If I had to make a list of books that have impacted me the most in the past few years, this would be somewhere near the top.
Bob Goff shares a wide range of stories from his life that help illustrate the fact that we are called to love our neighbor as Jesus loves. This is something that many Christians know to be true, but has that changed the way we live? Has it truly impacted our life and the lives of those around us? The Gospel message is radical and calls us to live differently than the rest of the world, and Bob is a wonderful example of that.
I’ll admit, it took me a few chapters to get into this book. Some of the stories can come across as trite and overly simplistic, and others are just crazy and hard to believe. However, the more you read, the more you realize what Bob is trying to get across.
We are called to love everybody, always.
This doesn’t mean we have to agree with everything someone says or does, but it does mean we have to love them. What does that look like? Bob gives us some incredible examples from his life, but this book is really meant to ask the question, “What does that look like for me?”
I wish I could say that I instantly became a more loving and generous person after reading this book. Unfortunately, growth doesn’t always work like that. Bob reminds us that the process of loving people is a lifelong journey, and every day brings new opportunities to practice.
Go read this book. I think it’s safe to say that if you’re willing, it will help you become a better person and a more committed follower of Jesus.
(As a side note: I don't read this book for the theology, but for the practical examples of living a Christian life.)
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Overall: 5/5
Age: 12+
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Find it at your local bookstore, or click here to purchase online.
There is also a kids version. I haven't read it, but it looks awesome!
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From the back cover:
What if we stopped avoiding the difficult people in our lives and committed to simply loving everybody? What happens when we give away love like we're made of it? In Everybody, Always, Bob Goff's joyful New York Times bestselling follow-up to Love Does, you'll discover the secret to living without fear, constraint, or worry.
Bob teaches us that the path toward the outsized, unfettered, liberated existence we all long for is found in one simple truth: love people, even the difficult ones, without distinction and without limits.
In Everybody, Always, Bob shows us the simple truths about life that have the power to shift our mindset forever:
Jesus uses our blind spots to reveal himself to us
It's easy to love kind, lovely, humble people, but you have to tackle fear in order to love people who are difficult
What we do with our love will become the conversations we have with God
Dark and scary places are filled with beautiful people who need our unconditional love
Extravagant love has extraordinary power to change lives, including our own
Driven by Bob's trademark storytelling, this book reveals the wisdom Bob learned--often the hard way--about what it means to love without inhibition, insecurity, or restriction. From finding the right friends to discovering the upside of failure, Everybody, Always points the way to embodying love by doing the unexpected, the intimidating, the seemingly impossible.
Whether losing his shoes while skydiving solo or befriending a Ugandan witch doctor, Bob steps into life with a no-limits embrace of others that is as infectious as it is extraordinarily ordinary. Everybody, Always reveals how we can do the same.
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