Customer Reviews

The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart Of God

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

One never knows why tragedy strikes but if it is God's will that Brent Curtis' tragic death somehow brings more notoriety to this book in order to help people strengthen their faith and that John Eldredge can come out and say his friend's death only reaffirms to him what they wrote in this book then I praise God that John sincerely believes the truths that he shares with us because I certainly do.

After hearing Chuck Swindoll recommend this book I picked myself up a copy of the Sacred Romance. Few books better characterize the passionate relationship God seeks with us despite our sinfulness and faults. I highly recommend anyone who enjoys this book to also pick up a copy of the Journey of Desire, the sequel to this book. Coupled together they highlight powerful truths about God and about our lives that may shake the way you view your very existence. Life is a struggle and both Curtis and Eldredge can empathize with you. And certinaly it carries the mark of any doctrinally sound book -- that in the midst of disappointment, pain or heart break,no relgious formulas, traditions or idols will give you the healing, fulfillment or joy that you REALLY seek -- they point you back to God for all the answers. That is why I also say as good as this book is the best it can do is point you back to God and the Bible for that is where the story of God's sacred romance with us is unveiled! God bless.

The Sacred Romance was such a refreshing read. Perhaps it was just the timing in which I read the book, but I would recommend it to everyone. Here's why:

The opening chapter of the book (The Lost Life of the Heart) spoke to me very strongly - it made my heart pound. I have never had a book do that to me before. I was the one the authors wrote about in the first chapter. It describes what happens when we come to a point of being burned out in our spiritual life - or perhaps is it better to say overwhelmed by the weight of everything around us. It is so easy to be distracted into focusing on our own little stories.

The authors guide the reader to remember that God is up to something big. He is working out in history His own big story. Each of our lives is a little story within that big story. However, so many people get caught up in their own little story, that they forget that God has a role for them in His big story. This causes us to lose heart along the way. Our problems overwhelm us when we forget God's big story.

Okay, but why is this book so good at reminding us of that?

The authors paint the picture of a wild God - the Lover of our souls who pursues us restlessly. They look thoroughly at both the Old Testament and the New Testament. But, this book isn't preachy. The authors go beyond Scripture, while staying Scriptural. They look at Literature and Cinema, old and new. What is this longing presented to us throughout history - why all the stories of the lost love pursued by her lover? Because, deep down inside, we all want to be loved and pursued. The authors show us that the Bible presents us with the story of the Lover of our souls pursuing us. God longs to meet our deepest needs. The authors claim that the intimacy God desires to share with us is "an intimacy much more sensuous, much more exotic than sex itself" (p. 161).

Ask yourself what the following names have to do with God. Forrest Gump, A River Runs Through It, When Harry Met Sally, Robert Frost, Soren Kierkegaard, The Hobbit, Cinderella, Alice In Wonderland, Henry V, Pilgrim's Progress, and Helen of Troy. These, and more, are used to teach us what God wants from us.

Chapter 12 (Coming Home) was worth the price of the book.

I have only one negative comment. I was frustrated by the incomplete bibliography. Hey, it's the scholar in me.

I loved this book so much that I bought a copy for every Sunday School teacher that teaches under my ministry. This is the best book on the overall message of the Bible that I have ever read. I believe everyone, not only Christians, should read this book. I believe it will help non-Christians see what Christians believe, even if the non-Christians don't agree with our beliefs. It will be worth your time and money!

This book ruined my life, in a good way. It met me right where my needs were. I have bought probably 20 copies of this book to give to my friends. Everyone who has read it has said that it seems like it written directly to them. By far the best book I've ever read.

I heard about this book on my local Christian radio station. At the time, my husband had left me and I was feeling a lot lost, insecure and confused. This book showed me a different and more healthy way to look at my situation. This was God's situation, not mine. It pulled me out of my small story and helped me to rest in him while He handled the events in my story. It's wonderful. I am recommending it to everyone who is struggling with loss or doubts in their life.

This book is one of hundreds written by Chrisian authors offering new hope after life/self examination... the difference with this book is that it delivers. Probably the most influencial book I, as well as several friends, have read in the last five or six years. Easy to understand, hard to race through. Each chapter asks you to examine parts of your life, including the hard parts, and forces you to come face to face with a God who has an incredible amount of love for you. Absolutely fantastic.

