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Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life
Wrecked is about the life we wished we lived.
It's a life of radical sacrifice and selfless service-and how we find it in the midst of suffering. Wrecked is a look at how we discover our life's purpose in the least likely of in the tough spots and amongst the broken-hearted.
It's a manifesto for living like we mean it; it's a guide to growing up and giving your life away. This book is for us. A generation of young adults pursuing our life's work both responsibly and radically-how to live in the real-world tension of sacrificial living and the daily mundane.
Author Jeff Goins shares his own struggle as a missionary and 20-something who understands the call to live radically for God while dealing with the everyday responsibilities of life. Wrecked is for a generation dissatisfied with the status quo and wanting to make a difference.
It's a life of radical sacrifice and selfless service-and how we find it in the midst of suffering. Wrecked is a look at how we discover our life's purpose in the least likely of in the tough spots and amongst the broken-hearted.
It's a manifesto for living like we mean it; it's a guide to growing up and giving your life away. This book is for us. A generation of young adults pursuing our life's work both responsibly and radically-how to live in the real-world tension of sacrificial living and the daily mundane.
Author Jeff Goins shares his own struggle as a missionary and 20-something who understands the call to live radically for God while dealing with the everyday responsibilities of life. Wrecked is for a generation dissatisfied with the status quo and wanting to make a difference.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
59 people are currently reading
1859 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Goins
38 books558 followersJeff Goins is a writer, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur with a reputation for challenging the status quo. He is the best-selling author of five books including The Art of Work and Real Artists Don’t Starve. His award-winning blog Goinswriter.com is visited by millions of people every year, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Psychology Today, Business Insider, Time, and many others. Through his online courses, events, and coaching programs, he helps thousands of creatives succeed every year. A father of two and a guacamole aficionado, Jeff lives just outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
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May 4, 2017
I should point out up front, that I strongly dislike whenever an author writes a book about religion without explicitly admitting as much on the cover or in the title or in the section it's shelved. It feels deeply dishonest, which is ironic when talking about a book that is aimed at telling others how they should feel and act and behave in the world. If you feel you have to sneak your christianity in the back door, I'd submit that you shouldn't be including it anyway. After all, if an author can't even be honest about something like that, how can we hope to find in his work a model for anything except for more complete dishonesty?
So what is Wrecked? It's mostly a book trying really very hard to coin a phrase. It wants to be The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference or The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable so badly that this intense lust for catch-phrase-heaven overwhelms much of the rest of the book. On top of that, lay a thin layer of rephrased speeches from Fight Club and an endless smattering of quotes from movies and you know what you're headed for. But look, not every book is for everyone. So what's beneath the stained veneer?
This book is mostly aimed at "young people" written by a "young person," because whatever generation happens to be youngest at any point always thinks they are the first one to come up on the idea of meaningful life and so a certain subset of them drones endlessly on and on about the youth revolution that's happening where people are waking up to some new idea of life. Of course, the new boss is the same as the old boss. With what turns out to be pretty insignificant differences when it comes to the actual ideas, every generation's ideas end up coming to more or less the same ends. The tendency to find that meaning doesn't end up lasting. People get a few years older and learn a thing or two about being alive and move on to the business of living. Most of the ideas don't last even in the lives of the people who are most passionate about them. But some things do last. This meme of the young looking for meaning in some new and important way lasts. The need of every generation to constantly pat itself on the back during this period lasts, too. What also lasts is the pomposity with which each generation takes it's turn at this particular wheel.
Not that I blame this one or any other. Every time the train goes around a few things change in the world and that same irritating pretentiousness turns, very briefly, into a surge of possibility that leads to some minor (but significant) improvement in the way we see the world. It's important to note that. But it doesn't make the people doing it at any one time any less irritating or predictable. Especially once you've seen the same cycle play out over and over. The hippies made Reagan and Thatcher, after all. Because the wheel never stops turning and it's always the first ones through that end up crushed beneath it.
So is Wrecked another attempt by an author to humblebrag their way into some manner of significance? Probably. The author never really stops telling us about all the times he did the right thing or made the right choice or knew the right thing. The book could be reorganized into a list of times the author wants you to know he is awesome. He also never stops telling us how we want to be the way he is, too. Even if we don't know it. We really just really really want to be more like him, he assures us over and over. He makes statements that really only apply to a small segment of the population (that happens to include himself and the people he knows) and declares them to be universal. It's a little like listening to a mediocre preacher who swears he's trying to help you but everything he says ends up being about how his church and beliefs are the only good ones and everyone else (not a member of his church/club) is somewhere on the spectrum of terrible. All of that is true as it comes across to me. That said, I do think the author is sincere in these desires and that's not nothing. Yes, the whole thing is condescending as hell, but it shouldn't go unnoticed that it does mean well. In today's world of life-coaches and self-styled internet gurus and bloggers who see themselves as saviors and food plans designed to make others feel bad about themselves or at least feel stupid, sometimes you have to settle for someone meaning well.
After all, how many times in your life have you done a big thing badly and the only thing you had to hold onto was that you really truly in the deepest part of yourself, meant well. You were trying to help. Even if you ended up making it worse. And maybe that's the point. Or maybe the point is that this author needs you to hear about how self-sacrificing he is and how much he does to make the world "better" (since no two reasonable people agree on what that really means). Maybe this book is just the author's way of telling you how awesome he is and how you really should try to be more like him. There's no shortage of instances in the book where all of that is strongly implied. But then again, maybe he just wanted to write a book about something "important" but couldn't manage to come up with anything that is not already represented by himself, so that's what he ran with.
Of course, if I have to endure one more rich, white, young, male blogger comparing himself to Tyler Durden I might just vomit all over the entire blogosphere.
So what is Wrecked? It's mostly a book trying really very hard to coin a phrase. It wants to be The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference or The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable so badly that this intense lust for catch-phrase-heaven overwhelms much of the rest of the book. On top of that, lay a thin layer of rephrased speeches from Fight Club and an endless smattering of quotes from movies and you know what you're headed for. But look, not every book is for everyone. So what's beneath the stained veneer?
This book is mostly aimed at "young people" written by a "young person," because whatever generation happens to be youngest at any point always thinks they are the first one to come up on the idea of meaningful life and so a certain subset of them drones endlessly on and on about the youth revolution that's happening where people are waking up to some new idea of life. Of course, the new boss is the same as the old boss. With what turns out to be pretty insignificant differences when it comes to the actual ideas, every generation's ideas end up coming to more or less the same ends. The tendency to find that meaning doesn't end up lasting. People get a few years older and learn a thing or two about being alive and move on to the business of living. Most of the ideas don't last even in the lives of the people who are most passionate about them. But some things do last. This meme of the young looking for meaning in some new and important way lasts. The need of every generation to constantly pat itself on the back during this period lasts, too. What also lasts is the pomposity with which each generation takes it's turn at this particular wheel.
Not that I blame this one or any other. Every time the train goes around a few things change in the world and that same irritating pretentiousness turns, very briefly, into a surge of possibility that leads to some minor (but significant) improvement in the way we see the world. It's important to note that. But it doesn't make the people doing it at any one time any less irritating or predictable. Especially once you've seen the same cycle play out over and over. The hippies made Reagan and Thatcher, after all. Because the wheel never stops turning and it's always the first ones through that end up crushed beneath it.
So is Wrecked another attempt by an author to humblebrag their way into some manner of significance? Probably. The author never really stops telling us about all the times he did the right thing or made the right choice or knew the right thing. The book could be reorganized into a list of times the author wants you to know he is awesome. He also never stops telling us how we want to be the way he is, too. Even if we don't know it. We really just really really want to be more like him, he assures us over and over. He makes statements that really only apply to a small segment of the population (that happens to include himself and the people he knows) and declares them to be universal. It's a little like listening to a mediocre preacher who swears he's trying to help you but everything he says ends up being about how his church and beliefs are the only good ones and everyone else (not a member of his church/club) is somewhere on the spectrum of terrible. All of that is true as it comes across to me. That said, I do think the author is sincere in these desires and that's not nothing. Yes, the whole thing is condescending as hell, but it shouldn't go unnoticed that it does mean well. In today's world of life-coaches and self-styled internet gurus and bloggers who see themselves as saviors and food plans designed to make others feel bad about themselves or at least feel stupid, sometimes you have to settle for someone meaning well.
