Compelled: Ordinary People Extraordinary God

by Paul Hastings, Sarah Hastings

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Christianity

160 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2025

Reviews

[Lydia Houghton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic.

[Ginny Yurich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and inspiring stories filled with hope!

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.