As a person who was acquainted with Brent Curtis for several years before he joined John Eldredge and wrote this book, I looked forward with anticipation to attending the first conference where the authors presented this material. At that time, the book was in process and was not released from the publisher until more than a year later. My life had already been radically altered to become more real, more true, and, yes, more vulnerable and able to admit failure in my relationships that it been. But after attending the first conference and later when I read and studied the book in a small group, I found that my heart was forever captured and changed by a God who is more than acquainted with my arrows and who knows my deepest desires and longings. Furthermore, I discovered that my longings were not something to be shunned, but something that were placed there to draw me into the great heart of God and to bring me to a place of deeper joy and life than I dreamed cvould be possible. Over the past 10 years, not only has my life radically and solidly been changed for the better by the truth in this book (as well as in John's subsequent books "The Journey of Desire" and "Wild At Heart,") but so have the lives of numerous of my friends who have read these books. Though it may seem to be impossible, I have come to KNOW at the deepest levels of my being that I am enjoyed and treasured by my Creator and my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. This God has been lovingly pursuing me through the long, dark tangled woods of my life journey as well as through the sunny meadows. Because of this God and the truth spoken in this book, the pain of life continues to be transformed into joy which is beyond explanation.

If this book does not captivate and change you as radically as it did me, please do not get too discouraged or write off the value of the book. We all go through times when certain books mean more than they might at other times. If that is the case, I trust that you will experience the same positive life results through some other source. The truths cannot be denied because they are much bigger than either the book or the authors!

For female readers (and for the men who love them) I would highly recommend a book by Jan Meyers, entitled, "The Allure of Hope."

I was amazed at the beauty and detail of this book. The topics of The Fall and Heaven were especially interesting. This reading is great for seasoned and new Christians alike. I imagine it would be a spiritual boost to even the non Christian as it addresses questions like "Why is there evil in the world?" with a new edge. Of the many pieces I've read on the Character of God and the meaning of life, this is the only one I feel passionately enough to recommend. A must have!

I've read many books that are written to help bridge the relationship between we humans and our Lord, God, and Savior. Sure, inspiration books are a dime a dozen at any bookstore; but this one is indeed special. Brent Curtis and John Eldredge have come together (sadly, Curtis, from what I understand, is no longer with us but happily with God now) to bring about a wonderful life changing book.

The book begins with the honest realization that we cannot ever truly comprehend the Lord. His ways are mysterious indeed. Yet at the heart of His ways is a very simple primace of love, at the heart is the heart of the matter. God loves us with an all powerful love. It was this love that brought forth the action of Creation (not evolution, but true Creation as in Genesis). It was this love that brought forth the years and years of dance between God and man that takes place throughout the Old Testament. And it was this love that brought forth the greatest moment in history--God became a man, God became one of us. He let Himself be born in the flesh. He let Himself be tempted and challenged. And He let Himself be killed on a cross...only to ressurect three days later.

God is the supreme actor in History. God is the one that is center stage. But He is willing to bring us into a dance with Him if we only see and hear the invitation. Those who see and hear this invitation are brought into a wild ride that is not always safe. Not always sane. But always amazing and life changing.

I believe in my heart of heart, soul of soul, that God loves me. This book helped me see this as I read along side of it the Gospels. If you let yourself see and hear the invitation of salvation and redemption, you too will find that God loves you and wants you to share the stage...share the supreme stage...heaven...with Him. God does not want any of us to go to hell. But it is our choice to make this decision.

Read this book, open your heart and your mind, and you too will be changed for the better. Its a frighteningly honest book, so don't expect a comfortable reading...it will challenge all the heart ache and all the demons that you (and I) have in our hearts...but it, through showing God's love, will free you.

By far, this is the most profound book I have ever read. I had no idea what to expect after being told this was a book I needed. I didn't know what hit me. It turned my belief system upside down. As a lifelong Christian, I had never been exposed to this type of thinking, I almost couldn't believe what I was reading. We are indeed being pursued, I had no idea how much. Now I see it in my life almost every day. What a difference this book has made in my life. Imagine what it could mean if everyone read it and it had the same effect!

The Sacred Romance is a journey of love. This book is crucial to any Christian struggling through their faith. It truly is a stream to any dry heart. I highly recommend this "love letter from God" , especially to those long-time believers who have (in our service and striving ) forgotten the wildness of our God.It captures the essence of a follower of Christ-total passion and wild abandonment to the Lover of our hearts. In memoirs,poetry excerpts,and personal examples from their lives,John Eldredge and Brent Curtis make you passengers on their journey of recapturing their First Love. This book is among the best I've ever read- you will never look at life the same way!