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Sent: How One Ordinary Family Traded the American Dream for God's Greater Purpose
Two words from Jesus change everything.
“ Sent chronicles one family’s journey from the comforts of America to the challenges of going to the nations. You will be blessed and convicted by what you read. The Alan family’s story can help change you for the glory of King Jesus!”
—Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
If anyone had the ability to succeed as a committed Christian as well as a high-achieving American, it was Hilary Alan. She and her husband, Curt, had a beautiful home, a fast-track career, and talented, successful children. But in the midst of their comfortable life and active church involvement, they realized they rarely heard from God.
Sent tells the story of ordinary Christians who accepted two words from Jesus at face value and found that doing so changed everything. In Jesus’s call to “follow me,” the Alans discovered answers to the most pressing human meaning, purpose, vocation, significance, and God’s plan for the future. For the Alans, it led to selling nearly all their belongings and moving with their children halfway around the world. For you, the particulars will be completely different, but no less significant. Jesus’s call can change everything in your life.
As you follow Hilary Alan’s journey in response to Jesus’s call to discipleship, you will gain a clear understanding of the things that can keep you from obeying God. You will no longer wonder if you’re investing your life in the best way possible, because two words from Jesus change everything.
“ Sent chronicles one family’s journey from the comforts of America to the challenges of going to the nations. You will be blessed and convicted by what you read. The Alan family’s story can help change you for the glory of King Jesus!”
—Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
If anyone had the ability to succeed as a committed Christian as well as a high-achieving American, it was Hilary Alan. She and her husband, Curt, had a beautiful home, a fast-track career, and talented, successful children. But in the midst of their comfortable life and active church involvement, they realized they rarely heard from God.
Sent tells the story of ordinary Christians who accepted two words from Jesus at face value and found that doing so changed everything. In Jesus’s call to “follow me,” the Alans discovered answers to the most pressing human meaning, purpose, vocation, significance, and God’s plan for the future. For the Alans, it led to selling nearly all their belongings and moving with their children halfway around the world. For you, the particulars will be completely different, but no less significant. Jesus’s call can change everything in your life.
As you follow Hilary Alan’s journey in response to Jesus’s call to discipleship, you will gain a clear understanding of the things that can keep you from obeying God. You will no longer wonder if you’re investing your life in the best way possible, because two words from Jesus change everything.
272 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2013
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47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 4, 2017
A simple story about a big leap of faith.
From time to time there may be a national debate on the role of religion in society but rarely does a young Christian male feel physically endangered for his beliefs. There are numerous churches and charities across the country helping the needy. Additionally, there is a strong, stable infrastructure available to every citizen. All in all, Christians are comfortable in America.
However, this sense of comfort has created a new type of Christian. A morally-strong yet faith-weak Christian. Rarely do our actions match what we profess. We believe in God's grace yet do everything possible to avoid a homeless person.
Hilary Alan shares her story of faith. Her husband and two kids decided to ditch the so-called American dream for something much bigger, a calling from God. They sold their meaningless possessions and set up home on the other side of the globe. Many challenges came their way, especially in America.
It is a very inspiring story. While reading it, I kept forgetting that what I was reading was real and not some fictional tale. Though the stories can come off a little cliché, her story is very interesting and definitely worth the quick read.
From time to time there may be a national debate on the role of religion in society but rarely does a young Christian male feel physically endangered for his beliefs. There are numerous churches and charities across the country helping the needy. Additionally, there is a strong, stable infrastructure available to every citizen. All in all, Christians are comfortable in America.
However, this sense of comfort has created a new type of Christian. A morally-strong yet faith-weak Christian. Rarely do our actions match what we profess. We believe in God's grace yet do everything possible to avoid a homeless person.
Hilary Alan shares her story of faith. Her husband and two kids decided to ditch the so-called American dream for something much bigger, a calling from God. They sold their meaningless possessions and set up home on the other side of the globe. Many challenges came their way, especially in America.
It is a very inspiring story. While reading it, I kept forgetting that what I was reading was real and not some fictional tale. Though the stories can come off a little cliché, her story is very interesting and definitely worth the quick read.
January 21, 2021
fantastic personal account of counting the cost to follow Jesus (and your husband) to the far reaching parts of the earth....and letting go of everything else in the process.
March 6, 2024
Exceptional challenge for this family with seemingly extraordinary results
June 7, 2020
Go with Hilary, her husband Curt and their two children to a tsunami devastated Southeast Asian Muslim country. The Alan family had achieved the American "dream" life by their forties but a conference speaker stated "The two greatest moments of your life are the day you are born and the day you discover why you were born". This was the beginning of Hilary and Curt's journey. Sent is an easy to read challenging story. I recommend this book to all Christians.
