Becoming a True Spiritual Community: A Profound Vision of What the Church Can Be

but it would certainly be worth the effort. The thing is, it would require quite a bit of effort; and I haven't met a lot of people who would be willing to do the work to make this happen. The good news is that there are some people who are willing and that's enough to start. The truth is, that it's just too easy to keep doing things the way they've always been done. Perhaps that's not entirely true. Church is work no matter how you do it, so why not do it right? And what Dr. Crabb provides here, is indeed the framework to do it right. The only thing necessary is hungry hearts. So if you have one of those, get this book and read it. By the way, this is exactly the same book as "The Safest Place On Earth" with a different cover. I do think this is a better title and more clearly reflects what this book is about. I have both books and even the page numbers are the same.

Great book on a subject that is dominated by disgruntled people with an axe to grind and a formula to follow. This is not that book. It is full of heart explanations and it is written with a humble spirit. You won't walk away knowing how to have a spiritual community, but it will help you to know it when you see/feel it and possibly help you to try and be one who fosters such an organism. I was blown away reading it. His vision of spirit/soul dynamics (what he refers to as the upper room and lower room) is so helpful and is so under-understoon or referenced in Christianity these days. I give it two thumbs up, or however we rate things here. I immediately bought another copy to give away.

There is a growing sense among many within the church that there must be more. Futurists including George Barna suggest that there is a significant number of believers choosing to go underground in their faith --- forming home groups in an effort to foster the kinds of relationships that can't naturally happen during a few hours on Sunday morning. In BECOMING A TRUE SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY, Larry Crabb addresses the heart issues behind the changes taking place in the church. He points out that most people who choose to follow Jesus assume that they'll find a spiritual community of friends, a kind of family that will enjoy each other's company as they encourage one another to spiritual maturity. More often than not, though, they are sorely disappointed. Though Christians hunger for a community of deep rich relationships, both new and veteran believers often find themselves frustrated that these kinds of connections don't happen naturally. The relationships among believers often can be compared to a series of rocking chairs on a front porch lined up side by side. Though every seat may be filled and cordial dialogue exchanged, the real hunger in people's hearts is to have the chairs placed in a circle facing each other. In the same way, we long for our souls to be turned toward each other. Rather than offer four magical steps or three quick ways to community, Crabb takes readers on a journey to explore the nature of life with the Trinitarian revelation as a backdrop for the longings of a relationship. He invites readers to turn the focus inward and examine the weaknesses that short-circuit their own ability to enter real spiritual community. Crabb explains some of our core struggles with intimate relationships in the context of the Lower Room and the Upper Room. The Lower Room is the place of our own flesh --- where our passions for self, control, defining our own lives and performance tear us away from each other and who God designed us to be. This stands in dark contrast to the Upper Room, where the passion to worship, trust, grow and obey reshape and renew who we are to look more like Jesus. When we as individuals abide in the Upper Room, we are better prepared to partake of the true spiritual community God intended. Crabb is incredibly vulnerable and honest about his own shortcomings throughout the book. He isn't afraid to look at his own failures, sins and faults in an effort to uncover our own. The transparency is refreshing and moving. Beyond being a brilliant thinker, he is also a great writer. His descriptions dance, and his insights pack a punch. BECOMING A TRUE SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY is like a balm for those in the church who keep thinking There must be more. Crabb assures us that there is more --- much more --- but it's going to have to take intentional decisions and movement by every individual to get there. The journey isn't easy, but it's well worth it. --- Reviewed by Margaret Oines

According to an online source, "Becomming a True Spiritual Community" is simply the republishing of "The Safest Place on Earth" under a new title. I read TSPoE, liked it, and was recently pleasantly surprised to find that Larry apparently had a new book coming out (Becomming). I almost bought it. Fortunately, before placing my order, I checked another online source for reviews and saw that Becomming is the same book as TSPoE. If you haven't read either book, I do recommend reading one or the other.