The River Within: Loving God, Living Passionately [Paperback]

Jeff Imbach (Author), Jeffrey D. Imbach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1998

IS THIS ALL THERE IS?

Have you ever wondered why your experience doesn't measure up to the radical life of joy and adventure described time and again in the Bible? Are you so busy "doing" that life has become a soul-wearying blur of activity? Do you ever feel like something deep and profoundly liberating is missing and wonder, "Is this all there is to life?"

Jesus said, "Anyone who drinks the water I give him will never thirst. . . . The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life" (John 4:14, The Message). If you're tired of a soul-numbing existence and long to experience this passionate life described by Jesus, you must read this book.

The River Within will open your eyes to a new way of living that brings you closer to God and plunges you into the passionate joy of living.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Many who have been raised with traditional religion and even those with no faith background mistakenly assume that commitment to God means denying human desires and needs. Imbach, a pastor and counselor, explores the ways in which our passion and longings can lead us to embrace God more fully and deepen our spiritual lives. He looks at the consequences of denying our fears and emotions, the distorted thinking that prevails about sin, and the dangers of living solely out of passion. With a blend of psychological insight and reflections on scripture and on spiritual classics, Imbach argues that all of being is grounded in the river of grace, a dynamic force for change in our lives that begins as an interior wellspring. Although writing from a Christian perspective, the author addresses a broader audience, using nonreligious language as much as possible.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

If the problem is aversion to passion, because maybe a strict religious background taught you to suppress your deepest dreams and desires, check out Jeff Imbach's new book The River Within. Imbach shows how the Trinity is the ultimate expression of passion with a capital 'P'-and in the process peels away uncertainty surrounding this emotionally-charged word.

You may begin the book with a question like, "How can I love God and live passionately without caving in to my own lusty tendencies?" But Imbach won't leave you that way. Passion can be yours, he encourages, and the result will give your whole life a healthy shine that even your hair will envy-sort of a spiritual new "do." -- Aspire, June/July 1998

Imbach addresses the dangers of passion honestly. All too often the evangelical response to passion is on the side of avoidance and denial. The author suggests that the result is that many are unable to embrace God and the passionate life He has for them.

Augustine once remarked, "Love God and do what you please." I think the lively old sage would have toasted Imbach's book as a poignant elaboration of his statement. -- ChristianWeek, November 3, 1998

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Navpress Publishing Group (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576830454
• ISBN-13: 978-1576830451
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,059,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Imbach will put you right in the boat with the Triune God, July 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The River Within: Loving God, Living Passionately (Paperback)

Last year a close friend of mine told me, "You've just got to read this book about God's passion." Having a visual scanning disability, I don't read very much. I pick and choose rather carefully before I invest my time in a book. But I respected the source of this recommendation; so, I read the book. Wow, what I discovered was a spiritual kaleidoscope! Every now and again you read something that becomes a crossroads experience. THE RIVER WITHIN was that for me. I love word pictures. I love them to teach me, and I love to use them to teach others. Imbach's "River Within" is a multifaceted picture of the Triune God and our relationship with Him. Other than the Bible itself, I probably gained more insight into how God loves me and where to take my love for Him than in any other book I have ever read. Passion is a concept that Christians treat like a hot-potato. They don't know how to handle it. Jeff Imbach made me realize that "passion" need not be a slithering serpent that we avoid as Christians. He showed me that I can be passionate in my life and not necessarily be afraid that I'm being selfish or sinful. He made me realize that passion comes from the expression of a relational Triune God who wants to lavish passion on me and show me how to relate it to others, including those whom I love so dearly. Imbach's last few chapters will blow you away! He has one Chapter (12) entitled Living Passionately in Creation. The Author is from Canada, and his passion for nature is so lovingly transparent. I'm not an environmentalist. After reading Chapter 12, I still am not. But reading it did make me acutely aware of one tangible way God communes with us, demonstrating His love for us through His creation. I am much more tuned into creation than I ever have been because of Imbach's word pictures of God's passion being painted in nature. I challenge you to read Chapter 12 and not love God more when you see a pair of doves cuddling together or see the colors of a sunset when you're walking down a beach with someone you love. This neat Albertan from Calgary will get inside you and cause you to recognize elements in your soul that you may have feared but need not. He'll take you on a trip down the river of life and show you how to shore up your banks and keep the love of God flowing more steadily as you let the Trinity flow through you. It's a sterling experience, THE RIVER WITHIN, and I hope you will take the trip as I did. But beware, you may come out at the other end of the river loving God more and being much more vulnerable than you ever have before. No travel down this river can be taken without risk. There will be bumpy waters; but you'll ride the tide knowing that you're in the boat with Christ, and that He's taking you on the ride of your life.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This bok inpacted my life more than any other, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The River Within: Loving God, Living Passionately (Paperback)

I strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to deepen their relationship with God. I found my self struggeling with a fragmented relationship. God seemed only relivent to certian parts of my life and threatening to other parts. This book changed my whole perspective on relating to God. Imbach uses the Trinity to show us that God wants to know all of us and not to be afraid of our passions as they are an expression of the loving trinity. Imbach says that our passion or feelings of longing are "an unquenchable thirst within us that is the sign of God. We may not handle it well. We may distort it into lust and greed, but it is the flowing of the Trinity in our lives. It opens us up and drives us to find union beyond ourselves. What we want most deeply is to be consumed with God, to lose ourselves in Gods fullness." Now insted of pretending that certian feelings or parts of myself don't exist I find myself bringing them into my relationship with God. What a wonderfull new freedom I have felt!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you feel life has short-changed you, read this!, December 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The River Within: Loving God, Living Passionately (Paperback)

Jeff Imbach is an author who pushes limits. Most of us long to live with passion, to experience all life has to offer. Yet, in fear of being hurt or of hurting others, we hold back, suppress ourselves.

"The River Within: Loving God, Living Passionately" reveals how to follow our passions while holding a balance in our lives. It is an intimate exploration of how to walk paths which keep us true to ourselves, while holding those around us in a loving embrace. Jeff Imbach writes in a self-revealing, vulnerable style designed to show readers how to live with courage in following the calls and demands and whispers of life.

Carl Jung wrote that the second half of life is devoted to integration of all we've experienced, all the parts of our selves. Imbach shows how to accomplish this integration through God while opening up for more experiences, more fullness of life, more passion. In reading this book one believes it is possible to flow totally down the river of life, holding nothing back. One believes, as Imbach quotes, "You could be all Fire!"