Falling for God: Saying Yes to His Extravagant Proposal (Paperback)

~ (Author) "As surely as a fish is designed to feel at home in water, you were crafted for a particular environment..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

?Gary Moon writes with a combination of thoughtfulness, guidance, and joy that will serve every reader. He has taken the deepest longing of the soul and the wisdom of great minds from past centuries and woven them in a way that is accessible and helpful to any who want to grow close to God.??JOHN ORTBERG, teaching pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, Menlo Park, California, and author of Everybody?s Normal Till You Get to Know Them ?Gary?s use of story, imagery, and an uncommon vocabulary masterfully stirs our heart?s hunger for God Himself. He also gives us practical ways to revel in the love of our ever-pursuing God. He has encouraged me to listen anew to the voice of my Father.??DIANE LANGBERG, PH.D., psychologist and author of Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse and On the Threshold of Hope?Not many books stir hope that my appetite for God can actually be satisfied in this crazy, disappointing world. Falling for God does. In these well-written pages, Gary offers profound, simple, practical, and warm companionship on the journey that matters most.??LARRY CRABB, speaker, psychologist, author of The Pressure?s Off, and founder of New Way Ministries?With heart-stopping insights, practical suggestions, and sly wit, Gary Moon draws readers toward Christ so powerfully we long to bow our hearts in worship. Falling for God is destined to become a classic on spiritual formation.? ?SANDRA D. WILSON, PH.D., seminary professor and author of Into Abba?s Arms?Who could resist falling for God when Christian spirituality is properly understood as a love affair of cosmic proportions! If your heart longs for Perfect Love, this book is for you. It speaks to head, heart, and body as all are involved in the transforming romance that God offers.? ?DAVID G. BENNER, PH.D., C.PSYCH., Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Spirituality, Psychological Studies Institute in Atlanta -- Review

Review

“Gary Moon writes with a combination of thoughtfulness, guidance, and joy that will serve every reader. He has taken the deepest longing of the soul and the wisdom of great minds from past centuries and woven them in a way that is accessible and helpful to any who want to grow close to God.”
–JOHN ORTBERG, teaching pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, Menlo Park, California, and author of Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them

“Gary’s use of story, imagery, and an uncommon vocabulary masterfully stirs our heart’s hunger for God Himself. He also gives us practical ways to revel in the love of our ever-pursuing God. He has encouraged me to listen anew to the voice of my Father.”
–DIANE LANGBERG, PH.D., psychologist and author of Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse
and On the Threshold of Hope

“Not many books stir hope that my appetite for God can actually be satisfied in this crazy, disappointing world. Falling for God does. In these well-written pages, Gary offers profound, simple, practical, and warm companionship on the journey that matters most.”
–LARRY CRABB, speaker, psychologist, author of The Pressure’s Off,
and founder of New Way Ministries

“With heart-stopping insights, practical suggestions, and sly wit, Gary Moon draws readers toward Christ so powerfully we long to bow our hearts in worship. Falling for God is destined to become a classic on spiritual formation.”
–SANDRA D. WILSON, PH.D., seminary professor and author of Into Abba’s Arms

“Who could resist falling for God when Christian spirituality is properly understood as a love affair of cosmic proportions! If your heart longs for Perfect Love, this book is for you. It speaks to head, heart, and body as all are involved in the transforming romance that God offers.”
–DAVID G. BENNER, PH.D., C.PSYCH., Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Spirituality, Psychological Studies Institute in Atlanta

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Shaw Books (March 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087788076X
• ISBN-13: 978-0877880769
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #329,965 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate Love for a Loving God, August 24, 2004

By	James Wilson (Somers Point, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This could be the single most important book I have read in the last 30 years. Being a Christian for the last 31 years yet always feeling that there must be something more....something I was missing. Gary Moon develops the theme of God's love relationship with us in a very simple yet profound way. His object lessons told through true life stories make this an extremely easy read for all Christians.The church today has put the cart before the horse, before we can look and act like Christians we must fully become one. "Falling for God" shows you how to develop that deep personal relationship with the God who passsionately loves you ,everything else flows out of that. Yes , the abundant life is available now. A must read for all those tired of following rules that lead you no where.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle book with personal anecdotes and bits of humor to guide Christians in finding intimacy with God, August 3, 2005

By	FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

"This book is about life lived in constant, close contact with God," writes Dallas Willard in his foreword to FALLING FOR GOD. He then lists qualities a Christian needs to maintain a life of "grow[th] in grace and knowledge of" Jesus (2 Peter 3:18): information, imagination, persistence, patience, and realism. And these are the faithful qualities that Gary Moon directly or indirectly addresses in this gently provoking guidebook for Christians desiring intimacy with God.

The overriding image of the book is love --- as in "falling in." What does it entail? How does it work? How is intimacy maintained over time? The first chapter, "The Three Cs of Lasting Love," sets up the three-part outline for the book and the elements of the "romantic relationship with God": conversation, communion, and consummation.

Moon --- a well-connected and well-positioned Christian counselor whose academic history is never clearly laid out --- is well versed in classical Christian spirituality and spiritual formation that may be "standard fare" to Catholics attuned to Ignatian or Benedictine spirituality and people committed to 12-step recovery programs but new material for conservative evangelicals.

For starters, the definitions of and exercises regarding prayer center on listening to God as much as or more than on talking at or to God. "Silence is the most foundational of all Christian disciplines." The chapter titled "Learning to Listen" ends with a helpful list of "indications of the voice of God."

Part 2 of the book, "Communion," focuses on fidelity (willingness versus willfulness), transparency before God (overcoming a fear of total commitment), and the meaning and reality of surrender. "Many of us are like the rich young man, unwilling to place our idols in the dumpster. We cannot do it on our own. We need God's help, and often that help comes in the form of pain." We also need the help and accountability of a community of believers.

As I said, this book is written gently --- replete with personal anecdotes and humorous quips; it's clear that Moon is with his readers on this journey --- but Moon, as the saints before him, notes that the intimate relationship with God involves becoming more and more like Christ, who ultimately surrendered his life.

Part 3, "Consummation," first addresses the issue of relational forgiveness, including a powerful example of the salvation of a devastated marriage, with Hugo's "Les Miserables" being the facilitating counseling tool. Moon then turns to spiritual reconciliation before ending with a discussion of "Union with God" and what it means.

Each of 10 chapters ends with more-than-cursory study and prayer "helps": a biblical passage, followed by a short commentary and reflection questions, a meditation exercise, and a spiritual (prayer) exercise. Each of the three book parts ends with a short bio and sample writings of classic spiritual writers: Frank Laubach, a Protestant (conversing with God), Thomas Kelly, a Quaker (communion with God), and Teresa of Avila, a Catholic (union with God).

Moon ends his book with a challenge: "Don't settle for brief encounters instead of intimate dialogue; don't become content with a salvation contract instead of enjoying communion; and don't withhold parts of your heart. Instead, pursue union. Say yes to God's extravagant proposal."

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Connecting to God, September 4, 2009

By	A. Warfield - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Do you fall for men/women in your life? Try falling for God. Say yes when He comes to you to be in fellowship with Him.