After all, how many times in your life have you done a big thing badly and the only thing you had to hold onto was that you really truly in the deepest part of yourself, meant well. You were trying to help. Even if you ended up making it worse. And maybe that's the point. Or maybe the point is that this author needs you to hear about how self-sacrificing he is and how much he does to make the world "better" (since no two reasonable people agree on what that really means). Maybe this book is just the author's way of telling you how awesome he is and how you really should try to be more like him. There's no shortage of instances in the book where all of that is strongly implied. But then again, maybe he just wanted to write a book about something "important" but couldn't manage to come up with anything that is not already represented by himself, so that's what he ran with.
Of course, if I have to endure one more rich, white, young, male blogger comparing himself to Tyler Durden I might just vomit all over the entire blogosphere.
June 20, 2013
Ended on a sour note for me. Has inspiring, if preachy, nuggets of good advice about sticking to a social service calling even (and especially) when the going gets hard. Talks about how to be committed to a day job as practice for when your life's calling appears. But it was irritating how shocked the writer was by what are common occurrences in city life -- a homeless guy asking for money and spending it on beer, the first homeless guy he meets in Spain and how conflicted he is about giving him a meal (!). And how this all "wrecks" him (ridiculous, melodramatic term which he refuses to let go of). I stuck with the writer and what was the payoff? At the very end of the book he talks about how exhilarating it is to be among the homeless again -- the martyred, suffering good Samaritan that he is -- only to actually *hesitate* to immediately help a homeless man who has soiled his pants and is asking for a clean pair of pants at the shelter. The author literally makes him wait until 3 pm and makes him stand outside while he asks a manager for permission to help a person in such a predicament because he sees it as "just" to force him to wait. REALLY? Did his so-called journeys teach him *nothing* about compassion?? Then he muses that he later looked at the homeless guy in the eyes and hopes "this man never forgets being bailed out of embarrassment." It disgusted me. Because if this holier-than-though attitude is his call to service, then someone obviously dialed the wrong number. The idea of the selflessness of true compassion and service are completely lost on this author. He needs to do some long, more serious soul searching about his motivations. I was disgusted by his attitude.
September 17, 2012
It's hard to rate this book. I appreciated the overall message of it and found quite a few nuggets of truth and challenge. It strikes a great balance between exhorting people to get out of our areas of comfort while recognizing that "settling down" and making commitments might actually be that zone of discomfort many of us need. Based on this it should get 4 or even 5 stars.
However, the book is aimed very squarely at 20-somethings and therefore not entirely my style. My first irritant was the author speaking to the audience as though we're younger and less experienced in life. The second was illustrating so many life truths with examples from his own life as though his is a model for everyone. Because of that I can't say I more than "liked it."
Still, I did find this book convicting and thought-provoking and therefore do recommend it -- particularly to people in their twenties.
However, the book is aimed very squarely at 20-somethings and therefore not entirely my style. My first irritant was the author speaking to the audience as though we're younger and less experienced in life. The second was illustrating so many life truths with examples from his own life as though his is a model for everyone. Because of that I can't say I more than "liked it."
Still, I did find this book convicting and thought-provoking and therefore do recommend it -- particularly to people in their twenties.
July 30, 2012
This book really took me by surprise.
I don't always post book reviews. I'll make remarks occasionally, but rarely has a book moved me so much that it deserves a major spotlight.
This is a book about honesty. This is a book about the simple fact that true satisfaction doesn't come from hedonism, from the simple pursuit of happiness. This is a book about accepting a terrible, wonderful truth: the purpose of my life is not about me.
This book can get uncomfortable. It asks hard questions, reveals shockingly bare moments in people's lives, and challenges us to analyze our choices and the reasons behind them. Jeff doesn't protect himself in this process. His own growth and struggles are part of the journey of this book, and at least for me, they were a huge relief.
Read: I'm not the only person who struggles with these issues.
Here is the all-important lesson: To live life fully, we must be vulnerable enough to feel the pain that comes with knowing we can never fix everything, and yet at the same time, stand strong in the knowledge that we're not responsible for fixing everything.
It's a hell of a balance to maintain, but an important one. Want to avoid the dullness that comes from an unfulfilled life, or the sharp, bloody cuts of a life lived only to please ourselves? Wrecked can help you do that, using real people and powerful questions to help you figure out what path you're supposed to walk.
Excellent book, Jeff. Thanks for sharing this with the world.
I don't always post book reviews. I'll make remarks occasionally, but rarely has a book moved me so much that it deserves a major spotlight.
This is a book about honesty. This is a book about the simple fact that true satisfaction doesn't come from hedonism, from the simple pursuit of happiness. This is a book about accepting a terrible, wonderful truth: the purpose of my life is not about me.
This book can get uncomfortable. It asks hard questions, reveals shockingly bare moments in people's lives, and challenges us to analyze our choices and the reasons behind them. Jeff doesn't protect himself in this process. His own growth and struggles are part of the journey of this book, and at least for me, they were a huge relief.
Read: I'm not the only person who struggles with these issues.
Here is the all-important lesson: To live life fully, we must be vulnerable enough to feel the pain that comes with knowing we can never fix everything, and yet at the same time, stand strong in the knowledge that we're not responsible for fixing everything.
It's a hell of a balance to maintain, but an important one. Want to avoid the dullness that comes from an unfulfilled life, or the sharp, bloody cuts of a life lived only to please ourselves? Wrecked can help you do that, using real people and powerful questions to help you figure out what path you're supposed to walk.
Excellent book, Jeff. Thanks for sharing this with the world.
August 7, 2012
Meh. I hate to be Debbie Downer here, but I found this book obvious, redundant, and preachy. Perhaps I'm not the right audience, because frankly, most of what is put forward here did not strike me as new information. I wanted to like it; I always WANT to like books, mostly because I hate wasting my time. I was also very distracted by the religiosity laced throughout. "WRECKED" also bothers me. I find it silly and immature (so deliberately trying to coin a catch-phrase)- and it sounds like something Gary Vaynerchuk would come up with. Blah.
October 3, 2012
I listened to this as an audio book read by the author himself, and am I ever thankful for that pause feature on my mp3 player! Every few minutes, I found myself pausing to take notes or to process what I'd just heard. I am sure I'll be wading through some of those ideas for a long time.
The book starts by outlining the status quo--the person loving life in his safe little world, content to watch other people have adventures on reality TV and keep a nice distance by spending most of his free time on the couch. But occasionally something happens that rocks his world. Maybe he has an encounter with someone much less fortunate, or he goes on a short-term missions trip. How does this person work through what's happened to him and let it help shape his future?
Jeff Goins issues the challenge of stepping into those opportunities, recognizing the impact they can have on our lives, and then figuring out how to put into perspective these paradigm shifts. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book doesn't advocate running off and doing abnormal things just for the sake of the adventure. Instead, the author encourages us to use these experiences to teach us that life isn't all about ME.
I was particularly encouraged by the section that explained why reaching out to meet a need often hurts us more than it gives us that warm fuzzy feeling, because it causes us to recognize how small we are and how broken the world is.
I'm particularly interested in the implications he makes for young adults, who are typically on a quest to find themselves. Goins recommends that instead of looking at the world as it revolves around me, find a need that calls to my heart and determine what I can do to help meet it.
So many people came to mind as I worked my way through these chapters. I will be recommending this to older teens and twenty-somethings, as well as to anyone coming on short-term mission trips. This book would be a great debriefing tool for mission teams, especially for those people who don't know what to do with the reality-check they've just been exposed to. And I'd definitely recommend it to other long-term missionaries, as it's a nice tool for examining our motives and our vision.
If you want to be wrecked, of if you have been and you don't know where to go from here, get your hands on this book.
I received this book free from christianaudio in exchange for an honest review.
The book starts by outlining the status quo--the person loving life in his safe little world, content to watch other people have adventures on reality TV and keep a nice distance by spending most of his free time on the couch. But occasionally something happens that rocks his world. Maybe he has an encounter with someone much less fortunate, or he goes on a short-term missions trip. How does this person work through what's happened to him and let it help shape his future?
Jeff Goins issues the challenge of stepping into those opportunities, recognizing the impact they can have on our lives, and then figuring out how to put into perspective these paradigm shifts. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book doesn't advocate running off and doing abnormal things just for the sake of the adventure. Instead, the author encourages us to use these experiences to teach us that life isn't all about ME.
I was particularly encouraged by the section that explained why reaching out to meet a need often hurts us more than it gives us that warm fuzzy feeling, because it causes us to recognize how small we are and how broken the world is.
I'm particularly interested in the implications he makes for young adults, who are typically on a quest to find themselves. Goins recommends that instead of looking at the world as it revolves around me, find a need that calls to my heart and determine what I can do to help meet it.
So many people came to mind as I worked my way through these chapters. I will be recommending this to older teens and twenty-somethings, as well as to anyone coming on short-term mission trips. This book would be a great debriefing tool for mission teams, especially for those people who don't know what to do with the reality-check they've just been exposed to. And I'd definitely recommend it to other long-term missionaries, as it's a nice tool for examining our motives and our vision.
If you want to be wrecked, of if you have been and you don't know where to go from here, get your hands on this book.
I received this book free from christianaudio in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2012
I bought this book bc it was promoted on Michael Hyatt's blog and came with a bunch of freebies, most of which have since come in electronic formats that so far I have not been able to open. Sucker!
I put this book in the category of Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" and others that admonish the reader to get out of their comfort zone and do something daring for the gospel. I don't disagree that the gospel is a "big" story and most North Americans have probably become far too comfortable with the status quo and are oblivious to the needs and opportunities begging for a biblical redemption. But I also believe that "they also serve who only stand and wait." The behind the scenes folks who make "big" things possible and serve faithfully are too often overlooked. To his credit, Goins' also acknowledges the importance and need for young people to commit to something, even when it's difficult, rather than continuing to chase rainbows.
This is an easy read and I admit to being mildly inspired by some of Goins' stories of individuals who turned a short-term mission trip into a missional lifestyle. His own decision to give up street ministry in favor of the mission because of its structural/programmatic benefits was a step in the right direction. Probably not as glamorous as taking to the streets with his own supply of blankets, food, etc., but likely just as effective.
I put this book in the category of Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" and others that admonish the reader to get out of their comfort zone and do something daring for the gospel. I don't disagree that the gospel is a "big" story and most North Americans have probably become far too comfortable with the status quo and are oblivious to the needs and opportunities begging for a biblical redemption. But I also believe that "they also serve who only stand and wait." The behind the scenes folks who make "big" things possible and serve faithfully are too often overlooked. To his credit, Goins' also acknowledges the importance and need for young people to commit to something, even when it's difficult, rather than continuing to chase rainbows.
This is an easy read and I admit to being mildly inspired by some of Goins' stories of individuals who turned a short-term mission trip into a missional lifestyle. His own decision to give up street ministry in favor of the mission because of its structural/programmatic benefits was a step in the right direction. Probably not as glamorous as taking to the streets with his own supply of blankets, food, etc., but likely just as effective.
May 14, 2016
Compassion, missions, doing things that matter.
Jeff Goins has a unique and justified perspective on these topics.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I even took two pages of notes.
One of my favorite topics he talked about was commitment: "Trying to be effective in everything means not being effective in anything."
Adventure is important, but commitment to something long term is equally important. If we live our lives bouncing from one adventure to the next, the initial feeling of wonder is going to deplete.
Jeff Goins has a unique and justified perspective on these topics.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I even took two pages of notes.
One of my favorite topics he talked about was commitment: "Trying to be effective in everything means not being effective in anything."
Adventure is important, but commitment to something long term is equally important. If we live our lives bouncing from one adventure to the next, the initial feeling of wonder is going to deplete.
July 20, 2012
With every page my heart leaps!
Goins is describing my life… what I’ve known for a long time… what makes me live on the edge, then leap from perfectly good ships on to the turbulent waters of faith and adventure and compassion.
He’s given a name to what I had not been able to describe with a single word.
Yes, I believe I’m wrecked!
Read it at your own risk–if you dare to be changed forever.
Goins is describing my life… what I’ve known for a long time… what makes me live on the edge, then leap from perfectly good ships on to the turbulent waters of faith and adventure and compassion.
He’s given a name to what I had not been able to describe with a single word.
Yes, I believe I’m wrecked!
Read it at your own risk–if you dare to be changed forever.
March 24, 2016
Jeff Goins: You have 'wrecked' my life - but only in a good way. It started with reading 'You Are a Writer:So Start Acting Like One' which seriously managed to realign the view I'd had of my 'dabblings' and 'scribblings' into one of being able to proclaim that I am truly a poet/blogger/writer etc and to start acting like one - gulp!
As if that wasn't life-transforming enough, I also read (and inwardly digested) the great writerly advice and suggestions put forward on your web site. Life as I knew it was rapidly shifting and changing - for the better. The final straw was to obtain a Kindle copy of 'Wrecked:When a Broken World Slams Into Your Comfortable Life' - when you were so generously giving it away for free. It engrossed me from the start and very quickly became the most high-lighted book I own.
During the course of reading this I was gripped with nostalgia for my late-teen self who (as a rather naive, gauche and inexperienced young Christian) threw herself into City Mission and Street Evangelism with reckless enthusiasm but precious little sense.
I nodded with painful recognition as I read about the experiences you shared, even though my own encounters took me no further than my home town. Your passion, enthusiasm and openness to the process of learning to live a compassionate lifestyle, despite seeing that 'the process is horrible and ugly and completely gut-wrenching - and at the same time, beautiful' was really inspiring.
The longer I live and the more I experience of life's rich tapestry, the closer I concur with your sentiments about living 'in a world of pain, but few of us have actually engaged it. We are only passing through the pain, without allowing it to leave its mark on us'.
As a fellow believer, the crunch point for me is found in your statement:'If we are to follow Jesus who suffered and bled for us, we too must suffer..'.
It would be easy for me to go on ad-infinitum quoting great words from this wonderfully compelling book, but there comes a time to let its message hit home to the heart as well as the head. If only 'Wrecked' had been available to stir the embers and fan the flames of my own youthful enthusiasm; who knows what the outcome might have been?
Living as I do now, virtually housebound with long-term health problems, your words still stir me into action of a different kind. I can be one who supports, equips and prayerfully intercedes for those who are able to GO. Indeed, we can all play a part in encouraging, sharing the message and living it out as best we can by the grace of God. We can all learn to embrace another's pain, live a lifestyle of compassion and not turn away.
Although written by a young man (wise beyond his years) and intended to primarily encourage other young people on the cusp of being 'wrecked' in the service of others; this book has much to enlighten, inspire and motivate us all to live a more purposeful life. So don't delay - read it and have your thinking stretched at the very least, then let its truths sink into your core and affect a life-changing transformation. You'll be glad you did.
As if that wasn't life-transforming enough, I also read (and inwardly digested) the great writerly advice and suggestions put forward on your web site. Life as I knew it was rapidly shifting and changing - for the better. The final straw was to obtain a Kindle copy of 'Wrecked:When a Broken World Slams Into Your Comfortable Life' - when you were so generously giving it away for free. It engrossed me from the start and very quickly became the most high-lighted book I own.
