everybody, always book review
A couple weeks ago, something popped up in my Facebook newsfeed that dead stopped my scroll. Bob Goff, the author of Love Does, had a new book coming out. But when I read that he was building his launch team, I just knew I wanted to be a part of it. It has been so fun, but I will write about that another time! So why was I so excited? If you've encountered Bob Goff, you probably already know. Three years ago, I'd never heard of him. Even though I hadn't planned on it, I ended up going to a Mothers of Preschoolers Conference with some of the most awesome friends. Bob was one of the speakers that year. He was hysterical, inspiring and at the same time totally practical. After he spoke, a bunch of us bought his book and were able to meet him. It was a wonderful experience.
I read his first book Love Does with a somewhat skeptical eye. I mean Bob's from California and awesome and a little out there and I wasn't 100% sure what to think. I wanted to make sure he wasn't crazy. He is! But in the best possible ways. Love Does was amazing. It isn't about telling you what to do or how to do it. It is a call to love lavishly right where you are. The best way I can describe it is that Bob lives out the love of Jesus in the 21st century. What may be lost in the translation of culture from the 1st century to today, Bob clarifies in his life and his writing. To be clear, he's not adding to scripture, simply applying the truths of scripture and the gospel's call to love, in poignant examples of what we're all called to do.
As part of the launch team, I was given the first five chapters of Everybody, Always. You guys, I can't even! It does not disappoint. Where Love Does pushed us to be willing to love others in crazy and lavish ways, Everybody, Always will push you right out of any comfort zone you might find yourself in. Essentially it addresses the two thousand year old question, "Who is my neighbor?" The answer is...you guessed it, Everybody, Always. I've read the first 5 chapters and what I can tell you is that it's not just inspiring and fun and everything Bob Goff, it will change the way you interact with everybody, always. So many amazing things were said in the short space of five chapters. My highlighter about ran dry! If you're following me on social media, you've been seeing some of the amazing quotes from Everybody, Always. There are so many to choose from!
This one, had me in tears. Because I'm smack dab in the middle of raising teenagers. So very, very often I tell them what they should want, what their lives should look like. Down deep, I hope they know that I'm more concerned with the internal than the external, but the external is tangible and measurable and, in all truth, an outpouring of the internal. But I get caught up in it. I mean, it just makes sense that if they have a free period, they would get some homework done. And being well rounded is important so they should want to do the things. And they should want to...
The times that I have made the deepest connections with my teenaged people were the times that I simply communicated that I loved them and that God loves them. That's it. And this, this was the reminder I needed to "give away love like you're made of the stuff." I'm trying to remember to spend less time telling them what they should want and how they should do things and spend more time telling them who they are. They are loved and seen and understood by a God who sacrificed His only Son so that He could be their dad too.
Everybody, Always is scheduled to be released on April 17, 2018, which to be honest is a really long time to wait to read the rest of this book, but I have a feeling it will be worth the wait. In the mean time, you can read (or reread) Love Does, pre-order Everybody, Always here and get a sneak peak at a chapter. For more amazing nuggets from Everybody, Always, be sure you're following me on social media or search #EverybodyAlways to find more quotes and reviews.
