Listening to Love: Responding to the Startling Voice of God

As a Christian counselor, I have recommended this book over and over. A must read!

This is one of only a handful of books I'd put at the top of everyone's MUST READ list! It does a great job of demonstrating God's deep love for us, and evoking that kind of response from us.

Jan explains, describes, and personifies a different sense of obeidance than I have read anywhere. After reading her book I not only have a better sense of what obeidance looks like I am finding myself listening and "leaning in" to Him better. It is one thing to read a book that helps you understand something like obediance but it it is another thing to read one that pulls out of your heart better desires. Jan's writing is captivating and comfortably compelling.

Jan must have been reading my journal. Every day, I eagerly awaited time in her book, or as I called it, "Coffee with Jan." She seemingly knew my dilemma before I did. I was stuck trying to hear from God. I was fruitlessly trying to live with more passion. I wanted more of God's goodness, but the old places that I had found it were trickling it out in diminishing amounts. Jan eloquently drew me back to the heart of the story. She incorporated humorous and painfully true stories of Jesus moving through lives. In profound ways, Jan talks of how easy it is for us to go to completely good, holy things rather than to Jesus. How? Because we begin to make God in the image of those good things rather than allow him to be as big and mysterious as he truly is. I understood through the scripture references, music and movie references and the incorporation of the landscape scenes from the American west. Jan was also a close friend of Brent Curtis (co-author of The Sacred Romance), a man I have respected and loved from afar. Thank you, Jan, for telling about and giving me memories of a truly good and honorable man. And for helping me stand under the weight and beauty of Jesus, who can be both known intimately but not fully known. This one is right up there with Wild at Heart for me in number of jaw-dropping revelations.

I was familiar with Jan Meyers' writing through my wife (who was impacted by Jan's other book 'The Allure of Hope'). I hoped that Listening to Love would also be thought provoking reading (it is for men and women), but I had no idea how important the book would be for me personally. This book has helped me with the tension I have felt for a very long time as a Christian, and has helped me to not be apologetic for that tension. The tension for me has been this: I want more freedom as a Christian, but I don't want to lose sight of what my freedom is all about. I want to fight for good things, but I know at some point I must hand over the outcome to God. My favorite chapter was "Listening to Reality - Losing our Religion" - it revealed how we all can make religions out of anything, even very precious, good things, instead of worshipping Jesus himself. I also appreciated the chapter "Recognizing His Touch - Relinquishing our Ideas about Healing" - full of examples of how God's beauty shows up in many situations that we, in our limited sight, would say are "unhealed." Take your time with this book. It will challenge you, and give you rest, even as you battle.