During the course of reading this I was gripped with nostalgia for my late-teen self who (as a rather naive, gauche and inexperienced young Christian) threw herself into City Mission and Street Evangelism with reckless enthusiasm but precious little sense.
I nodded with painful recognition as I read about the experiences you shared, even though my own encounters took me no further than my home town. Your passion, enthusiasm and openness to the process of learning to live a compassionate lifestyle, despite seeing that 'the process is horrible and ugly and completely gut-wrenching - and at the same time, beautiful' was really inspiring.
The longer I live and the more I experience of life's rich tapestry, the closer I concur with your sentiments about living 'in a world of pain, but few of us have actually engaged it. We are only passing through the pain, without allowing it to leave its mark on us'.
As a fellow believer, the crunch point for me is found in your statement:'If we are to follow Jesus who suffered and bled for us, we too must suffer..'.
It would be easy for me to go on ad-infinitum quoting great words from this wonderfully compelling book, but there comes a time to let its message hit home to the heart as well as the head. If only 'Wrecked' had been available to stir the embers and fan the flames of my own youthful enthusiasm; who knows what the outcome might have been?
Living as I do now, virtually housebound with long-term health problems, your words still stir me into action of a different kind. I can be one who supports, equips and prayerfully intercedes for those who are able to GO. Indeed, we can all play a part in encouraging, sharing the message and living it out as best we can by the grace of God. We can all learn to embrace another's pain, live a lifestyle of compassion and not turn away.
Although written by a young man (wise beyond his years) and intended to primarily encourage other young people on the cusp of being 'wrecked' in the service of others; this book has much to enlighten, inspire and motivate us all to live a more purposeful life. So don't delay - read it and have your thinking stretched at the very least, then let its truths sink into your core and affect a life-changing transformation. You'll be glad you did.
April 17, 2013
This book is geared towards college students and young twenty-somethings. I didn't get much out of it because it doesn't match my life season. Also, I struggled with how his approach to a broken world was filling needs and fixing things. There was no dignity given to those being served, the strengths of those in the margins were not considered. There was a definite "us vs them" mentality. It doesn't match the values of Christian Community Development,
May 25, 2013
I do not often read evangelical Christian writing, but I quite enjoyed this author's "Three reasons to travel while you're young" article that I came across online, and I started reading his book to see what else he had to say. As someone who spent much of my twenties living abroad, his ideas resonate with me quite a bit. If you haven't had those experiences that wreck you, then it may be hard to understand. But in my case, I'd say wrecked is an understatement. My experiences abroad completely shattered and destroyed my understanding of the world that I grew up with, and they took out many biases, prejudices and things I took for granted along with them. This book is about making sense of that once you come home, changed and eyes opened forever.
It doesn't have all the answers, but it does address the issue of coming to terms with the adventure being over, and accepting what comes next - commitment. To an ordinary life, job, mortgage, partner and pretty much all of the other things that you fear most while spending time abroad when you're young.
Ultimately, he suggests that it's not about yourself any more after you've been wrecked. It's about helping others, and using your gifts to do so. What you see abroad may break your heart, and you'll likely be tempted to help in some way - like buying a meal for or giving money to a random homeless person you meet on the streets. But in the end, it's helpful to be part of something bigger. Something where there is commitment on both sides, such as working with a shelter instead, where it's not just about occasionally stroking your own ego by doing a good deed for someone. In some ways that is more about making yourself feel better, rather than making a serious commitment to help others. It's the being wrecked which he supposes will induce a person to want to make a long-term commitment to helping others.
Overall, I think this idea of being wrecked is a pretty useful way of explaining what happens to a person after they've seen and start to understand the poverty, suffering and social injustice which affects many people in this world. At times I was a bit skeptical of the religious foundation supporting his ideas, such as when he talks about hearing the voice of God in his head. But the message is good, whether you're a believer or not.
Highly recommended for anyone who has spent time abroad, especially in developing countries, and is struggling to make sense of what they saw, learned and experienced.
It doesn't have all the answers, but it does address the issue of coming to terms with the adventure being over, and accepting what comes next - commitment. To an ordinary life, job, mortgage, partner and pretty much all of the other things that you fear most while spending time abroad when you're young.
Ultimately, he suggests that it's not about yourself any more after you've been wrecked. It's about helping others, and using your gifts to do so. What you see abroad may break your heart, and you'll likely be tempted to help in some way - like buying a meal for or giving money to a random homeless person you meet on the streets. But in the end, it's helpful to be part of something bigger. Something where there is commitment on both sides, such as working with a shelter instead, where it's not just about occasionally stroking your own ego by doing a good deed for someone. In some ways that is more about making yourself feel better, rather than making a serious commitment to help others. It's the being wrecked which he supposes will induce a person to want to make a long-term commitment to helping others.
Overall, I think this idea of being wrecked is a pretty useful way of explaining what happens to a person after they've seen and start to understand the poverty, suffering and social injustice which affects many people in this world. At times I was a bit skeptical of the religious foundation supporting his ideas, such as when he talks about hearing the voice of God in his head. But the message is good, whether you're a believer or not.
Highly recommended for anyone who has spent time abroad, especially in developing countries, and is struggling to make sense of what they saw, learned and experienced.
August 17, 2012
The Jeff Goins I know writes about writing. His blog dispenses many tips on how to become a better writer. His last ebook, You Are A Writer, was about the steps required to go from aspiring writer to real one. I found it helpful.
First, a few things on the top of my head.
Goins mentions God, references He and Him, and quotes and paraphrases (I think they were paraphrases, anyway) the Bible often in Wrecked. I'm not a religious person and I don't believe in god, gods or God. But I believe in faith, and I believe in people, so I chose to replace most of Goins' religious references with terms I use to describe behavior or circumstances I know to be beyond my control that I care about or affect me.
Wow, I hope that last line made sense. Anyway, Steven Pressfield's last third of The War Of Art was the same way for me.
If you're not religious, don't let that turn you off to Goins' book. It's simply a reflection of his beliefs and isn't used as a teaching mechanism.
We good? Okay.
This book was about being wrecked, which I took to mean having an experience beyond your control that deeply affected you. Because of the impact of the wrecked experience, it really doesn't matter if the outcome was good or bad because it was so intense such massive change would affect you greatly anyway.
It's about feeling compassion for others. And for the first time in my life, he nailed how most people view compassion: it's painful. It hurts to do good things for people. It really does.
But chicks dig scars if we learn from them. Emotional, mental or physically, being wrecked scars you so bad that you have no choice but to change your beliefs, your actions and maybe even who you are. As someone who's long turned toward helping others to block out my own frustrations, I can see how being wrecked becomes a goal in itself, because we're always better off long term.
Maybe that feeling is an addiction, too. Sounds a bit masochistic to me, but I'm a guy that runs in the AZ midday summer sun, so I dig it.
He didn't get five stars because about the chapter Get A Job (Fight Club reference, yes?) made me wonder if I could finish the book.
But I'm glad I did and you should read it.
First, a few things on the top of my head.
Goins mentions God, references He and Him, and quotes and paraphrases (I think they were paraphrases, anyway) the Bible often in Wrecked. I'm not a religious person and I don't believe in god, gods or God. But I believe in faith, and I believe in people, so I chose to replace most of Goins' religious references with terms I use to describe behavior or circumstances I know to be beyond my control that I care about or affect me.
Wow, I hope that last line made sense. Anyway, Steven Pressfield's last third of The War Of Art was the same way for me.
If you're not religious, don't let that turn you off to Goins' book. It's simply a reflection of his beliefs and isn't used as a teaching mechanism.
We good? Okay.
This book was about being wrecked, which I took to mean having an experience beyond your control that deeply affected you. Because of the impact of the wrecked experience, it really doesn't matter if the outcome was good or bad because it was so intense such massive change would affect you greatly anyway.
It's about feeling compassion for others. And for the first time in my life, he nailed how most people view compassion: it's painful. It hurts to do good things for people. It really does.
