Disclaimer – I received a free copy of ‘Primal’ by Mark Batterson to read and post a blog review.
Mark Batterson’s ‘Primal’ cuts to the heart of Christianity reminding us of what the “Greatest Commandment” really means. You will be challenged as you walk through what it means to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If you are looking for a good read to make you squirm a little bit as you try to get on track with the new year, then this is the book for you.
When I began this book, I was well aware of the greatest commandment and felt that it was a very simple thing to understand. I was looking forward to the insight that I would find in Primal focusing on the subject. I was not prepared for the discomfort I felt as I began examining how I am living the greatest commandment out in my own life. Batterson breaks the commandment down into the four parts of heart, soul, mind, and strength. He defines them using different words to bring the commandment a fresh feeling using the words compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy. I was really drawn into the sections on wonder and curiosity. When I started to follow Jesus at the age of 18, I had to work hard at loving God with my mind. I wanted scientific evidence and logical answers about God because that is how I was wired. When I made that transition, my sense of wonder kicked in and I found myself very amazed by God. Because these are two ways that I am primarily best at loving God, I have found it easy to let my sense of wonder and my curiosity go on autopilot at times. I also learned that I maybe am gorging on knowledge about God by reading blogs and listening to preachers all of the time, but not acting on the things that I am learning. I also learned that I need to find some balance with the heart and strength. I do okay with energy, but I mostly struggle with compassion. It is easy for me to ignore people and things around me because they can threaten my own agenda. I plan on reading this book again in the very near future when I can spend more time on each piece of the commandment and work through them.
Primal is available today. You can grab a copy at Amazon with this link or you can also download it on the Kindle here.
I also recommend checking out Mark’s other books ‘In A Pit With A Lion on a Snowy Day’ and ‘Wild Goose Chase.’
