I had the opportunity to read Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson and be a part of the blog tour for this book. First let me say when I got the book I immediately liked the cover artwork, that’s usually a good indicator for what’s inside. I had very high hopes for this book. I read a lot of books…some great, some just okay, and some really bad ones that I never finish. Very soon I found myself unsure of which category this book was going to fall into for me.

When I received the book I immediately started reading but came to a mental roadblock about midway through Part 2:The Soul of Christianity. I put the book down and did not pick it up again. Not good since I was kind of on a timeline for the blog tour. I felt a little put off by the book but I wasn’t exactly sure why. I am very much a reader who “feels” every bit of a book, for some reason I was not feeling any emotion over this particular book. The writing was good, lots of good examples and stories to help make the points interesting and understandable to readers. BUT-There was this little nagging voice in the back of my mind urging me to just leave the book alone.

Last night I was off to my favorite coffee shop to relax and listen to some good music when I decided I better take the book and attempt to finish it! I did have to blog about it after all. I was really struggling with what I was going to write about. I wasn’t even sure I’d have any inspiration to post a review. That’s when page 104, paragraph 1 happened. People who know me know this…it takes a lot to get me to cry. I might shed a tear once in awhile but I rarely ever cry. It’s never a good feeling to be reading in a public place and know you are going to cry…not shed a tear but throw yourself face down on the ground and sob very loudly. That’s the emotion that hit me in the middle of my very crowded coffee shop. Here’s the passage and the emphasis was added by me…to show what really hit me hard.

“You cannot truly love what you do not really know. That is called ignorance. So stop and think about the implications. The less you know God, the less you love Him. And the more you know God, the more you love Him. Why? Because to know Him is to love Him. And if you don’t love Him, it’s because you don’t really know Him.“

I’m sure you’re interested in why I became so emotional-since by itself-that particular passage doesn’t seem quite so earth shattering. It was that paragraph and all the stuff I read leading up to that page. Batterson had built a credible case for reading your bible and all the other spiritual exercises we should all be participating in, throughout the beginning of this book. It was the same “yada yada” I’ve read in just about every “Christian” book I’ve ever picked up. Alright already, I get it I need to read my bible, and pray more, and blah blah blah. (I’m so glad God still loves me even when I’m flippant and a know it all.) I felt really sad and really ashamed-my words and my actions seemed pretty far apart at that moment. I also realized why I didn’t want to read the book….it was going to make me uncomfortable.

I did finish the rest of this book in what seemed like moments. That paragraph was a tipping point for me not just in reading the book but in the realization of where I was in my life. I could go into great detail from here, there is so much I want to share with you about that moment and this book and what it could mean for you and where you might find yourself right now. The most important thing I want to share and the point I need to make…read this book and allow God to speak directly to you while you are reading it. Because He will and maybe you’ve been needing to hear what it is He has to say….needed it for a very long time, like me. If you read any book this coming year…then read this one. In fact, making this your first book of the new year may be exactly what you need to get your year started off right!

As for me, I’m starting the book over. I’m going to read it this time with my heart open and with a humble attitude AND with the realization that I don’t know everything! I hope you have the opportunity to read it as well. You can go here to find out more about it.