Y'all. Something has happened to me. I think I need someone to check my vitals...
Since September 9th, I've read 12 books. ((WHAT?!)) Okay, that may not seem like a big deal to you, but I am not a reader. Or should I say, I was not a reader. In fact, reading felt like punishment to me. I didn't enjoy it one bit, and I was the queen of starting a book and never finishing it.
But something happened --still not sure what it was-- and now, I can't seem to pry books out of my hands! And I'm loving it!
So I'm really excited to start sharing books with you. If you look up top, you'll see a button called "Books I Love." It's still under construction, but soon, you'll be able to see the books I've read and read my reviews on them. I hope you enjoy this new feature! I would love to hear your book recommendations too!
So let's kick this off with my very first book review! You're gonna love this one.
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I want to start off with a healthy dose of honesty. I stopped into the bookstore the other day and happened upon this book. It was on sale, which (I'm not gonna lie) is the first thing that caught my attention. I glanced at the front of the book, and thought, "Eh. Probably like all the others." Then, I saw that Jen Hatmaker was quoted on the front. I love Jen Hatmaker. It HAS to be a good book. So I flipped through the book, read over the description, and decided to take it home with me. After I paid for it, of course.
The title is pretty self-explanatory. This book is all about giving everything to Jesus and making Jesus our everything.
I could probably write a review as long as the book itself, but I'll spare you. You're welcome. I've decided I just want to share with you some of my favorite parts. Let me just tell you...this book has changed. my. perspective. completely. I feel like I need a good week to process it all. It is so packed full of truth, challenges, and encouragement. One of my favorite things about Mary's writing is that she packs in so much scripture. It's one thing for an author to write a book all about their own opinions and revelations and philosophies. But Mary backs her words up with THE Word. She shines light on spiritual truths that we tend to forget or overlook.
If you follow me on Twitter, you've probably noticed my 10 billion tweets about the book. ((sorry, not sorry.)) I kinda feel like I highlighted the whole book because it was so rich. But allow me to share just a few of my favorite quotes:
- "Following means taking action. It means slowing down our pace of life enough to actually hear what Jesus is saying, then choosing to do exactly what He says."
- "We need to let go of our presumptions about the life we should have and let Jesus dream a new dream for us."
- "That's what being a follower of Jesus means -- to walk wherever He leads, even if that journey means we lay aside our agendas, get our hands dirty, or take time away from this crazy life."
- "Don't let fear or the need to control every single thing in your life prevent you from abandoning everything to Him"
If you're anything like me, and you like planning your own life, and your feathers get ruffled when things don't go your way...this is the book for you. It's all about surrendering our own agendas and following Jesus. In everything.
In the last chapter, Mary shares 10 spiritual disciplines that bring about growth in our lives. And they're not the same things you've heard before like "read your Bible everyday" or "write in a prayer journal every night." Nope. These are new, different, practical disciplines. Mary says, "Our daily decisions to follow Jesus and the fellowship we experience with Him when we truly live on that outer edge of obedience will deeply, profoundly fill and inspire us."
Has something I typed poked at your heart? Are you feeling the Holy Spirit quietly (our loudly) prompt you as you read this? You know who you are.
But honestly...this book is for everyone. Whether you think so or not.
Here is the promotional video for this book, and I love what one man says. Instead of saying, "Jesus has become my everything," he says, "Jesus is becoming my everything." And I believe that's the truth for all of us. We've never reached "it." We all need more growth. We all need more Jesus.
I hope you'll consider picking up this book and reading it. Mary has so much valuable wisdom to share with me and you. And more importantly, God has even more valuable wisdom to share with you.
And you can tell me what you think about the book in the comments section below! :)
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