard to deal with intellectually, emotionally and spiritually, but the simplicity and cogency of Scripture bring us face-to-face with a God who takes our sin and His holiness really seriously." (pp. 110-111)

This is the God we need to crave, because He's the only God worth seeking after. And He commands our obedience.

This is a point that is lost among many Christians today. It's pretty trendy to say things like, "It's not religion; it's relationship" when talking about the Christian faith. And that's true, but too frequently it's used to blast the idea of having rules or the need to be obedient to anyone or anything. After all, rules don't create intimate relationship.

But how did Jesus say our relationship with Him is defined? By obedience.

"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me... If anyone loves me, he will keep my word...Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love" (John 14:21, 23-24, 15:10, emphasis mine).

This point is not lost on Tomlinson, who writes, "Perhaps rules don't create intimacy by themselves. Maybe they create the space for intimacy" (p. 125).

"Love and obedience go together. Intimacy and rules go together. You can't separate one from the other. . . . This takes us back to grace. None of this abiding or obeying or joining happens without grace. We said that rules point to grace, and now we see how. Apart from the work of Jesus on the cross, our legalism acts as a blade that severs the branch from the vine. . . But through Jesus' death, through His grace, our obedience in faith allows our branch to abide in His vine, and His love begins to flow through us." (pp. 126-127)

Are we willing to crave more of His grace and be obedient to Him?

Crave made me uncomfortable in a really healthy way. It wasn't so much that it taught me anything new, but it reminded me of how far askew I can get in my own priorities. I struggle to be consistent in prayer, so I try to pray harder out of my own effort and fail miserably (perhaps I need to take Pastor Zac's advice and stop trying so hard [p.35]). I get annoyed about silly, petty things that rob me of the joy of enjoying God. I fight what the Holy Spirit is leading me to do at times because I'm afraid it will disrupt the status quo.

Sometimes, it's just easier to be comfortable. But being comfortable doesn't cut it. Being satisfied with less less than Christ doesn't cut it.

"If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauty you ever saw...could you be satisfied...if Christ was not there?" (p. 202, quoting John Piper)

There's no room in the Christian life for being "comfortable."

I want to be uncomfortable. How about you?

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A review copy was provided by the publisher

Maybe you, like me, can relate to what Chris Tomlinson writes:

"I have always loved God and enjoyed learning about the Bible...But this was the sum total of my Christian faith: reading my Bible, going to church, staying out of trouble, and going on mission trips. It sounds like a good upbringing, and it was, but I didn't have anything that came close to a life filled with an all-consuming desire for God."

Tomlinson has written a book out of his frustration with his own heart. He finds God, but then walks away. He believes he has the world's greatest information - the gospel - but rarely tells anyone about it. He believes in a relationship with God but finds prayer difficult.

If you've ever been dissatisfied with the disconnect between what you believe to be true, and how you live, then I think you'll relate to this book. Tomlinson writes with brutal honesty about his struggles and even his attempts to overcome his weaknesses. He disarms you with his honesty, and I found myself enjoying his sometimes quirky stories.

But he's sneaky. Just when you're enjoying a story, you discover that he's delivered a payload of truth into your heart without you even realizing it. There's theological depth in this book, but Tomlinson sneaks it all in through the back door. It's a technique that Jesus used, and we probably need to use a lot more.

Crave is really a book that explores our need for more of God from a right-brained perspective. If you are linear and logical, you may find this book a stretch. But if you are creative, or willing to be stretched in how you think of some key issues, I think you'll find this book helpful.

Tomlinson's quest for more of God leads somewhere. He learns from his foibles and discovers some profound and counter-intuitive truths about the Christian life.

"I'm grateful you've joined me on this journey," Tomlinson writes, "but to tell you the truth, the journey has just begun." The journey to more of God is one that we all need, and I appreciate Tomlinson's help in showing us the way to satisfy our deepest cravings with God.