I was in my early 20's and I stumbled upon their website, got in contact with the owner, and even flew into Jacksonville to attend one of their events. Trust me when I say that it went just like that, but it still wasn't as glamorous as it sounds.
I was a fly on the wall at the event. True to self, I tend to be shy when speaking to people one on one. The owner didn't even know that I was there until after the fact.
It happened though. They sent me an audio file for an up and coming artist and it was my task to review their music.
I was horrible at it, and I mean horrible.
What should have been an honest and factual review with a few feel goods sprinkled in sounded like a middle school love poem gone bad, way bad. I tried so hard to sound smart that I babbled on like an idiot using descriptive phrases that are best left unused.
I am older now though, so I know better. No more reviews for me. I'm no writer really. I am wired as a speaker. In front of many with a mic and stage, I tremble in my boots but somehow God uses that. This blog isn't a work of literature. It's me on a blank stage, speaking and hoping that God will use it.
This is Not a Book Review on Loves Does By Bob Goff. It's just me talking about why I liked it, sharing a couple memorable quotes, and giving you a link to find it for yourself.
So here we go.
Do you remember those Chicken Soup for the Soul books? I described this book to my husband as Red Bull for the soul. That's pretty much how it felt for me. I liked it because it was real, simple, yet incredibly impactful. Each chapter is a story, a true story, from the life of Bob Goff or about someone that he's close enough to write about. Using those stories, Bob describes what he once thought about God or living for God and what he has now learned to be true. I'm not sure if I explained that correctly so I will give you an example.
Chapter 5: The Rearview Mirror
I used to think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses circumstances to shape me.
One of the things that I love about Bob is that he doesn't preach to you. He's not who you are going to go to if you are looking for some good 'ole exegesis. He's one you are going to want to go to for Godly wisdom for the stuff that everyday life is made up of. Our ministry is our life. Our life is indeed our ministry. We like to compartmentalize stuff, but that's just not how it goes. Who I am called to be, is who I am called to be period. And they will know we are Christians by our love, so there's that too.
I loved every single story that I read in this book, and after reading each one I had to stop to process. I wanted to read on quickly like I usually do when reading books. But this time it was different. There were no throwaway moments in this book, and I knew if I didn't take the time to soak up that chapter I would lose it because the next chapter would be filled with another life changing truth.
This isn't a book review, but if it was I would totally recommend this book.
Now for some quotes:
"I once heard somebody say that God had closed a door on an opportunity they had hoped for. But I've always wondered if, when we want to do something that we know is right and good, God places that desire deep in our hearts because He wants it for us and it honors Him. Maybe there are times when we think a door has been closed and, instead of misinterpreting the circumstances. God wants us to kick it down. Or perhaps just sit outside of it long enough until somebody tells us we can come in."
"Jesus hardly talked to anyone about what He'd done. The Bible never depicts one of those end-of-camp slideshows where Jesus goes over all He had done with His disciples. Instead, Jesus modeled that we don't need to talk about everything we've done."The quotes alone mean little in comparison with reading them in context with the stories. This has been such a game changer for me. I hope to read it again very, very soon.
If you want to check it out, you can buy here.
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