“Here’s another way of contrasting religion and righteousness. Joyfully planning a wedding anniversary getaway with your spouse is righteous activity. Washing dishes to get sex is a religious act.”

With lines like that, is it any wonder that I enjoyed Gary Moon’s book Falling for God: Saying Yes to His Extravagant Proposal?

Professor Moon is Executive Director of the Martin Institute and Dallas Willard Center at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. His insights into spiritual formation are thoughtful, joyful, and simple. There are a lot of books on spiritual formation that can make me roll my eyes … or even worse, cause me to say, “Huh?”

But Moon finds the balance between the profound and the practical. Best of all, at least for a guy like me, is that it is all approached with a sense of humor.

The book has three parts. The titles of each section are straightforward, but you can catch Moon’s humor in the sub-titles. For instance, part one is simply titled “Conversation.” But the subtitle is the intriguing “Talking to God Without Losing Your Mind.” Part two is “Communion: It’s Not Just for Sunday Anymore.” Get the idea? Moon wants to make this topic fun and approachable.

Of course, he never loses sight of the importance of the topic. Reading through this book might seem simple, but actually following the exercises Moon outlines takes a healthy commitment. At the end of each chapter are short bible studies, spiritual exercises, meditations, and questions for reflection. You can skim right through all of that, but don’t sell the book short and miss out on the process Moon outlines. Take the time to practice the methods and you will get far more out of the book.

If spiritual formation is important to you, this is a book that deserves your attention.