Love Beyond Reason

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Summary: Do you want to be happy? Come and see
Review: A few things I know, that we all want to be happy. The other thing I know is that God wants us to be happy. God in his wisdom has given the gift of teaching and fortunately for us one of his gifted teachers has writen this book explaining the key to happiness. Love and loving beyond reason.
I have read many Christian books and have found John Ortberg's Love Beyond Reason the most profitable for my Christian life. To know that Jesus is scandalously ready to forgive. Love means being 'for' the one who is loved. Love delights in and enjoys the one who is loved. Love pays attention. This is how God loves us. God pays attention to us. I could go on and on . Buy this book and come and see.

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Summary: A wonderful book on god's love for us.
Review: John Ortberg has the gift of teaching about God's love for us and His desire for a world that expresses love for His people: all the "ragdolls" we encounter along the way. It is a book to be read again and again.

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Summary: Ortberg's book is almost must reading for parish pastors.
Review: John Ortberg's latest book is one of a few that brings joy to my reading life.  It meets three criteria I have for my favorites as a parish pastor with strong constraints on my time. 1. It was personally enriching,  2. It will be helpful to many of my parishoners, 3. It will give me lots of sermon illustrations.

John Ortberg is one of those wonderful pastors who preaches well and people love to hear him preach --  and writes well -- and people love to read him. Years ago a woman who had been abused by her husband and went through a horrible divorce told me that as much as she believed intellectually that God loved her -- she could not accept emotionally that God loved her. I gave her John Powell's book, "Why Am I Afraid To Tell You Who I Am."  She said it helped.  Now, if I can just find her again, I want to send her, "Love Beyond Reason." It will not only give some help, it will encourage some healing.

Once in a while a book comes along that ends up on every parish pastor's book shelf.  This is one of those books. Get one for yourself and another for your church library. (After you've used all the illustrations!)

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Summary: Love that Gives Value
Review: One of the most profound aspects of this book comes right in the introduction. John Ortberg mentions two types of love, a love that happens because of something seen of "value" in the beloved (talent, beauty, wit, etc.), and a love that creates value in the beloved (agape). The rest of the book is an explanation of how we are the beloved ones of God, and how we can live out that belovedness in a world where we feel we have to earn it. Many of the ideas in this book are parallel to those of Henri Nouwen's Life of the Beloved, but Ortberg's style is different in that he offers many stories and illustrations so that the truths become more vivid. While the subtitle ("Moving God's Love from your Head to your Heart") is a bit of a misnomer because he doesn't offer practical steps to do that, but the book is really a focus on and testament to God's tremendous love for his people; and in that way it brings that truth to a deeper level in the heart.

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Summary: Ortberg a must read for new and struggling Christians
Review: While Ortberg's books appeal to a wide audience, I personally find them inspiring for people who are recent converts to Christianity or (like myself) have struggled in their walk. He is a masterful story teller and it shows in all his work. He has a way of stoking the fire and passion for a life in tune with the Holy Spirit. He reflects the philosophy of Dallas Willard and Dietrich Bonhoeffer with a much simpler tone.

This book is especially good at conveying what we as Christians should expect in our walk with Christ. Chapter 7 "The Roundabout Way" is by far my favorite of the book. The book is worth the price for this portion alone. He beautifully states why periods of spiritual "dryness" are necessary for growth, and how God's way is usually not the shortest or easiest, but always the best. You'll never get bored with an Ortberg book. He masterfully "re-parables" stories to fit into modern thinking.

I would recommend this book along with his others: Love Beyond Reason, Everybody's Normal Till you get to Know Them, and If You Want to Walk on Water You Gotta Get Out of the Boat. You won't be disappointed!