Larry Crabb - The Pressures Off: Theres a New Way to Live

If, like me, you see blessing-centeredness rather than God-centeredness as a great weakness of American evangelicalism, you will hail this exploration of the freedom and joy of grace as timely therapy, a word in season that we all needed. May it be widely read and thoroughly digested.

J. I. P ACKER , theologian and author of Knowing God

The evangelical church, choking under a pervasive legalism/moralism that suffocates the human spirit, finds a powerful voice for freedom in Larry Crabb. Writing from the inside out, he presents a vibrant way of living with passion and without pressure.

B RENNAN M ANNING , author of Ruthless Trust

C. S. Lewis wrote about prosperity knitting us to this world, and while we are seeking our place in the world, the world is actually finding its place in us. Dr. Larry Crabb has constructed a compelling narrative that shows how we have imprisoned ourselves by using the worlds ways to get something from God, instead of appropriating Gods way to receive something from Him.

C AL T HOMAS , syndicated columnist and author

Dr. Crabb not only gives us a clear mandate to celebrate Christian freedom, he also is our accompanist and exemplar on the Way of Freedom. You know he has walked that way with you. A remarkably personal message.

J AMES M. H OUSTON , Chancellor Emeritus and professor of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.

This book makes a very important statement about how to live the Christian life. It takes the Christian beyond the obstacles and disappointments and, above all, beyond the age-old enemy of self straight into the arms of grace. Once there, the pressure is off. A real worthwhile read.

F RANK R ETIEF , Presiding Bishop, Church of England in South Africa

At last we have a book that confronts contemporary Christian culture with its increasing tendency to be taken up with blessings more than the Blesser. I doubt whether anything Larry has ever written, or may write in the future, will contribute more powerfully to the needs of modern-day Christians than The Pressures Off.

S ELWYN H UGHES , director of the Center for World Revival and author of Every Day with Jesus devotional

T HE P RESSURES O FF
P UBLISHED BY W ATER B ROOK P RESS
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A division of Random House, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version.

Italics in Scripture quotations reflect the authors added emphasis.

eISBN: 978-0-307-82267-3

Copyright 2002 by Lawrence J. Crabb Jr., Ph.D., P.C.

Published in association with Yates & Yates, LLP, Literary Agent, Orange, California.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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v3.1

To my father
Larry Crabb Sr.

August 16, 1912
Life began, the fruit of Charles and Lauras love
for their Lord and for each other.

August 31, 2001
Real life began, the fruit of the Father, Son,
and Spirits love for each other and for my dad.

More is available to us in Jesus Christ than we dare imagine.

In 1654 Blaise Pascal encountered Jesus Christ in a new way. He recorded the ecstasy of the moment in a series of sentence fragments, including these:

certitude, heartfelt joy, peace

joy, joy, joy, tears of joy

complete and sweet renunciation

total surrender to Jesus Christ my director

Fellow seeker, will you dare to imagine what for so long youve feared may not be available? Will you join me, a trembling pilgrim, in putting aside the cynicism that skillfully avoids the risk of hoping? Will you embrace your desire for the one thing you would give all else to gainan actual encounter with Jesus Christ, now, before heaven?

Perhaps, like me, youve been working hard to figure life out, to get it right so things go well. The Bible calls that approach the old way of the written code. No matter how dressed up in Christian language, the old way will not form you spiritually. It leads to inward emptiness, churning, unbearable pressure. Perhaps thats becoming clear to you as it is to me.

Theres another way to live. The Bible calls it the new way of the Spirit. Those who take this route through life find themselves flowing toward the Father in rhythm with the Spirit as He opens their eyes to see the beauty of Christ. This new way leads through a life that doesnt work very well into a mysterious certitude that anchors us in storms of doubt, into moments of ecstasy that keep bigger hopes alive when good dreams die, into the terrifying experience of death to self that allows our true selves to walk out of the tomb into the light of day.

Can you feel the Spirits rhythm inviting you to the Sacred Dance? Perhaps Hes releasing our imaginations to soar, like children the night before Christmas.

Theres a new way to live. Its the way of the Spirit. Lets dare to dream our greatest dream. It will not shatter!

What am I doing wrong? The question was never far from the womans mind. Tonight it screamed from deep places within her, demanding the answer that never came.

Look at my life. Things arent turning out as Id hoped. Why dont I feel better about myself? Why is life sometimes so difficult? I must be doing something terribly wrong.

The woman did not believe she was being punished for wrongdoing by a vengeful deity, though that thought was sometimes hard to resist. She did, however, believe there was a right way to live that would make her life work. Of course there was. But she could not find the way.

Here at home, at night, she couldnt pretend as easily as she did in her busy days that she was content, that God had blessed her enough for her to call Him good. In the aloneness that pressed against her soul, memories came backof times when shed felt alive and happy and good, and of times when shed felt very bad.