Book Review: 66 Love Letters by Dr. Larry Crabb

Book Description
Written in a conversational first person, as if God is speaking directly to us, Dr. Crabb looks at each individual book in scripture and boils it down to a one- or two-sentence message to us from that particular book. He then unpacks each sentence in a short chapter answering the question, What does God want me to hear from this love letter? The book’s epilogue then fits all sixty-six pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together into one coherent paragraph and reveals the beautiful picture of what God has been about since the creation of the world. Far from being comprehensive, this is a personal approach to helping readers know God and his great love for them, his message for all mankind, and how their lives fit into His larger story.

I have been reading Dr. Larry Crabb’s book 66 Love Lettersfor the last several months – not because it was unenjoyable or boring, but because it was thought-provoking, heart-stirring, and just plain thick!  Plus, I got derailed for 3 months when I decided to read through the Bible in 90 days.    This is not a quick or an easy read, but I think its message is one that is necessary for the current culture to hear – both inside and outside of the church.  In a day and age where we expect and even demand that God bless us, prosper us, and make our lives happier and better, it is not common to hear a voice pipe up and say that God is ultimately more interested in making us holy and committed to fulfilling His plans – not ours!

I’ll admit that reading this book felt a little heavy at times, as the author highlights God’s messages to us from the Bible that speak to our sin and selfishness, but sometimes you have to shout to be heard and I think the repetition of these themes are a good reminder to us of the iniquity within us that we’d sometimes rather ignore.  While this book may feel extreme on the side of expecting pain and suffering in our walk as believers, I think the author’s message needed to be so strong in order to break through our culture’s message of “me, me, me – now, now, now”.  Ultimately, God’s plan and His purposes for us are absolutely and 100% to bless us, prosper us and make our lives happier and better, but He will do it on His terms and in His way and in His timing!  Sometimes, in order for Him to be able to give us the things we long for and are asking for, it requires a deep work in our hearts that is often accomplished through painful circumstances, but which are ultimately for our good and which are achieving His greater purpose of making us holy.

I would highly recommend this book as a fresh approach to interpreting the overall story that the Bible is telling us and what God is desiring to speak to us in His love letters.  I think this book is written in a very approachable, easy to understand way that could appeal to those who are unfamiliar with the Bible and who might like the conversational style between the author and God.  At the same time, it has truths that are far beyond being introductory or beginner and there is much depth for the mature believer.  At times, I found the parts where the author is speaking to God less enjoyable, simply because I could not always relate to his personal struggles or questions, but I usually really enjoyed reading God’s response, feeling that the things written resonated with my heart and were confirmed by the Holy Spirit. 

If you get this book, plan to give yourself a lot of time to read through it at a nice, slow pace, giving yourself time to enter into the conversation yourself and see what God is saying to you personally through His 66 Love Letters.  While not everyone would have the time to do this, it would probably really add to the benefit of the experience to actually read each book of the Bible in conjunction with the chapters in this book.  While I believe this book was written to attempt to show a consistent flow of thought as it tells the story from beginning to end, I found that it could not be read as a novel and that each chapter had a distinctly unique message to be digested on its own.  Take the time to ask your own questions and listen to hear God’s answers – that is truly what He wants as we read His Word!

Book provided by BookSneeze – I was not obligated to give a positive review.