November 25, 2012
“The two greatest moments of your life are the day you were born and the day you discover why you are born.”
Curt Alan heard those words at a conference and came back and shared them with his wife Hilary. The two of them felt that despite the fact that they lived the American dream–two kids, comfortable income, security, they were not doing what they were put on this earth for.
Curt got involved in community ministry at their church and Hilary tried to support her husband as the pressed into God’s calling for their family. In 2004 after the Tsunami which decimated South East Asia, Curt took six weeks off work to help with the relief. This led to a course change for Hilary and Curt and their two kids Jordan and Molly. The Alans moved to a Muslim province in South East Asia to continue to help with the relief. This is the story of their three year tenure there. Hilary Alan tells the story of how they risked everything to follow God, overcame obstacles and culture shock and sought ways to be good neighbors there.
From this book I know very little about the organization that they went with or what the Alans did while they were there. Instead Hilary Alan shares about the significant relationships they built there and where she saw God at work in their lives. She tells the story of Lee an injured doctor friend, Natalie their housekeeper, Glen a shy friend who is drawn in by the community in their home, Adele a Muslim woman who believes in Jesus but has not become a Christian because of a promise she made to her dying mother. Hilary and her family are able to share the love of God with all these people and more through prayer, conversation and acts of compassion.
I liked this book a lot because it is honest about the struggles of following Jesus when it costs you something. I would recommend this book to those who love a good story of God’s faithfulness when we step out on what He’s calling us to. I find stories like this encouraging and Alan is honest about where it has been difficult. She trusts God, but she also struggled with the effect the culture had on her kids and the ways God doesn’t always seem to answer prayer.
I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for this review.
Curt Alan heard those words at a conference and came back and shared them with his wife Hilary. The two of them felt that despite the fact that they lived the American dream–two kids, comfortable income, security, they were not doing what they were put on this earth for.
Curt got involved in community ministry at their church and Hilary tried to support her husband as the pressed into God’s calling for their family. In 2004 after the Tsunami which decimated South East Asia, Curt took six weeks off work to help with the relief. This led to a course change for Hilary and Curt and their two kids Jordan and Molly. The Alans moved to a Muslim province in South East Asia to continue to help with the relief. This is the story of their three year tenure there. Hilary Alan tells the story of how they risked everything to follow God, overcame obstacles and culture shock and sought ways to be good neighbors there.
From this book I know very little about the organization that they went with or what the Alans did while they were there. Instead Hilary Alan shares about the significant relationships they built there and where she saw God at work in their lives. She tells the story of Lee an injured doctor friend, Natalie their housekeeper, Glen a shy friend who is drawn in by the community in their home, Adele a Muslim woman who believes in Jesus but has not become a Christian because of a promise she made to her dying mother. Hilary and her family are able to share the love of God with all these people and more through prayer, conversation and acts of compassion.
I liked this book a lot because it is honest about the struggles of following Jesus when it costs you something. I would recommend this book to those who love a good story of God’s faithfulness when we step out on what He’s calling us to. I find stories like this encouraging and Alan is honest about where it has been difficult. She trusts God, but she also struggled with the effect the culture had on her kids and the ways God doesn’t always seem to answer prayer.
I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for this review.
June 21, 2017
Curt and Hilary Alan along with their two children, Jordan and Molly are living the American dream in North Carolina when Curt attends a seminar and their lives are drastically changed. In 2005, they begin to sell everything they have and began the long journey that will take them to Southeast Asia where the devastating tsunami hit in 2004. This is a third world country where the Muslim religion is taught and everything that Hilary and her family knew and believed was being questioned by them once they became emerged with a culture that doesn't favor the things that Westerners do.
Hilary Alan provides a story that is easy to follow and shares with us the feelings that she and her family went through as their lives were intertwined with people like Lee, Natalie, and Adele, among others that were put in their lives to help them and be a witness to them. Americans are not the only ones that can be an influence to others. I strongly believe that there are people that can be a big witness to us. Remember a witness is someone who shows us daily what life is all about.
It is good to hear about the struggles that Hilary and her family had, and I'm sure still are having, in coming back to the USA and the changes that are taking place within their selves . I'm not glad they had major issues but I have a friend that has been in a third world country and I'm still seeing struggles that she is having to be with the friends and the country that is her second home.
