The Blakes on a Mission: "From Eternity to Here" by Frank Viola

Have you ever listened to a story being told and as you are listening…it is as though you are no longer in reality but caught away in the world of the words being spoken? I have…and as I read “From Eternity to Here” by Frank Viola I found myself continuously being taken away…but the best part about being taken away in to the world of these words is that it’s real! It’s not stepping away from reality but stepping into reality.

Hey guys…I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted but I figured what better way than to share with you about a great book that I have the blessing to be able to read and review. I was approached by the publishing company that put out one of my absolute FAVORITE books “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan to read and review a follow up book that they are releasing.

I really didn’t know what to expect but as my dead line to write this review crept closer and closer…I found it harder and harder to find time to read it. Having three kids, homeschooling and helping out at a daycare part time has left me with little to no time. Most of the past week I’ve been thinking – “What have I got myself into…I have to keep my word…what are they going to do if I don’t write the review…come bang on my door and rip the book from my hands??”

I honestly started today out and had only read 1 chapter…but as I read that first chapter I was totally over taken by the goodness of what I was reading. It’s so raw and so real and so sincere that as you read this book it is as though you are reading your own love story…and that’s because you are.

This book is set up in a way that it paints our love story with God from Genesis to Revelation. This book contains three volumes: the Bride of Christ, the House of God, and the Family of God the Body of Christ. When I first read the titles of the sections I was kind of detached and wasn’t really encouraged to read much but as I dove in I realized that what Frank Viola has done…is given the body of Christ a beautiful gift…A gift that opens the eyes of those who can’t quite see the whole picture of what it means to be the Bride of Christ.

He weaves together the story of all stories…in a digestible (if not uncomfortable at times) way. While I did really enjoy the first and middle part of the book the part that struck me the MOST was the end. After reading the end I felt as though I had been standing underneath a waterfall of truth. My heart was encouraged and spurred on with passion for my God…and in awe that someone was saying exactly what my spirit is screaming out but without words to express it effectively.

In the next to last chapter Frank Viola once again pulls out his pen/paintbrush to help us see what it looks like when the body of Christ is walking in truth…

“In this chapter, I would briefly like to explore the practical question of what it looks like when a local assembly fulfills what God is after and His eternal purpose moves from eternity to here. “
He summarizes this chapter toward the end…and I will leave you with that summary because I believe it will cause you to want to know what he has to say about each of these things that are vital for the church to live out “the ageless purpose of God”…

“So how does a local church carry out the ageless purpose of God? Very simply: by loving the Lord Jesus as His bride and learning to live by His indwelling life. By edifying its members through displaying the Lord Jesus as functioning priests in God’s house and as participating members of Christ’s body. By living a shared life as the family of God, visibly demonstrating what the kingdom of God is like to a broken world. And by expressing God’s image and exercising His authority in the earth – the very things that the first Adam was charged to do in the garden.”

Frank Viola’s book “From Eternity to Here” is a true find…and I am very blessed by his book – I know I will be rereading this book throughout the rest of my life to enable myself never to lose sight of the whole masterpiece that is my love story with God…

I will leave you with one more fantastic quote:

“Every love story that the minds of mortal men and women construct, every love story that has made its appearance in the pages of human history – whether fiction or nonfiction – is but a reflection , a pale image, a faint portrait, a scrambled version of the sacred romance of the ages.”

Thank you Frank Viola and David C Cook publishers!
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The following bloggers are posting a review or Q & A with Frank Viola on his bestselling book FROM ETERNITY TO HERE today, Tuesday, July 21st. You may order the book at a discount at http://www.frometernitytohere.org/ – it’s also on audio book. Free discussion guide, sample chapters, interviews, and a free audio of the first chapter are available on that site also. Here are the bloggers who are participating:

Jay Becker - http://www.jaybecker.org/

Mark D - http://deadmanstravelog.blogspot.com/

Igniting Hearts - Kimber Britner - http://www.ignitinghearts.blogspot.com/

Karyn - http://tiger-kar.blogspot.com/

Barefoot Preacher - http://thebarefootpreacher.blogspot.com/

Every Day Angels - http://www.weareeverydayangels.com/

FaithEngineer - http://www.faithengineer.com/

Kristen Schiffman - http://dancinginthemargins.typepad.com/

CrossPointe: The Church at Bevo - http://churchatbevo.blogspot.com/

Crazy Love for God - crazyloveforgod.blogspot.com

Amazima Ministries - oatsvallteam.blogspot.com

Down to Write Honest - http://downwritehonest.com/