Download Quest for Love: True Stories of Passion and Purity eBook

Elisabeth always delivers! These are interesting stories from past and present--love handled both wisely and foolishly, graciously and sinfully, with helpful and gentle but potent commentary from my favorite author. I had read this a few times in my 20s and bought this for a younger friend. While it is really good, it is not as amazing as Passion & Purity, and at 40 I didn't anticipate reading it again. But after purchasing the copy for my friend, my piecing through it turned into ordering a second copy, realizing I needed the message once again. Enjoying it.

Elisabeth Elliot tells the story of love the only effective way; true life examples. And she tells the success stories, the cases where young men and women waited, listened, prayed, submitted and finally four what so few will ever realize; true love. Not a visceral emotion, but a deep abiding principle that will star the test of time, never dimming, never questioning, "Did I do the right thing." With all the wrong examples all around us, this book needs a broader audience. Excellent.

This sequel is beautifully written. I enjoyed reading the stories of other men and women and seeing the direction God took in their lives. After reading this, I've decided to make changes in my own life. It's an excellent read and I would recommend it to anyone.

The book was suggested to me as an encouragement. Instead, I found this 1996 book to extremely frustrating and seriously out of date - the filed of relational psychology has advanced since that time and we have that over-romanticized view of marriage and courting in Protestant Christian circles contributed to perpetuating patterns of codependency and love addiction.

What i was hoping this book would do is offer encouragement to placing your hope in God; not placing your hope in that God will give you a spouse. This is not it, to my dismay; what this book really is - is an effort for the author to be encouraging by publishing letters from couples that have previously attended her seminars on purity. While moral purity in dating seemed like a new thing in 80's, 2010's Christian dating isn't that different - people are still confused on safe and healthy physical and emotional boundaries - but the book comes across as very dated when you can read how much the letters describe their struggles to choose and define moral purity as a highest goal while dating - and at the same time describe the waiting as a torment and end up marrying within few months.

In other words, it's really a collection of stories and letters from early men and women in their early 20's who describe getting married after "dating" for less than few months - mixture of 2-3 months, 6 months, and less than a year. An example of a 33 year old man marrying a 21 year old; an early 20 year old woman being proposed to by a man who she just met few times in school.

All the stories have one thing in common: very romanticized view of "being approached by the one" (for women) or "finding the one" (for men). While the writers claim that they are seemingly orchestrated by God, most of them involving marrying someone who just appear/one just meets without actually spending the time to get to know and understand, on a moment's notice. In some of the stories the over-spiritualization seems more like a cover up for lust, or a by product of love addiction where the person attempts to find fulfillment in a spouse rather in God first.

Call me skeptical or cynical, but the testimonies read more like writings of newly marrieds who were fired up by author's previous book to try to give their own stories different slant - making up for patterns of codependency, love addiction, and over-romanticized view that marriage is a greatest gift from God and an only way to find love.

SO - if you want to read some stories about sexual purity from late 1800's (yes), 1980's, this book will do. If you want actual reasons why one would choose to stay celibate and deal with struggles that come with those choices and be encouraged by their boldness to say "yes" to God while they are single, instead reading this book, I would suggest....

Celibete Sx Celibate Sx: Musings on Being Loved, Single, Twisted, and Holy is FAR better in being encouraging, real, healthy, and pointing to God resource discussing topics of desire, struggling, loneliness. It's much more real, open, realistic, and level-headed - while being emotionally honest.

Matt Chandler's The Mingling of Souls: God's Design for Love, Marriage, Sx, and Redemption

Pia Mellody on codependency or love addiction carry significantly more wisdom and tools to cultivate healthy patterns in relationships, dating, and marriage. Facing Love Addiction: Giving Yourself the Power to Change the Way You Love or Facing Codependence: What It Is, Where It Comes from, How It Sabotages Our Lives

Also, Melody Beattie's Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself describes variety of unhealthy patterns that are nearly carbon copies of stories that authors of the letters wrote.

This book is for those who are looking for a relationship God's way. For those who want only what the Lord has designed to be beautiful in His sight. Its written in short story form, with Elisabeth inserting comments, paragraphs, and chapters of her own. Its convicting, challenging, and encouraging all at the same time.

This book is an excellent follow up to Passion and Purity. It includes real-world examples of the lessons and questions for personal reflection or group study. I read this book often during my single years and am getting ready to read it with my niece. I look forward to sharing it and P&P with my daughter in time as well.

This book was so encouraging to a single woman. I devoured it, and I am not much of a reader. It taught me to think differently about singleness. I now think of this time of life as a gift and am working on relying on God for my future. I liked it so much that I bought the book for my sister and my other friend.

Most insight from the author was lost in the unending anecdotes, which eventually all blurred together.