I found this book to be very moving and inspiring. I laughed, smiled and cried while reading it. God calls us each to be the light in the darkness in many different ways. I have been on many mission trips that when I come home I long for the people that I had the privilege to get to know but I don't think that I'm called to go and live among them, at least not right now. God put them in my path for a reason. I'm just glad for many avenues in this modern world that we can stay in touch.
I have already bought several books to give to people that I know and also for our church library.
Watherbrook Multnomah Publishers has provided me a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes
Hilary Alan provides a story that is easy to follow and shares with us the feelings that she and her family went through as their lives were intertwined with people like Lee, Natalie, and Adele, among others that were put in their lives to help them and be a witness to them. Americans are not the only ones that can be an influence to others. I strongly believe that there are people that can be a big witness to us. Remember a witness is someone who shows us daily what life is all about.
It is good to hear about the struggles that Hilary and her family had, and I'm sure still are having, in coming back to the USA and the changes that are taking place within their selves . I'm not glad they had major issues but I have a friend that has been in a third world country and I'm still seeing struggles that she is having to be with the friends and the country that is her second home.
I found this book to be very moving and inspiring. I laughed, smiled and cried while reading it. God calls us each to be the light in the darkness in many different ways. I have been on many mission trips that when I come home I long for the people that I had the privilege to get to know but I don't think that I'm called to go and live among them, at least not right now. God put them in my path for a reason. I'm just glad for many avenues in this modern world that we can stay in touch.
I have already bought several books to give to people that I know and also for our church library.
Watherbrook Multnomah Publishers has provided me a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes
May 1, 2013
Sent tells the story of an American family who had it all, and then gave up most of it to move to Southeast Asia, where they lived and worked in a Muslim community, ministering to those who had lost so much during the tsunami that swept that region. It is a story of learning to trust God completely and to depend on Him, but also to depend on each other and those God gave them as community.
The author, Hilary Alan, the wife and mother of that family shares their remarkable faith journey. How God changed and molded their hearts to beat for the spiritually lost. How He enabled them to look beyond themselves and to love others so different from them.
To me, the overarching theme of the book was, do you really trust God? Do you trust that he is faithful and true? Do you trust that he will provide for you and your family? Do you trust that he will always be with you and that he wants only the best for you? It was a real challenge for me to examine those questions for myself. If you struggle with fear about your future or the future of your children, this book will remind you that God has a plan that is better than anything you could ever imagine.
My favorite section of the book was a chapter entitled "You Can't Out-give God". It is sort of a summary of all that each member of the Alan family gave up and what better thing God replaced it with instead. As Hilary Alan says, "There isn't a single area of our lives that we have turned over to God where he has not one-upped us. Every time he has showed us no matter how hard you try, you can't out-give him." Stepping out in faith onto an unknown path may sound scary or difficult, but who doesn't want those kinds of rewards?!
Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.
The author, Hilary Alan, the wife and mother of that family shares their remarkable faith journey. How God changed and molded their hearts to beat for the spiritually lost. How He enabled them to look beyond themselves and to love others so different from them.
To me, the overarching theme of the book was, do you really trust God? Do you trust that he is faithful and true? Do you trust that he will provide for you and your family? Do you trust that he will always be with you and that he wants only the best for you? It was a real challenge for me to examine those questions for myself. If you struggle with fear about your future or the future of your children, this book will remind you that God has a plan that is better than anything you could ever imagine.
My favorite section of the book was a chapter entitled "You Can't Out-give God". It is sort of a summary of all that each member of the Alan family gave up and what better thing God replaced it with instead. As Hilary Alan says, "There isn't a single area of our lives that we have turned over to God where he has not one-upped us. Every time he has showed us no matter how hard you try, you can't out-give him." Stepping out in faith onto an unknown path may sound scary or difficult, but who doesn't want those kinds of rewards?!
Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.
May 9, 2013
Curt and Hilary Alan were hotly pursuing the American dream. They had everything they wanted: new cars, big house, awesome job, great kids. They were active in their local church, loved Jesus, read their Bibles, prayed regularly. But still something was missing. They were not content. God was calling them to a different place, not just physically but spiritually as well. Before they knew it they were ridding themselves of all that they had worked so hard to possess and moving across the world to a Muslim nation in need.
