Compelled: Ordinary People Extraordinary God

by Paul Hastings, Sarah Hastings

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Christian Non Fiction, Faith, Christianity

160 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2025

Reviews

[Lydia Houghton]

Fantastic.

[Ginny Yurich]

Wonderful and inspiring stories filled with hope!

[Levi Dykstra]

Around 5 short stories of God working in and through people.

[Sara Wilson]

Loved this book! So many compelling stories of God’s faithfulness in ordinary people’s lives! Would recommend to anyone who needs some encouragement!

[Zoey]

An absolutely addicting and inspiring book sharing 7 incredible testimonies. This book is refreshing and an amazing example of how good our God is. I very much enjoyed the conclusion including testimonies from the Bible too, further proving that our God is never changing and always faithful!

[Alexandrya Rodriguez]

What amazing stories, this book really resonates to those who may think they know God until their faith is truly tested. I could witness their stories in my mind and hear God talking to them as if He were talking to me just like the day I surrendered to our Lord. Very good read, I enjoyed this very much.

[Daniel Taylor]

I came in not expecting much from this book, just seeing if it was appropriate for our church library. But I left full of assurance in God's power to transform lives through the gospel. These stories were powerful demonstrations that no one is outside of the reach of our Almighty God and his power to save. It was a short read that greatly encouraged me. Highly recommend!

[Becky]

Quick and intriguing read. Amazing stories, even if the writing of them can feel rushed or disjointed. Guess I should look up the podcast. :)

[Blake]

As a whole, this book was a very fascinating book that brought with it much encouragement. The Hastings take the personal testimonies of seven individuals (or couples) provide a general overview of the lives of each person being featured, with the ultimate goal being to show how an Extraordinary God does incredible things in the lives of ordinary people. Most of the individuals featured in the book I had never heard of so that was great to learn about God's amazing work in their lives. The one massive weakness that I see in the book is how often some of the people featured claim that God was speaking to them. I get it, it may be a nuance of how the Spirit of God was using HIs Word to bring thoughts to mind but the theological underpinnings in these situations can bring about troublesome results. Obviously, God can do whatever He wants (within His character) but claims of "God told me," takes one down a slippery slope. That was a saddening weakness in reading these compelling stories, nevertheless I was encouraged to see how God worked in amazing ways in the lives of ordinary people.

[Bethan Lycett]

Seven incredible stories of God stepping into people's lives and completely transforming them.

From a drug dealer, abortion clinic owner and transgender man who found hope and faith in Jesus, to stories of Christians who experienced extreme circumstances (including my own worse nightmare, being accused of a crime you cannot prove you didn't commit). The inclusion of The Double Life added a different dimension, showing that Christians also mess up, and how they can still find forgiveness and transformation, no one is too far gone.

These stories give a glimpse into how God not only brings people to Himself and heals and restores them, but how those who follow Him find hope, strength and purpose when they trust in all circumstances.

It definitely made me want to go listen to some of the podcast episodes, and I know when I've read a good book when I suddenly start telling people parts of the stories, which I have done since reading it!

[Sarah W.]

If you are looking for a quick read that has five extraordinary stories of God's power in our world today this is a fantastic book.
However, I found that a lot was lost in the writing down of these stories. It would be incredibly difficult to put these fantastic interviews into the written word.
There were actually three testimonies in this book that I had not listened to the corresponding podcast episode - The Richardsons, Hannah Overton and Carol Everett - and what I read urged me to look those episodes up.

Cannot recommend the podcast enough!

Read and reviewed for my church library.

[Nicole P]

Quick read with a variety of stories of the lives of seven people. All of stories contain situations that God orchestrated to draw each of them to a relationship with the Lord or to grow their relationship. Each story contained big events that point to a great God. I especially like the last chapter where the authors point to God being trustworthy to write our stories. It was a great encouragement to remember God’s sovereignty, His steadfast love for people, and the wisdom of God. It’s worth a read and I’m aiming to listen to the compelled podcast to hear more stories.

[Amber M]

I've been listening to the Compelled podcast for years and have heard all of the stories contained in this book. I hesitated to read it because I figured it would be repetitive but it wasn't. I still enjoyed rereading the stories and getting a few more details that I didn't remember from the podcast. It is also an easy read. It is broken up into seven different people and their stories, so it was very easy to pick up and put down as time permitted. I would recommend it.

[Laura]

The tales are written in a slightly choppy, newspaper-reporter-esque style, which bothered me at first, but the title says it all: the stories are compelling. And very different from each other in content and perspective. Some challenged how I think about things and left me thinking, others encouraged me. Each story is true, so I recommend them at face value.

[Anthony]

The subtitle “ordinary people extraordinary God” rightly places the life-changing power on display in these testimonies with the sovereign, almighty God, his Son and his Holy Spirit. The seven stories also speak of redemption, fulfillment and purpose for the men and women who have bravely shared their experiences with us.

[Kalman Buterbaugh]

Wow. Some really moving stories in here-- I cried multiple times reading this short but gripping collection of testimonies. This book really brings alive the power of two important truths: sin is evil and God is good. Absolutely recommend.

[Shelby Welsch]

I just love reading others' testimonies! This book reveals God's redemptive work in the lives of 7 people who all struggled with some form of sin. But all the sins are covered in lies, either to themselves or to others. The truth is what set each of them free and what a beautiful thing to rest in!

[Caroline Pitfield]

Easy good read!

[Chloe Delcambre]

read this in 2 hours!!!! such an easy read i loved it!

[Trish Hills]

Really inspiring stories!

[Natalya]

These short testimonies are honest and encouraging. I loved it!

[Daniel Leach]

Loved the stories. Found them very powerful. Some felt a little too American, but still a good read. Feeling encouraged by Gods power in people’s lives

[Rachel Hope]

Amazing! Have never read a book so fast. 7 peoples’ fascinating stories showing the unique ways of how God is working in people’s lives and the world today.

[Joy]

I really enjoyed reading this! These are incredible stories, even more amazing because they are true! If you like this you’ll love the podcast. Highly recommend both.

[Brianna Taylor]

Incredible stories of people’s lives powerfully transformed by Jesus. If you need to hear the power of the gospel for the first time or be reminded of the presence and persistence of the God you serve, give this book a read!

[Eileen Turrentine]

Inspiring Read

This book is made up of seven stories of real people and the overwhelming struggles they faced. It is so encouraging to see how God entered in and transformed these lives! This is a great book to read and to share with others.