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First Love: Keeping Passion for Jesus in a World Growing Cold
He's inviting you to sustained and unquenchable love.
Jesus is worthy of a love that burns in the likeness of His love for us. But threats to our passion for Him come with the storms and setbacks we face. With vulnerable perspective and insight, Dana Candler shares her own battles with keeping first love and how the Lord breaks in with vital truth and fresh desire to her soul--and how He yearns to do the same for you.
Discover how to overcome the enemies of holy passion and tangibly experience His love. When you do, He will consume your heart with thriving joy, delight and passion for Him, burning bright all your days.
" First Love equips you to say yes to God's invitation to a life marked by confident trust, deep-rooted joy and a love that overflows and impacts all that you do!" --JODIE BERNDT, bestselling author, Praying the Scriptures for Your Children
"This book will strengthen your confidence in the One who never starts a fire and walks away." --BOB SORGE, bestselling author, Secrets of the Secret Place
"I pray every reader of this book will be encouraged to live from the secret place of prayer so that they may also stand in the peace of God." --HEIDI G. BAKER, Ph.D., co-founder and executive chairman of the board, Iris Global
Jesus is worthy of a love that burns in the likeness of His love for us. But threats to our passion for Him come with the storms and setbacks we face. With vulnerable perspective and insight, Dana Candler shares her own battles with keeping first love and how the Lord breaks in with vital truth and fresh desire to her soul--and how He yearns to do the same for you.
Discover how to overcome the enemies of holy passion and tangibly experience His love. When you do, He will consume your heart with thriving joy, delight and passion for Him, burning bright all your days.
" First Love equips you to say yes to God's invitation to a life marked by confident trust, deep-rooted joy and a love that overflows and impacts all that you do!" --JODIE BERNDT, bestselling author, Praying the Scriptures for Your Children
"This book will strengthen your confidence in the One who never starts a fire and walks away." --BOB SORGE, bestselling author, Secrets of the Secret Place
"I pray every reader of this book will be encouraged to live from the secret place of prayer so that they may also stand in the peace of God." --HEIDI G. BAKER, Ph.D., co-founder and executive chairman of the board, Iris Global
224 pages, Hardcover
Published May 17, 2022
21 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 30, 2022
If you are looking for light reading, you won't find it here. I thought I could just pick up this book and skim through it to quickly revitalize my spiritual life and give her my 'feedback', but I was wrong. The way that Dana Candler writes is not just poetic and provoking, but it evokes self-reflection and a hunger to return to the things we did when we first believed in Jesus. I found myself quite agitated by how relatable her stories were -it's like I didn't want to be disrupted, but her vulnerable self-disclosure and hope-filled insight kept me leaning in.
Her genius in presenting her ideas causes the reader to simultaneously be passionately discontent and hopeful, which is really hard to do. I mean check out the way she ends the first chapter: "He's is the keeper of the flame, and wherever He finds a willing heart, He will stir the fire once again. Embers are not endings to Him--but new beginnings. However, in order to go forward we must first return."
She speaks as someone who has felt the pain of waned passion resulting in the arid landscape of a wounded or neglected heart, but who has found the way back to the joy of wholeheartedness. All her books are inspiring, but this one is transformative. If you want to gain or regain a vision of sincere love for Jesus, I'm convinced that this ought to be on the short list of books to read. I still haven't put it on the shelf, I can't... it's too clear of a guide and too relevant a topic.
Her genius in presenting her ideas causes the reader to simultaneously be passionately discontent and hopeful, which is really hard to do. I mean check out the way she ends the first chapter: "He's is the keeper of the flame, and wherever He finds a willing heart, He will stir the fire once again. Embers are not endings to Him--but new beginnings. However, in order to go forward we must first return."
She speaks as someone who has felt the pain of waned passion resulting in the arid landscape of a wounded or neglected heart, but who has found the way back to the joy of wholeheartedness. All her books are inspiring, but this one is transformative. If you want to gain or regain a vision of sincere love for Jesus, I'm convinced that this ought to be on the short list of books to read. I still haven't put it on the shelf, I can't... it's too clear of a guide and too relevant a topic.
December 1, 2025
I gave this book 3.5 stars. It is well written but it did not move me I felt like I had nothing in common with the writer.
My love for God has not changed since I was a young girl! It’s always burning inside me. I have never felt it wain or lessen in all my 53 years on earth.
I hope this book touches those who read it and for those like me at least it reaffirms that our Love for God still burns the same as the first time.
My love for God has not changed since I was a young girl! It’s always burning inside me. I have never felt it wain or lessen in all my 53 years on earth.
I hope this book touches those who read it and for those like me at least it reaffirms that our Love for God still burns the same as the first time.
December 9, 2022
Ok. This is as painful for me to write as this book was for me to read. It is possible that my expectations were misplaced. What I thought I was getting when I purchased "First Love- Keeping Passion for Jesus in a World Growing Cold" was practical life application for how to turn one's heart back to Jesus constantly, especially when faced with societal/life distractions. What I got was a surface level yet weighty, overly spiritualized, impersonal, theological book. It reads almost as painfully as a doxology. While I don't doubt that Candler's intentions were pure, perhaps a better title for this might be "Igniting a Passion for Jesus" - but alas, I believe that book has already been written. I kept reading in hopes this book would become less wordy and surface level but it never did. Maybe this book would read better for new believers? I am not a new Christian, so it just seemed redundant and points were made that are simply obvious. It at time reads like a bland Bible study. 2 stars. Hate to do it. But deserved. Ratings are opinions, right? Sorry, Dana, but this just missed the mark for me.
