Book Review: 66 Love Letters by Larry Crabb

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers through Booksneeze, I got a complimentary copy of 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God that Invites You into His Story by Dr. Larry Crabb. I admit I picked this book because out of the options I was given, this seemed to be the least boring choice. But I am very glad I did pick this and that it is now a part of my family's library.

When you read the Bible, do you, like me, have a hard time understanding just what messages you are supposed to be getting? The language alone can confuse you as to what that verse or chapter MEANS. Well this book says it can break down the Bible into more relatable language. Crabb wrote it as "love letters" God has written directly to him, explaining in more simpler language, the messages all these 66 books were meant to get across to us. You are given the main points that Crabb thinks God wanted to get across to us, in each of these love letters. It is like he is trying to take the Bible and it's difficult language, and put it into layman's terms, so we can all enjoy the messages God left for us.

When I first started sifting through this book, I was a little taken aback by the "conversations" happening between God and the author. The author actually expects me to believe he knows how God would talk to us? I was not keen on that concept at all. I found it a little distracting actually, because one minute I would be reading what I felt was a clearer picture of, say, Exodus, and the next minute Crabb is having God answer "Digest what I've said and read on". And that made it seem like almost a joke. When I read the synopsis before picking this book, I thought the emphasis was on the love letters, on explaining the Bible and what it is all about. I knew the letters were to Crabb, but was surprised by these conversations.

The love letters themselves, I did appreciate. I liked feeling like I was gaining a better understanding of the Bible. You do need to remember as you read this though, that each love letter covers an entire book of the Bible. So it is not a book you read from start to finish and it is one cohesive unit. You have to take a letter, and realize that this 4 page letter covers maybe 30 chapters! I think this is an excellent tool personally. Obviously in such shortened letters, you do not get the full effect of the Bible, but I think it works great as a study guide/resource in helping you understand more. I think Crabb could have skipped a little more of his conversations and added a little more on the actual books of the Bible, but I definitely am glad I have this book to help me understand what God wants for me, in a simpler way. I am not sure you can say this is a book I loved or anything like that, but it is a book I am glad I gave a chance, and can now use it to further my personal views of the Bible.

*I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”