Love First

Book excerpt: This is not just a book to inspire more love; it’s a revolutionary call to love better. "A terrible virus has spread across the planet and turned the human race into bloodthirsty monsters. Mankind’s only hope for survival is . . ." Originally part of the tagline for the sci-fi thriller, I Am Legend, these lines describe the undercurrent of unrest and turbulence in our world. The virus we face is hate—an epidemic infecting social media, politics, neighborhoods, and homes. Communities of believers, which should be clinics with the cure, are instead suspected of being primary carriers of the virus. But there is hope. Hate, even in its most nefarious forms, is no match for the matchless love modeled by Jesus. Love is his cure for the sick and dying world. Historians, sociologists, and theologians agree that we are experiencing the most fundamental changes in global society in the last five hundred years. And while the church has a lofty vision and mighty power, we are disastrously unprepared. This book presents an understandable, practical, and doable approach to loving others with such clarity and conviction that the world will truly know the God who loves us first.