February 8, 2024
My heart needed this, but one does need to go in expecting to read a meditation rather than an organized argument. Mrs. Candler is intentionally repetitive, I think, as it takes time for these truths to sink into the heart.
Thank you, Katie, for the recommendation.
Thank you, Katie, for the recommendation.
June 8, 2022
In First Love, Dana Candler explored the dynamics of love and how Jesus wants us to be our first love. She explained how Jesus wants us to live in loyalty to Him and to love Him completely. He doesn’t want us to be lukewarm Christians. She described how in Revelations Jesus wants us to keep love alive until He comes back. We are called to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. She revealed her personal story and how Jesus jealous broke her and how much He loves her and His people. Jesus showed her how He loved her and died for her sins. She explored the bridegroom and how the church is His bride. There is going to be a massive wedding and a supper with Jesus. She explained how we are in a marriage covenant with Christ and how there is no greater bond than marriage.
I would recommend this amazing book on discovering our first love and how we can grow in our love. Many of us struggle with losing our love and the world is growing cold and we’re losing our passion. I liked how she explain how we are losing our love and how we need to come back to our first love. She explained how fear weakens over our lives when we return to our first love and how important it is to renew our faith and gain our confidence back.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”
I would recommend this amazing book on discovering our first love and how we can grow in our love. Many of us struggle with losing our love and the world is growing cold and we’re losing our passion. I liked how she explain how we are losing our love and how we need to come back to our first love. She explained how fear weakens over our lives when we return to our first love and how important it is to renew our faith and gain our confidence back.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”
May 17, 2022
Has your love for Jesus cooled?
Why do you think?
What does Jesus feel and do about it?
Are you hesitant to ask these questions like I am?
Not to worry, Dana will ask these questions and more for you and let you peer into the tender and unrelenting commitment of Jesus to bring forth a love for Him that the waters of disappointment, accusation, shame and unbelief cannot quench.
After reading the book, it was this line that still stays with me, "Jesus never starts a fire and walks away."
Why?
Because it messes with me. It makes me wrestle with the real Person Jesus and how He actually relates to me. This is not just a book with helpful ideas, neat summary points, or practical Christian platitudes, it casts you headlong into the deep-end of living before Jesus cast amidst all the enemies of first love.
This book will make you pray....every few paragraphs. In the midst of the richness of the stories, biblical insights, and raw vulnerability of Dana, you will likely find your own heart opening before the Bridegroom King in confidence who beholds the embers of our love, not as endings, but new beginnings.
Maranatha
Why do you think?
What does Jesus feel and do about it?
Are you hesitant to ask these questions like I am?
Not to worry, Dana will ask these questions and more for you and let you peer into the tender and unrelenting commitment of Jesus to bring forth a love for Him that the waters of disappointment, accusation, shame and unbelief cannot quench.
After reading the book, it was this line that still stays with me, "Jesus never starts a fire and walks away."
Why?
Because it messes with me. It makes me wrestle with the real Person Jesus and how He actually relates to me. This is not just a book with helpful ideas, neat summary points, or practical Christian platitudes, it casts you headlong into the deep-end of living before Jesus cast amidst all the enemies of first love.
This book will make you pray....every few paragraphs. In the midst of the richness of the stories, biblical insights, and raw vulnerability of Dana, you will likely find your own heart opening before the Bridegroom King in confidence who beholds the embers of our love, not as endings, but new beginnings.
Maranatha
January 21, 2023
First Love invites readers into what it means to stay fervent for God. Candler shares many stories of heart ache and weariness and encourages those to keep the faith. This book is very poetic and is written with a deep sense of urgency and longing. I would've liked to hear more practical ideas on how to stay engaged with God over many years.
December 10, 2022
Keep The Passion For Jesus in this Broken World
This was a very passionate and heartfelt book.
The author, Candler, is so in love with Jesus. It is just an inspiration to read her book.
It had some great strategies to keep the passion for Jesus in this broken world.
3.9/5
This was a very passionate and heartfelt book.
The author, Candler, is so in love with Jesus. It is just an inspiration to read her book.
It had some great strategies to keep the passion for Jesus in this broken world.
3.9/5
June 16, 2023
this book had deep, profound truths tucked in far too many words. beautiful themes that drew my heart to the Lord, but repeated over. and over. and over.
grateful for the content, but a slow read for me.
grateful for the content, but a slow read for me.
September 24, 2023
This is an important message, written from experience. The writing is pretty raw at times, but in the end, the point is communicated well: Jesus is the keeper of the flame. Community matters. Love matters. We must trust Him with everything. Overall, this was a very encouraging book to read.
June 28, 2022
A review coming soon!
February 1, 2025
Soulful, real, and powerful. Full review soon.
September 22, 2022
Dana has such a beautiful testimony of Christ and His love. I absolutely adored this book and it really helped further strengthen my testimony, and learn about how to give Christ more of my love and devotion. I highly, highly recommend this one!🤍 just totally loved it!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews