02 March 2010

The Pesky Little Brother - Crave by Chris Tomlinson

“God is different. He's much more terrifying than I had imagined, but also so much more glorious and beautiful than I thought possible.” ~ Chris Tomlinson, Crave

There are people in this world who prod me on, like a pesky little brother I don’t want to be bothered with as I rush through my self-important days. Despite my efforts to appear brilliant and more mature, certain individuals can level me with just a few well-placed words. In Chris Tomlinson, I believe I’ve met my newest “leveler.”


It starts with the title of his book. Crave - Wanting So Much More of God. As if he knows that quaking in my heart as it moves between the here-and-now and the now-and-forever, Chris’ first book shares a real, unvarnished view of a questioning Christ-follower. He addresses the topics rarely discussed in “grown-up” bible studies - topics that reveal a vulnerability and transparency we Christians often try to hide, for fear we’ll be seen as lacking on the journey. The stories are woven into other stories - about pagers and hamburgers and lawn chairs and strangers on airplanes and Twin Draft-Guards - with a purposeful lack of pretense. Each chapter is a moment, tied in a beautifully uneven bow.


Prayer. Suffering. Faith. Pleasure. Doubt. Joy. Boldness. What it feels like when God pushes - and when God is silent. What it means to pursue Christ - with abandon and with apprehension. In Crave, Chris Tomlinson pulls up a a chair and starts talking. There are no forced “teachable moments,” no alliterative points to ponder. There are simply stories - stories from a most insightful pesky little brother.

2 comments:

Kathleen Overby said...

You make me want to read that book. Sounds like a kindred spirit. More for my very long wish list at Amazon. :)

The Christ Stumbler said...

It's definitely worth the read. Actually, it might be worth two. :)