If I enjoy something I’m going to share it. I keep pulling out my copy of Love Does to read through underlined and starred paragraphs. For me the book was a slow start with a really strong finish. Perhaps reading in one sitting as opposed to the chapter a day dosage I had been partaking in made all the difference. I found myself blinking back tears on my three-hour flights to and from Texas. The book is filled with essays on truths Bob Goff has learned through a life of risk taking and memory making… all the while listening for the voice of his Father to direct his path.
Here are some of my favorite passages from the book.
Chapter 9 – Just Say Yes
“I think God sometimes uses the completely inexplicable events in our lives to point us toward Him. We get to decide each time whether we will lean in toward what is unfolding and say yes or back away. The folks who were following Jesus in Galilee got to decide the same thing each day because there was no road map, no program, and no certainty. All they had was this person, an idea, and an invitation to come and see.”
Chapter 13 – Bigger and Better
“…The real game of Bigger and Better that Jesus is playing with us usually isn’t about money or possessions or even our hopes. It’s about our pride. He asks if we’ll give up that thing we’re so proud of, that thing we believe causes us to matter in the eyes of the world, and give it up to follow Him. He’s asking us, ‘Will you take what you think defines you, leave it behind, and let Me define who you are instead?'”
Chapter 21 – Hearing Aid
“God doesn’t speak to me with a voice to make audio needles move, but there are times when I’ve sensed something down deep, almost like a tuning fork has just been pinged in my soul. It’s not one of those ‘I know because I know’ things either. I think we can triangulate on the unmistakable tugs of God’s voice because we know other things about His character and nature. For instance, we know God loves us and how right forgiveness feels. We also know some truths about the world, like the love we have in our family and how we’ve always liked rainy days and cheeseburgers, that sort of stuff. From there, we can get a sense of how God has wired us and use a combination of our hearts and His truths to move ourselves in a certain direction.”
Chapter 26 – Jail Break
“God pursues us into whatever dark place we’ve landed and behind whatever locked door holds us in. He holds our unwashed and dirty hands and models how He wants us to pursue each other… And He says to ordinary people like me and you that instead of closing our eyes and bowing our heads, sometimes God wants us to keep our eyes open for people in need, do something about it, and bow our whole lives to Him instead.”
May our weekend be filled with adventures. As Bob says… “Love does.”
Following,
Ginger
