Crave: Wanting So Much More of God

A Great Leveler from a Pesky Little Brother

"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.

Better Than Chocolate

I know a little about craving.

Chocolate. Chips. Chocolate chips. Chocolate-covered chips.

But Crave is about another kind of craving. More satisfying. A craving that consumes.

Chris writes, "This longing, this deep-seated craving for more and more of God, is slowly consuming my life."

Chris is funny, deep, and writes with unsettling honesty. He says what some of us think but don't dare allow ourselves to believe we think let alone say out loud.

He writes about flossing teeth and picking up trash and not liking people much. He writes about Twin Draft Guards and rulers with no rules. He writes about smiling shoeless kids and talks about trading the "God of the universe for a god of green sticky notes." He reminds us that none of us are empty, that we all fill our cups with something, and that sometimes might be food, like chocolate, because we believe that "a bad day melts away with a bit of chocolate." Ouch. He talks about the Israelites craving the meat of comfort as opposed to following the God who delivered them.

The story of Brother Yun continues to haunt me, and I wonder if my fasting spirit sometimes looks like his shriveled body after a 70-day physical fast.
This is an easy read and a hard read. Chris prods, and he pokes. He's intensified my craving for the bread of life instead of those things that don't last.

I'll pick this book up again and again.


NOTE: Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Harvest House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Thoughtful study on taking faith deeper

Crave by Chris Tomlinson is a thoughtful guide to helping readers satisfy their desire for more of God. Tomlinson's debut book is daringly honest, snarkily funny, and incredibly insightful. Like most Christians, he wants to live a life of purity and holiness but it's far too easy to be a comfortable Christian, coasting along without really digging deeply into what it means to be a follower of Christ. His writing is like the conversation many Christians wish they could have with their pastor. He's real and honest and unafraid to tell the harder truths, even when he is convicted. One of the most poignant chapters is his discussion of his faith along with being a soldier. I was deeply sad when I finished Crave; I wasn't ready for it to be over yet. I want to continue this conversation that opened my eyes and my heart. I hope that Tomlinson writes another book soon.

Transparency at its best!

Chris is not a Pastor or even a major church leader, but he is a Christian just like you and me who deals with the same struggles you deal with regarding your walk of faith. Have you ever wondered why you find it so hard to pray? Or keep a constant habit of reading your bible? Have you ever been unsatisfied with the current condition of your God relationship yet every endeavor to better it falls flat on its face? Well, if you can answer yes to any of these questions (if you'll be honest with yourself, you will answer yes) then you need to read this book.

Crave: Wanting So Much More of God is almost an autobiography of a man who takes a chance that most Christians would not even dare to be totally transparent about his life, his faith, his relationships and his personal habits. This book is so refreshing in that it is encouraging to know that I am not the only one who deals with the same struggles and inconsistencies concerning my faith. This isn't the type of book that will encourage you with great stories of faith where thousands of lives are changed, but encouraging in the sense that Chris puts into words and tries to process those same questions I know you are struggling with today and will struggle with tomorrow.

If you crave more of God but have discovered that you just can't live up to being a good old Christian I strongly recommend you get a hold of this book. Tomlinson shares the process he went through in discovering he couldn't get close to God by trying to pray for hours each day, or by making sure he reads through the bible in three weeks, or by trying to follow all the rules, or by helping others in need. Chris discovers developing a deeper walk with God is all about relationship, to find out what this means you'll have to read the book.

One of my favorite chapters was one called pager. Chris writes about an internal pager that goes off when he feels the impulse to talk to someone about his faith and the gospel of Jesus Christ; yet Chris constantly tries to ignore the pager and hopes it goes away. As I read this I was thinking, 'been there and I still do that!'.

There were some great quotes in this book and here are a few that stood out to me:

* I have developed inch deep beliefs about a mile-high God (p110)
* Perhaps rules don't create intimacy by themselves.Maybe they create space for intimacy (p125)
* This is why I want to be 12 years old again -because to a child everything is big (p158)
* The security of bondage can often seem easier than the anxiety of freedom (p169)
* We must seek to satisfy our longings, the deepest cravings of the soul, by seeking the One who made us with a desire for him (p199)

If you crave God but realize your just not up to the standard, then get this book, be encouraged and join the ongoing conversation.

Early Morning Lessons

I also learned another lesson on not sleeping. When woken do not start reading a really good book. For then reading is more important than sleep.

Yeah, I started reading "Crave: Wanting So Much More of God" by Chris Tomlinson. Now I felt lucky enough that Chris contacted me to review his book personally. But I did not expect for the book to be so griping to me. Here I was tired, wound up from a horrid crank caller and just wanting to read myself back to sleep. Instead I started finding some answers to a hunger I have. You know when you have that empty pit inside that never can be filled. We all try with food, people, work, hobbies and more. Filling up our time and our lives with busy work but not ever feeling satisfied. We have a craving that there has to be more. Well of course there is.

Many of us know that craving is for God to be part of our lives. Well here Chris helped me see better ways of filling that hole. How I can share and take in God's desires. Especially when I was already so angry and irritated for being rudely woken up. The next thing I realized was that it was 6 a.m. I had been reading 3 1/2 hours and was feeling quite at peace too. Thanks for sharing "Crave: Wanting So Much More of God" with me Chris.

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