I just finished reading When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy and decided that I just had to write about it. Or rather, John Piper in general. As I finished reading that book this week, I have found myself feeling genuine gratitude toward this man for his help in my walk toward, as he would say, "passionately pursuing Christ". I really may write him a letter even though he probably gets tons of mail and may never see it. He has really had such a tremendous impact on my life and I so respect and admire his life and ministry. Now, before you take me the wrong way, let me say it clearly: I do not worship this man, or think that he has some sort of superhuman powers; I am not a Piper "groupie". He is a normal man. BUT, his radical pursuit of the Lord, his drop everything else but a focus on Christ, his passionate pulsating faith is NOT normal - and it is that that I admire and want so desperately to be said of my life as well. This fella is extreme, and everything about his life points to the all-surpassing worth of Christ. How that stands out in a world of lukewarm faith - and how it challenges me. I first met Piper when I was a sophomore in college and he was speaking at a Passion Conference in Texas. He spoke on suffering, and his words were so challenging that I actually debated on whether I would even write them down or not! (I did, finally). Then, at Moody I had a missions class and read Let the Nations Be Glad, where his heart for world missions and the need for it fell upon my heart like never before. (As an aside, during this time one of Piper's sons attended MBI, and I did my best to meet him; I determined I was going to marry him and then move in with his parents! I didn't do that.) After that came Desiring God and then Don't Waste Your Life. That book was a life-changer. It has almost given me a fear of EVER picking up seashells - and if you read that book you know what I'm talking about! And now, just finishing When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy. His practical points to fight to keep joy - the kind of deep, fulfilling, Christ-exalting kind of joy - are worth studying. I believe that it is most of those disciplines that he shares that have been the fuel behind his passionate faith. So, if you haven't, I encourage you to pick up one of his books. He is a prolific writer/speaker and you can visit his website: www.desiringgod.org to find out more. Now, my challenge is to apply what I've learned to my life. Next time you see me, ask me how I'm doing with it.