But chicks dig scars if we learn from them. Emotional, mental or physically, being wrecked scars you so bad that you have no choice but to change your beliefs, your actions and maybe even who you are. As someone who's long turned toward helping others to block out my own frustrations, I can see how being wrecked becomes a goal in itself, because we're always better off long term.
Maybe that feeling is an addiction, too. Sounds a bit masochistic to me, but I'm a guy that runs in the AZ midday summer sun, so I dig it.
He didn't get five stars because about the chapter Get A Job (Fight Club reference, yes?) made me wonder if I could finish the book.
But I'm glad I did and you should read it.
August 24, 2012
Christian literature has a problem with suffering. We don’t like it. Suffering is contrary to a hybrid gospel that revolves around the blessings of hard work, and the reward that ultimately follows. Some (distasteful) strains of Christian faith even preach that God wants his people to be healthy and wealthy, and to be otherwise is a sign of personal failure. As a result of our aversion to personal trials, seculars and sacreds alike attempt to build lives from behind which we attempt to banish suffering. We are building in vain.
Jeff is a rare writer who dares “thunk” the golden calf with a mallet of truthful reality. His book “Wrecked” suggests that suffering is an integral part of real Christian living. Getting “Wrecked” is his synonym for what happens when suffering (your own or other’s) bumps into your life in a way that can no longer be avoided or ignored. I love his story about Telly the Tortoise, featured wrong side up on the book’s cover. You can find it here, http://wreckedthebook.com/tortoise/ .
If like me you’re not a fan of book introductions and forwards, Telly will connect you to the heart of the book. We all need to be like Telly.
Wrecked is a must read for comfortable Christians wondering why they aren’t more connected to their faith, and for the uncomfortable who need encouragement to do more. When I have a pain in my foot, joint or hand, it’s a sign that I should see the doctor. Pain is a blessing, a physical messenger that something may be wrong in my body, and ignoring it can lead to deeper problems. Getting “Wrecked” is a sign that something may be missing in my spiritual life, a sign that I need to seek the Great Physician in a new light.
Jeff is a rare writer who dares “thunk” the golden calf with a mallet of truthful reality. His book “Wrecked” suggests that suffering is an integral part of real Christian living. Getting “Wrecked” is his synonym for what happens when suffering (your own or other’s) bumps into your life in a way that can no longer be avoided or ignored. I love his story about Telly the Tortoise, featured wrong side up on the book’s cover. You can find it here, http://wreckedthebook.com/tortoise/ .
If like me you’re not a fan of book introductions and forwards, Telly will connect you to the heart of the book. We all need to be like Telly.
Wrecked is a must read for comfortable Christians wondering why they aren’t more connected to their faith, and for the uncomfortable who need encouragement to do more. When I have a pain in my foot, joint or hand, it’s a sign that I should see the doctor. Pain is a blessing, a physical messenger that something may be wrong in my body, and ignoring it can lead to deeper problems. Getting “Wrecked” is a sign that something may be missing in my spiritual life, a sign that I need to seek the Great Physician in a new light.
September 26, 2013
As Christians, we're not supposed to actually admit that. We're supposed to be content in all circumstances and all that. It's eyebrow-raising to admit you're feeling a hole in your heart or soul. Yet, I feel like that all the time. And, yes, it's a different feeling than that God-shaped hole the Bible thumpers hawk to the unsaved heathens. I've been there too. I was one of those.
The tagline: When A Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life. Do you feel it too? The status quo has never been comfortable for me. But fear does hold me back. I have responsibilities. I have a husband and kids. I homeschool. I write. I have deadlines.
This book is a phenomenal call to action for Christians to dig out of their fear holes and do something meaningful. It can be small. It can be seemingly insignificant. But God sees. Lives will be touched. Mountains will be moved. Just act. Just do something. Quit dreaming about that something and sitting paralyzed in fear. Prioritize. Figure out what you can do. There's a whole broken world outside your office window or front door just waiting for you to act.
What is true compassion? Get out of your comfort zone and stop being so selfish and self-centered and go do something for Jesus. Make it sooner rather than later.
Everything you now do was once something scary and new. Are you gonna sit around in complacency forever? Be salt. Be light.
I'm not saying you should quit your job and leave your spouse and kids to run off to Africa, but do something within your messy little world to make a difference for somebody else.
Pray.
Focus.
Go. Do that.
Nothing matters from the past. What matters is the future.
The tagline: When A Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life. Do you feel it too? The status quo has never been comfortable for me. But fear does hold me back. I have responsibilities. I have a husband and kids. I homeschool. I write. I have deadlines.
This book is a phenomenal call to action for Christians to dig out of their fear holes and do something meaningful. It can be small. It can be seemingly insignificant. But God sees. Lives will be touched. Mountains will be moved. Just act. Just do something. Quit dreaming about that something and sitting paralyzed in fear. Prioritize. Figure out what you can do. There's a whole broken world outside your office window or front door just waiting for you to act.
What is true compassion? Get out of your comfort zone and stop being so selfish and self-centered and go do something for Jesus. Make it sooner rather than later.
Everything you now do was once something scary and new. Are you gonna sit around in complacency forever? Be salt. Be light.
I'm not saying you should quit your job and leave your spouse and kids to run off to Africa, but do something within your messy little world to make a difference for somebody else.
Pray.
Focus.
Go. Do that.
Nothing matters from the past. What matters is the future.
October 12, 2012
This book is so powerful it hurt as I was reading it. Goins goes places that most writers dare not to touch: the idea that life is supposed to be uncomfortable. If we are comfortable then we aren't doing it right.
He isn't talking about our material comfort necessarily; he is talking about the comfort we have with the world. Americans have an uncanny ability to forget how good we have it. We can ignore the poverty and pain in our own towns and cities by writing those people off as "hopeless or dangerous." It keeps us from having to help them.
Goins resonated with me. Since moving to Atlanta 6 years ago I have been very active in working with various organizations {through Junior League} to reduce child prostitution and bring young women and men out of that world. For everything Atlanta has to offer, it also has the largest population of young children and teens in sexual slavery in the United States. Atlanta is also one of the worst cities in the world for the issue. I've been wrecked. Girls with whom I have spoken have gone back to that life. They have decided not to leave. It hurts everyone.
This really is a great book. It will motivate you to do more even though the pain is inevitable. Goins is certainly a Christian writer, but the message is so universal. He doesn't discuss Christianity much, and I doubt a non-Christian would feel uncomfortable or preached at.
Reading it will certainly change your outlook on life.
He isn't talking about our material comfort necessarily; he is talking about the comfort we have with the world. Americans have an uncanny ability to forget how good we have it. We can ignore the poverty and pain in our own towns and cities by writing those people off as "hopeless or dangerous." It keeps us from having to help them.
Goins resonated with me. Since moving to Atlanta 6 years ago I have been very active in working with various organizations {through Junior League} to reduce child prostitution and bring young women and men out of that world. For everything Atlanta has to offer, it also has the largest population of young children and teens in sexual slavery in the United States. Atlanta is also one of the worst cities in the world for the issue. I've been wrecked. Girls with whom I have spoken have gone back to that life. They have decided not to leave. It hurts everyone.
This really is a great book. It will motivate you to do more even though the pain is inevitable. Goins is certainly a Christian writer, but the message is so universal. He doesn't discuss Christianity much, and I doubt a non-Christian would feel uncomfortable or preached at.
Reading it will certainly change your outlook on life.
September 7, 2013
4.5 stars. There is a reason Jeff Goins is getting so much attention right now. And no, it's not just because he knows how to market and release a book well. It's not just because he has one of the best blogs out there on writing. And it's not just because he writes great guest posts for popular blogs many of us visit. [I even just stumbled across his interview in the 2014 Writer's Market. Man, this guy's career is taking off fast].
