Wrecked, When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life — A book review

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Last summer as I was surfing the net looking for information about writing an e-book (cookbook in my case) I landed on www.goinswriter.com, a blog written by Jeff Goins.  Jeff writes about writing, marketing, and making a difference. I started reading the blog post he had written that day and then kept reading. Link after link I couldn’t get enough. Who is this guy? Where is this guy? I started wondering.  Although I had never actually heard his voice, his words resonated in my mind.  On his blog, he offered me a free e-book called The Writer’s Manifesto.  Technically he offers it to anyone – but by then I had read enough of his writing that the offer felt personal. That is how he writes – as if you are his friend and he is speaking to you personally.  He is a fabulous story-teller. I like that in a writer – and a friend.  I downloaded the manifesto and read it immediately.  Did I mention it is free? I quickly learned this is just the beginning of Jeff’s generosity. If you are a blogger/writer/writer want-t0-be, do yourself a favor and read The Writer’s Manifesto, you will be a better writer for it!

Just prior to my discovery of Goinswriter.com, Jeff released his book, Wrecked, When A Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life.  I was delighted when I downloaded a copy from Christianaudio.com only to discover it was being read by the author!   Now when his words tumble around my head, sometimes it is his voice I hear too 🙂

Wrecked is the story of Jeff’s experiences with the homeless, his extensive mission work travels around the world, his current work with Adventures in Missions, and so much more.  It is the story about a young man with a servant’s heart, the need to write, and his willingness to share all of his God-given talents with others.  It is the story of a man who freely acknowledges the Lord of his life as he sets about telling his own Jesus-story.

The forward is written by New York Times bestselling author and Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, Michael Hyatt.  I was captivated from the beginning as Michael’s words settled on me.  After meeting Jeff for the first time Michael writes, “The first thing I noticed was that he was smart – really smart. He understood intuitively how to connect with people on the web. He also embraced the technology without being a geek. And he was a student of writing … But Jeff wasn’t just smart; he was also wise. Or to borrow a phrase, “he was an old soul” – someone with a measured perspective on his own life, popular culture, and the world at large.”

When I first began listening to the audiobook I thought, “this guy is young enough to be my son, I am surely not “hip” enough to understand, and what in the world am I doing listening to this book?”  And then it happened – as he shared story after story of his adventures, misadventures, and encounters with the homeless, the needy, and the less fortunate around the world, I understood.  He has an “old-soul” in a 30-something body.  He speaks candidly to “his” generation and he touches the soul of mine.

As he spoke his written word I knew I too have been wrecked. My own memories came flooding back to the times I have had the privilege of a broken world slamming into my comfortable life.  For me, the memories came in the form of a mission trip to Nicaragua. Feeling the pain of poverty and wanting to feed and heal everyone – right then – and the wrecked feeling of knowing it just isn’t possible but being willing to do it anyway.

As Jeff shares details from others who have been wrecked, I remember the sounds and smells of the Nicaraguan women’s prison as the gates closed behind me. I was on the inside, my passport being left “outside the gate” with the guards.  I remember timidly walking forward to share my Jesus with women whose lives are a polar opposite of my own.  I was the one who walked away wrecked when after I spoke, the women prisoners raised their hands and voices in song to worship and show me their Jesus living behind the bars within their hearts. I came to share with them and they changed me.

Jeff’s words captivated me. He reminded me over and over that this thing we call “life” is not about me! What makes his writing so pure and lovely is that he first lived out being wrecked and through his book he shares about being brave enough to lose the life we know only to find the one we were meant to live.

This is a book that made me feel uncomfortable. The stories made me squirm and grimace a bit.  It made me laugh out loud. It made me cry. But most of all Jeff reminded me I was put on this earth for more. More service, less searching, more sacrifice, less “me”, more purpose, less emptiness.  Through his own experiences and the experiences shared by others Jeff shows us the importance of changing our life by giving it away to others. By being brave enough to do the hard thing and step into the life we were born for.

Wrecked isn’t about feeding the homeless, taking mission trips to foreign lands, or serving at your local rescue mission.  Wrecked is about YOU and what happens in your life when you feed the homeless, take mission trips to foreign lands or serve at the local rescue mission.  It is about living out our purpose whether that purpose is to raise your children in your hometown or serve others children around the globe.

Thank you Jeff for reminding me that this comfortable life isn’t about me but rather my willingness to be wrecked in the sacrificial service to others.

Buy the book

Wrecked is available at:  ChristianAudio.com

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books a Million | Christian Book Distributors

Be sure to check your local bookstore, as well. If they don’t carry it, they can usually order it.

WIN THE BOOK!

I am pleased to kick-off this season of giving by giving one lucky reader the audiobook,  Wrecked, read to you by the author!   You have several ways of entering to win this audiobook:

Giveaway Details

One winner will receive one (1) Audio Book: Wrecked, By Jeff Goins downloaded from ChristianAudio.com.

How to Enter

To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post.

You can receive up to FOUR additional entries to win by doing the following:

1. Subscribe to My Daily Bread Body and Soul by either RSS or email. Come back and let me know you’ve subscribed in an additional comment.

2. Become a fan of My Daily Bread Body and Soul on Facebook. Come back and let me know you became a fan in an additional comment.

3. Follow My Daily Bread Body and Soul on Pinterest.  Come back and let me know you became a fan in an additional comment.

4. Follow Jeff at www.goinswriter.com.  Come back and let me know you subscribed in an additional comment.

Deadline: Monday, November 26, at 11:59pm CST.

Winner: The winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and announced at the top of this post on Tuesday, November 27, 2012.  If the winner does not respond within 24 hours, another winner will be selected.

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Pray Cook Blog, My Daily Bread Body and Soul.

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21 thoughts on “Wrecked, When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life — A book review”

  1. Catherine,

    Thanks so much for being a part of the very first audiobook review blog tour on Cross Focused Reviews. It was only very recently that I also became acquainted with Jeff Goins. He’s definitely one of my favorite new authors discovered in 2012.

    Shaun Tabatt
    Cross Focused Reviews

    Reply

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