God's Ecstatic Love

Book excerpt: Nothing is more important in life than loving God. Jesus of Nazareth said the first and greatest commandment is: "Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength." Francis de Sales, bishop, doctor, saint, and mystic, published Treatise on the Love of God in 1616. Scholars consider it to be one of the classics of Christian literature, on the level of The Cloud of Unknowing, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, and The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. Yet, most people have never heard of it. Dr. Bruce Tallman's new book God's Ecstatic Love takes de Sales' spiritual masterpiece and updates it in a way that makes sense to 21st century minds. Packed full of key quotes from scripture and the original Treatise, the goal of God's Ecstatic Love is to enable believers to master the most important life-skill of all: a passionate and intelligent life-transforming love of God. "Remarkable .... grounds us in a new awareness of God's ever-present love, reaping a rich harvest of hope for our spiritual lives." -Michael Prieur "Provides a mature adult spirituality grounded in authentic love of God and neighbor." -Edwin Buettner "Invaluable for anyone on a journey to nurturing a more intimate relationship with God." -John Fraresso "You will find your own love of God grows as you discover God loves you beyond anything you can imagine." -Michael Tremblay