The reason he's getting so much attention is because of his writing style. There is an ease to it -- it sweeps you along, the way each sentence musically builds upon the others. Longer, casual sentences bookmarked with staccato, hit-you-in-your-gut statements. The punctuation creates timing, adds beats and pauses to your reading pace, and his casual tone makes it feel like a friendly conversation over coffee. Good stuff.
As for the content of this book? Yeah, not bad. He encourages readers to serve others, to make missions less self-focused, and to give up past adventure in order to grow into future faithfulness. Consequently, this is a great book for someone in that in-between phase, after their early 20's and before their mid-30's.
The reason he's getting so much attention is because of his writing style. There is an ease to it -- it sweeps you along, the way each sentence musically builds upon the others. Longer, casual sentences bookmarked with staccato, hit-you-in-your-gut statements. The punctuation creates timing, adds beats and pauses to your reading pace, and his casual tone makes it feel like a friendly conversation over coffee. Good stuff.
As for the content of this book? Yeah, not bad. He encourages readers to serve others, to make missions less self-focused, and to give up past adventure in order to grow into future faithfulness. Consequently, this is a great book for someone in that in-between phase, after their early 20's and before their mid-30's.
August 6, 2018
I was excited to read this book after seeing my college professor quote it in a Facebook post. But I just finished it and feel irritated. It was preachy and assumes that you have fewer life experiences than the author. And that going and volunteering at places where (gasp!) people are less fortunate than the suburban white male author will help your life take on meaning. I would recommend this book to someone who has never left their subdivision and is afraid of travel, urban areas, or believes homeless people are dangerous (and let's face it -- we all know those people, so I'm not saying this book is a throwaway). But if you have graduated beyond this, you will probably be annoyed by this book. The best takeaway quote, which I appreciated, was “Fear isn’t the enemy; inaction is. What we have to learn to do is lean into the things that hold us back, to move through the pain and push forward.” Two stars because the content at its core is good. Minus three stars because the anecdotes supporting his core content feel preachy and condescending.
July 30, 2012
This book put life back into perspective for me. It's too easy to be comfortable in a nation where entitlement overpowers everything else. We're too focused on our jobs, getting the next best thing, being perfect, rather than really figuring out what our purpose is. "Wrecked" calls for you to stop making excuses and start doing something. It will challenge you to stop thinking about yourself and paying attention to others around you. If your life is comfortable, there's a problem. My life is way too comfortable and thanks to Jeff Goins and his powerful words, I'm ready to step back into the uncomfortable.
September 1, 2015
You would never know it based on the title but this book is as much about Christian ministering as it about making sense of the world we live in. My main problem with this is the 'bait and switch' about leaving this fact out of the title/subtitle.
It is fine to write about world view from a Christian perspective on navigating life. Just make it clear to the reader ahead of time rather than having them wade in before revealing the true nature of the piece.
It is fine to write about world view from a Christian perspective on navigating life. Just make it clear to the reader ahead of time rather than having them wade in before revealing the true nature of the piece.
August 29, 2012
Amazing, powerful book that will change lives - starting with mine! So much wisdom. Do the hard thing, the uncomfortable thing. Start where you are and commit. It's not about us. What we WANT is secondary to what we are called to do. READ THIS BOOK. Then read it again.
September 2, 2012
While I think this is a book that anyone could benefit from, I believe it is especially poignant for those in early adulthood or those further along in life who are dissatisfied and feeling that life is missing something.
November 22, 2012
Love it. Written compellingly, openly, and brutally honestly.
And it is moving.
Make it a, "Must read."
And it is moving.
Make it a, "Must read."
October 6, 2013
Can't wait to read! I love Jeff's blog -- a deserving winner of this year's Top 10 Blogs for Writers.
May 12, 2014
Fabulous. Must read and excellent recalibration tool. No need to rush to Tibet to find enlightenment. This book does it.
April 3, 2013
The subtitle to Jeff Goins' book Wrecked sounds like the sort of thing you'd want to avoid: "When a broken world slams into your comfortable life."
And, I'll admit, this was not an easy book to read. Not because the writing is confusing or the structure unclear.
No, Wrecked is a book that lives up to its name. wrecked cover
If you aren't wrecked already when you read it, you will be. But don't let that scare you away.
Goins offers stories and practical life advice for how to embrace what makes us most uncomfortable and live a life of radical obedience, even when the "adventure" looks more like "mundane." Being wrecked means we've encountered something outside of our comfort zone and have made a choice to not go back to the way things were.
I'm afraid I'm not doing the book justice. When I read a book these days, I dog-ear the pages where I've read something that resonates. Almost every other page in Wrecked is dog-eared. Goins is a gifted storyteller, and his advice sounds more like gentle yet challenging encouragement from someone who's traveled the road already than mandates from someone without a clue what they're talking about.
"To be wrecked begins with an experience that pulls you out of your comfort zone and self-centeredness, whether you want it to or not. ... Being wrecked means everything you believe--everything you know about yourself, your world, and your destiny--is now in question." (34-35)
Before reading this book, my life got wrecked by a change in circumstances--financial, emotional, spiritual. All of it. Over time I've wondered if this is a good thing. Goins' book offers stories that assure me I'm not alone and that even when it's painful, being wrecked has the potential to foster deep change.
But it's not enough to be wrecked. It's not enough to see and walk away. Goins challenges us to commit to work that affirms what wrecked us in the first place.
"Change always happens when you come down from the clouds and deal with the messiness of life. When you turn a mission trip into a lifestyle. ... Real transformation happens when you commit." (92)
Although Goins draws from missions experiences and stories, this book is for anyone called to something by God. As a wife/stay-at-home mom/writer, I found the principles and stories in Wrecked meaningful and applicable to my situation.
It's a small book, less than 200 pages, but each chapter is full of life-giving truth. I judged the book by its length, thinking I could breeze through it. Instead, I found myself reading a few pages and setting it down for a couple of days. In the places where I'd been wrecked already and thought I had moved past, I found the book wrecking me all over again, giving me a gentle nudge to take another step out of the comfortable life.
Even now as I revisit the pages I marked, I find myself lifted by the words.
If you've had an experience (a mission trip, a major life change, an encounter with poverty) that has wrecked you and you don't know what to do now, this book is for you.
If you're looking for your life's calling, this book can guide you in finding it.
It would be good reading for high school and college grads who want to live the story God has for them.
As Michael Hyatt says in the book's foreword, Wrecked "is not designed to make you feel overwhelmed by the world's problems. Nor is it designed to make you feel guilty for not doing enough. No, it's more than this. It is an invitation to lead a wrecked life--one that is shaken up but transformed by confronting the world's most difficult challenges. It's about living the life we are so often afraid to live. ... It's about stepping into the pain and discovering fulfillment in the most unlikely places."
You've been invited to be wrecked.
The choice, now, is yours.
---------------------------
In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of Wrecked from Moody Publishers.
And, I'll admit, this was not an easy book to read. Not because the writing is confusing or the structure unclear.
No, Wrecked is a book that lives up to its name. wrecked cover
If you aren't wrecked already when you read it, you will be. But don't let that scare you away.
Goins offers stories and practical life advice for how to embrace what makes us most uncomfortable and live a life of radical obedience, even when the "adventure" looks more like "mundane." Being wrecked means we've encountered something outside of our comfort zone and have made a choice to not go back to the way things were.
I'm afraid I'm not doing the book justice. When I read a book these days, I dog-ear the pages where I've read something that resonates. Almost every other page in Wrecked is dog-eared. Goins is a gifted storyteller, and his advice sounds more like gentle yet challenging encouragement from someone who's traveled the road already than mandates from someone without a clue what they're talking about.
"To be wrecked begins with an experience that pulls you out of your comfort zone and self-centeredness, whether you want it to or not. ... Being wrecked means everything you believe--everything you know about yourself, your world, and your destiny--is now in question." (34-35)
Before reading this book, my life got wrecked by a change in circumstances--financial, emotional, spiritual. All of it. Over time I've wondered if this is a good thing. Goins' book offers stories that assure me I'm not alone and that even when it's painful, being wrecked has the potential to foster deep change.