The book invites you in to the lives of a typical American family who seems to have it all and yet walks away from that to heed the call of the God who gave it all for the world. It was encouraging to read how God asked them to do the unthinkable according to our society’s standards and yet the more they gave up the more God provided for them. Even in a foreign country, an unfamiliar culture and lacking many of the luxuries of our convenient lives they found peace and grace to walk out God’s purpose for their family. What looked to their friends and family to be a radical life change was really nothing short of obedience to the voice of the Lord. Hilary says, "Back in 2004 my family was on a fast track to gaining the world but forfeiting our lives, and we didn't even realize it. We finally "found" our life in Christ when, in obedience, we put our yes on the table and followed Him to Southeast Asia."
This is a well-written account of one family who in the midst of a world who puts so much value on success chose the narrow way of obedience and found that you can’t out-give God.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
The book invites you in to the lives of a typical American family who seems to have it all and yet walks away from that to heed the call of the God who gave it all for the world. It was encouraging to read how God asked them to do the unthinkable according to our society’s standards and yet the more they gave up the more God provided for them. Even in a foreign country, an unfamiliar culture and lacking many of the luxuries of our convenient lives they found peace and grace to walk out God’s purpose for their family. What looked to their friends and family to be a radical life change was really nothing short of obedience to the voice of the Lord. Hilary says, "Back in 2004 my family was on a fast track to gaining the world but forfeiting our lives, and we didn't even realize it. We finally "found" our life in Christ when, in obedience, we put our yes on the table and followed Him to Southeast Asia."
This is a well-written account of one family who in the midst of a world who puts so much value on success chose the narrow way of obedience and found that you can’t out-give God.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
November 29, 2012
In "Sent" Hilary Alan shows an incredible journey of faith and an understanding of what it means to be called by Christ to serve the world. Hilary's call is quite specific as she and her family sacrificed much to travel to South East Asia to assist with community renewal after the devastating 2004 tsunami.
As she shares her story and the sacrifices her family made to follow the dream that God had set in their hearts many truths about Christ, the life of a disciples and what it means to love came across. She consistently shares the truth of the Gospel message and that Jesus Christ is the only way to an eternity with God. She rightly reveals in her writing and to those she was able to touch through her ministry that Christ came into our world to share with us the abundance of God's love. Then through the actions she portrays, we see her family share the love of Christ. This is ultimately a book about love and how we as Christians are called to love others, particularly when their culture and faith differ from ours. Our reflection of Christ does not stop in loving those we encounter at church on a Sunday morning.
As disciples of Christ, we all have a calling--a calling to share His love with the world. Hilary Alan and her family found their specific calling in forsaking much to follow Him by ministering to those destroyed by the tsunami. All of us are called to sacrifice much. If you feel too comfortable in your Christian life, perhaps it is time to take up that cross and lay down your comforts so that others might experience the fullness of Christ's love!
As she shares her story and the sacrifices her family made to follow the dream that God had set in their hearts many truths about Christ, the life of a disciples and what it means to love came across. She consistently shares the truth of the Gospel message and that Jesus Christ is the only way to an eternity with God. She rightly reveals in her writing and to those she was able to touch through her ministry that Christ came into our world to share with us the abundance of God's love. Then through the actions she portrays, we see her family share the love of Christ. This is ultimately a book about love and how we as Christians are called to love others, particularly when their culture and faith differ from ours. Our reflection of Christ does not stop in loving those we encounter at church on a Sunday morning.
As disciples of Christ, we all have a calling--a calling to share His love with the world. Hilary Alan and her family found their specific calling in forsaking much to follow Him by ministering to those destroyed by the tsunami. All of us are called to sacrifice much. If you feel too comfortable in your Christian life, perhaps it is time to take up that cross and lay down your comforts so that others might experience the fullness of Christ's love!
February 8, 2013
Sent was a quick and interesting read. Hilary Alan's writing can be difficult to follow at times but the stories of their time in Southeast Asia after the 2004 tsunami were very interesting. The most challenging aspect of the book is the author's challenge to follow God no matter where He wants to take you. And not to wait, but to follow now. This is what Jesus has called us to do!
December 27, 2012
This book is a game changer. Buy it & read it, then buy multiple copies for your friends.
Lots of thought provoking insight from a "normal" family who was willing to do whatever God asked them to do and go wherever He asked them to go.
Great book, I highly recommend.
Lots of thought provoking insight from a "normal" family who was willing to do whatever God asked them to do and go wherever He asked them to go.
Great book, I highly recommend.
January 27, 2013
Loved this one! Hilary Alan writes about her family's decision to leave their comfortable life in the United States and travel to Southeast Asia to help a community rebuild after the tsunami. This book really made me question how far I'd go if God called me! Highly recommend!
November 6, 2014
Awesome and inspiring!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews