Often I am not as good a friend as my friends are to me. My college buddy Stephen Morefield has written multiple books. When he and I were at Wartburg if you were to take a poll of those in our history cohort or in our Bible study and ask who of all of us would become a published author all of us and our professors would say Stephen. Stephen is brilliant as was evident in class and in our Bible study that met in his dorm room. He's a great friend and I was privileged to be an usher in his wedding in the Summer of 2009.
I say all that to tell you that I've just now read his book Always Longing: Discovering the Joy of Heaven which was published in November of 2022. Some friend I am, huh?
With all that background out of the way, I do want to offer a brief review of Stephen's book. Always Longing: Discovering the Joy of Heaven is 109 pages and 123 pages if you read appendix 1 and 2.
In the book Morefield attempts to answer seven questions, one per chapter: Does Heaven Matter? What Happens When I Die? How Will History End? Where Is Heaven? What Will We Do in Heaven? How Should We Wait for Heaven? What Does Hell Have To Do With Heaven? The book addresses each very well with a non-bogged down thoroughness. He also ends with a question for his reader and two appendices on how to read Revelation and some reading recommendations.
I will say that while I enjoyed this book I would have enjoyed it more if I had not read Heaven by Randy Alcorn first. This is by no means a slight to Stephen's book. Randy Alcorn's 560 page tome sparked so much delight and eager expectation for Heaven when I read it that a different book on the subject just couldn't awaken my longings in that same, fresh way again. I am confident if you read Alway Longing that you will have a similar experience to it as I did to Alcorn's. I am indebted to Randy Alcorn's writing and Stephen admits that he is as well in his book.
That said, while Alcorn's now classic exploded my longing for Heaven and I will forever be indebted to his book, I can say that Stephen's has advantages over it in a few important ways. Always Longing is a more concise, less speculative and extremely pastoral book. Stephen doesn't venture guesses as often as Randy does (Randy's estimates on Heaven are not anti-Biblical but Stephen's book is only Biblical). Stephen also, I assume, recognizes that if he wants his congregation and other congregations to be excited by Heaven handing them a book that is less thick than the Bible itself is a good strategy. Also, as I read Stephen's book I could hear him preaching it to me. Now, you probably don't know what he sounds like but you will also recognize this as a piece of work directed lovingly at members of the flock.
To conclude, I recommend Stephen's book, especially if you've not already read Alcorn's book. I also recommend it if you, like me, have read Heaven and would like a shorter book on this wonderful subject to pass along to a friend. I especially recommend Always Longing for a small group or discipleship class that wants to spend 7-10 sessions on a book. If you want to increase your longing for the person and the place for which you're made I recommend you check out this book today.