But it's not enough to be wrecked. It's not enough to see and walk away. Goins challenges us to commit to work that affirms what wrecked us in the first place.
"Change always happens when you come down from the clouds and deal with the messiness of life. When you turn a mission trip into a lifestyle. ... Real transformation happens when you commit." (92)
Although Goins draws from missions experiences and stories, this book is for anyone called to something by God. As a wife/stay-at-home mom/writer, I found the principles and stories in Wrecked meaningful and applicable to my situation.
It's a small book, less than 200 pages, but each chapter is full of life-giving truth. I judged the book by its length, thinking I could breeze through it. Instead, I found myself reading a few pages and setting it down for a couple of days. In the places where I'd been wrecked already and thought I had moved past, I found the book wrecking me all over again, giving me a gentle nudge to take another step out of the comfortable life.
Even now as I revisit the pages I marked, I find myself lifted by the words.
If you've had an experience (a mission trip, a major life change, an encounter with poverty) that has wrecked you and you don't know what to do now, this book is for you.
If you're looking for your life's calling, this book can guide you in finding it.
It would be good reading for high school and college grads who want to live the story God has for them.
As Michael Hyatt says in the book's foreword, Wrecked "is not designed to make you feel overwhelmed by the world's problems. Nor is it designed to make you feel guilty for not doing enough. No, it's more than this. It is an invitation to lead a wrecked life--one that is shaken up but transformed by confronting the world's most difficult challenges. It's about living the life we are so often afraid to live. ... It's about stepping into the pain and discovering fulfillment in the most unlikely places."
You've been invited to be wrecked.
The choice, now, is yours.
---------------------------
In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of Wrecked from Moody Publishers.
August 21, 2012
"In a world that refuses to be healed, we must face the fact that we are not the heroes of our stories." -Jeff Goins
I have long said that in almost every area of life that really matters, the best path lives in tension between two other viable options. As a dad, I have to find the middle path that lives in tension between authoritarian control and anything-goes, laissez faire parenting. Both extremes will likely lead to angry, wounded, distant children. As a ministry leader with a family, I have to find the good middle ground that lives in tension between committing my heart, best energy, and most of my waking hours to serving other people and the deep and important calling I have to be a hands-on leader in my home and a servant and leader to my wife above all. Humility and confidence. Pouring ourselves out and being renewed. Community and solitude. There is tension in the middle path, but it is almost always the road that leads to the greatest results and the deepest satisfaction.
This is the brilliance of "Wrecked."
Jeff Goins inspires. But this book won't hype you into a brand new life. Jeff calls us out to live the Biblical values we espouse. That means entering into other people's pain - without being incapacitated. It means willingness to uproot and GO when it isn't comfortable - and it means being willing to COMMIT and STAY when it isn't comfortable. It means if you want to live your best, richest, deepest faith life... it won't be about you at all. Once we are wrecked we most certainly are not the heroes of our stories.
Jeff navigates this hard middle path with a rich palate of personal experiences to draw from, yet he does so without making the book all about him. Instead, I got the sense that he's living what he believes, and we get in on it as God shapes his heart and character. In it he shaped me, too. I felt equally challenged and inspired, equally affirmed and chastened. Jeff's frank talk manages to pierce through the rhetoric without sounding preachy:
"We've all heard that it doesn't matter what you do as much as how you do it. That God can use you anywhere. That you never know what seeds you are planting in people's lives, even when you can't see the fruit. All this is true, but only if you're not using these statements to justify your life." -Jeff Goins
Thanks, Jeff for the swift kick. And the call to live out a better story. And the reminder to pray for my pride and selfishness to be continually torn out of me. We get one life. I want mine to be wrecked.
God bless you, brother Jeff, and congratulations on a masterful gift to the Church. Everyone else... read it now.
NOTE: For more info, visit http://wreckedthebook.com
I have long said that in almost every area of life that really matters, the best path lives in tension between two other viable options. As a dad, I have to find the middle path that lives in tension between authoritarian control and anything-goes, laissez faire parenting. Both extremes will likely lead to angry, wounded, distant children. As a ministry leader with a family, I have to find the good middle ground that lives in tension between committing my heart, best energy, and most of my waking hours to serving other people and the deep and important calling I have to be a hands-on leader in my home and a servant and leader to my wife above all. Humility and confidence. Pouring ourselves out and being renewed. Community and solitude. There is tension in the middle path, but it is almost always the road that leads to the greatest results and the deepest satisfaction.
This is the brilliance of "Wrecked."
Jeff Goins inspires. But this book won't hype you into a brand new life. Jeff calls us out to live the Biblical values we espouse. That means entering into other people's pain - without being incapacitated. It means willingness to uproot and GO when it isn't comfortable - and it means being willing to COMMIT and STAY when it isn't comfortable. It means if you want to live your best, richest, deepest faith life... it won't be about you at all. Once we are wrecked we most certainly are not the heroes of our stories.
Jeff navigates this hard middle path with a rich palate of personal experiences to draw from, yet he does so without making the book all about him. Instead, I got the sense that he's living what he believes, and we get in on it as God shapes his heart and character. In it he shaped me, too. I felt equally challenged and inspired, equally affirmed and chastened. Jeff's frank talk manages to pierce through the rhetoric without sounding preachy:
"We've all heard that it doesn't matter what you do as much as how you do it. That God can use you anywhere. That you never know what seeds you are planting in people's lives, even when you can't see the fruit. All this is true, but only if you're not using these statements to justify your life." -Jeff Goins
Thanks, Jeff for the swift kick. And the call to live out a better story. And the reminder to pray for my pride and selfishness to be continually torn out of me. We get one life. I want mine to be wrecked.
God bless you, brother Jeff, and congratulations on a masterful gift to the Church. Everyone else... read it now.
NOTE: For more info, visit http://wreckedthebook.com
January 29, 2013
Quick and interesting read. My mom found this book and thought it may help me decide a life path, for lack of a better word. I just recently got back from a volunteer vacation in Cambodia and, if nothing else, thought it would be nice to read about other volunteer work.
It was a good read and, though it didn't help point me towards a path (and Mr. Goins never claimed he would), I'm glad I read it. He had some entertaining stories and thought-provoking points, but I didn't agree with him on several of those points. Some of his conclusions seemed oversimplified. That, or my life is more the exception than the rule. One example that really stuck out for me is when he discusses two friends in a coffee shop after one had recently returned to the States from a volunteer trip. Mr. Goins states her trip should have given her some direction, but that both of them still seemed to be wandering, and he portrays a negative feeling towards this. But I have been on several volunteer trips and still feel no direction, whether in volunteer work or my career. He later relates this to adolescence, which in some cases is true but I don't believe that's always the case. I'm 26 and have no clear goal for my life or set career plans. But I've maintained my current job for nearly two years, and my previous job for two years before that, so it's not that I totally lack the will to commit. I also believe it's a matter of having a wide variety of interests, rather than an obvious passion or skill that helps others narrow their choices in life. I think those who discover their passions early are fortunate to not debate and bounce around in a variety of fields, but that those, like myself, who do bounce around can also bring a different and valuable perspective to the table. It's like comparing a liberal arts education with a technical degree: both have advantages and disadvantages, and each has a unique set of skills to offer. So a lack of direction or sense of wandering may not be a sign of adolescence or lack of commitment, but rather a gift in its own right.
That's just one example, but it was the one that really stood out for me. I do like his definition of being "wrecked" and some of his viewpoints. He clearly did some research and took some time to put his thoughts together. So for that, it's still a worthy read as it challenges the reader to figure out where he falls and what "season" he is currently in.
It was a good read and, though it didn't help point me towards a path (and Mr. Goins never claimed he would), I'm glad I read it. He had some entertaining stories and thought-provoking points, but I didn't agree with him on several of those points. Some of his conclusions seemed oversimplified. That, or my life is more the exception than the rule. One example that really stuck out for me is when he discusses two friends in a coffee shop after one had recently returned to the States from a volunteer trip. Mr. Goins states her trip should have given her some direction, but that both of them still seemed to be wandering, and he portrays a negative feeling towards this. But I have been on several volunteer trips and still feel no direction, whether in volunteer work or my career. He later relates this to adolescence, which in some cases is true but I don't believe that's always the case. I'm 26 and have no clear goal for my life or set career plans. But I've maintained my current job for nearly two years, and my previous job for two years before that, so it's not that I totally lack the will to commit. I also believe it's a matter of having a wide variety of interests, rather than an obvious passion or skill that helps others narrow their choices in life. I think those who discover their passions early are fortunate to not debate and bounce around in a variety of fields, but that those, like myself, who do bounce around can also bring a different and valuable perspective to the table. It's like comparing a liberal arts education with a technical degree: both have advantages and disadvantages, and each has a unique set of skills to offer. So a lack of direction or sense of wandering may not be a sign of adolescence or lack of commitment, but rather a gift in its own right.
That's just one example, but it was the one that really stood out for me. I do like his definition of being "wrecked" and some of his viewpoints. He clearly did some research and took some time to put his thoughts together. So for that, it's still a worthy read as it challenges the reader to figure out where he falls and what "season" he is currently in.
November 24, 2012
Have you ever been wrecked?
No, not IN a wreck---wrecked.
What does it mean to be wrecked?
As I listened to this audiobook version of Wrecked, I had the privilege of hearing the author, Jeff Goins, himself tell me what it means to be wrecked.
I cannot relay to you with the accuracy and passion of Goins what it means to be wrecked, but what I can say is that I think I live in a state of near-wrecked-ness. (Yes, I made that term up.)
To be wrecked, per Goins, is to be so impacted by the need and helplessness of others less fortunate than yourself that you cannot live without thinking of them and tangibly doing for them, with them, and giving to them. And actually, that is truly just a tiny glimpse of what it means to be wrecked. You should listen to Goins describe it to you as I had the pleasure of doing.
In listening to this book, I found myself identifying with the outer edges of the wrecked state, but not yet having been fully affected---not yet fully wrecked. This is why I say I live in a state of near-wrecked-ness.
Now, just a few minutes ago I just finished watching a movie portraying the real-life "Machine Gun Preacher," Sam Childers. I would definitely say that man was wrecked! He went on one trip to Sudan to help repair huts damaged in the Second Sudanese War. During that trip he was wrecked for the children of Sudan and Uganda who were being abducted by the Joseph Kony's "Lord's Resistance Army." His life and mission since then has been and continues to be to help those children tangibly in any way he can---and he does. He is wrecked.
As far as this audiobook from ChristianAudio goes, I highly recommend it. It was especially beneficial to hear it read by the author, as he was able to instill his own passion and intent into each word he wrote as he read it aloud. One drawback of audiobooks is that I am unable to easily quote from them for you since I typically listen to them during my commutes to and from work (which is actually one of the things I love most about audiobooks). So, it's a bit of give and take, but most definitely a rewarding experience.
Disclaimer: I received this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. No other compensation was received. The fact that I received a complimentary product does not guarantee a favorable review.
No, not IN a wreck---wrecked.
What does it mean to be wrecked?
As I listened to this audiobook version of Wrecked, I had the privilege of hearing the author, Jeff Goins, himself tell me what it means to be wrecked.
I cannot relay to you with the accuracy and passion of Goins what it means to be wrecked, but what I can say is that I think I live in a state of near-wrecked-ness. (Yes, I made that term up.)
To be wrecked, per Goins, is to be so impacted by the need and helplessness of others less fortunate than yourself that you cannot live without thinking of them and tangibly doing for them, with them, and giving to them. And actually, that is truly just a tiny glimpse of what it means to be wrecked. You should listen to Goins describe it to you as I had the pleasure of doing.
In listening to this book, I found myself identifying with the outer edges of the wrecked state, but not yet having been fully affected---not yet fully wrecked. This is why I say I live in a state of near-wrecked-ness.
Now, just a few minutes ago I just finished watching a movie portraying the real-life "Machine Gun Preacher," Sam Childers. I would definitely say that man was wrecked! He went on one trip to Sudan to help repair huts damaged in the Second Sudanese War. During that trip he was wrecked for the children of Sudan and Uganda who were being abducted by the Joseph Kony's "Lord's Resistance Army." His life and mission since then has been and continues to be to help those children tangibly in any way he can---and he does. He is wrecked.
As far as this audiobook from ChristianAudio goes, I highly recommend it. It was especially beneficial to hear it read by the author, as he was able to instill his own passion and intent into each word he wrote as he read it aloud. One drawback of audiobooks is that I am unable to easily quote from them for you since I typically listen to them during my commutes to and from work (which is actually one of the things I love most about audiobooks). So, it's a bit of give and take, but most definitely a rewarding experience.
Disclaimer: I received this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. No other compensation was received. The fact that I received a complimentary product does not guarantee a favorable review.
October 24, 2012
I'd give this 4 1/2 stars if I could... the message was convicting and well-thought out. A balanced look at how exactly to deal with living in a world where brokenness is a matter of course. Appreciate his point that "living radically" is more truly about living faithfully in a story that's not about you-- not always (though sometimes) about selling all your physical possessions to give to the poor-- but ALWAYS about selling out, dying to self and living in the sacrificial love Christ lives through us.
I wasn't super wild about the writing style-- kind of choppy and a bit repetitive-- but otherwise a very good book.
Ok... update. I've been thinking about this for several days and I have a couple of caveats and 1 additional "yay!" for this book:
Took me a while to realize that, while Goins talks a lot about allowing our hearts to be broken by the brokenness and pain of the world, he doesn't talk about deeper spiritual needs (for Jesus) much, mostly focusing on physical needs. That doesn't sit well with me. I'd appreciate a discussion from him not only about the tension between the world's brokenness/my privilege, but also something addressing the need to consider how to minister BOTH to physical needs and the greater need for salvation.
Also, I think his treatment of "settling down" and committing to something is very interesting. It's a tricky line to walk. On one hand, I can't be nearly as effective in any area if I am constantly hopping from job to job, experience to experience, ministry focus to ministry focus. BUT it is so so easy to use "committing" as a cover for losing passion and getting entrenched in selfishness.
For me, though, his idea that people my age need to start making more permanent commitments-- that was something I needed to hear. There are so many GOOD options; but constantly exploring the options and getting my feet wet is ineffective and lacking in purpose. It might just be time to pick something-- even if there's a possibility that something better might eventually come along--and stick with it!
I wasn't super wild about the writing style-- kind of choppy and a bit repetitive-- but otherwise a very good book.
Ok... update. I've been thinking about this for several days and I have a couple of caveats and 1 additional "yay!" for this book:
Took me a while to realize that, while Goins talks a lot about allowing our hearts to be broken by the brokenness and pain of the world, he doesn't talk about deeper spiritual needs (for Jesus) much, mostly focusing on physical needs. That doesn't sit well with me. I'd appreciate a discussion from him not only about the tension between the world's brokenness/my privilege, but also something addressing the need to consider how to minister BOTH to physical needs and the greater need for salvation.
Also, I think his treatment of "settling down" and committing to something is very interesting. It's a tricky line to walk. On one hand, I can't be nearly as effective in any area if I am constantly hopping from job to job, experience to experience, ministry focus to ministry focus. BUT it is so so easy to use "committing" as a cover for losing passion and getting entrenched in selfishness.
For me, though, his idea that people my age need to start making more permanent commitments-- that was something I needed to hear. There are so many GOOD options; but constantly exploring the options and getting my feet wet is ineffective and lacking in purpose. It might just be time to pick something-- even if there's a possibility that something better might eventually come along--and stick with it!
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