Loved and Sent: How Two Words Define Who You Are and Why You Matter

by Jeff Cloeter

"I’ve come to know who I am in two words. They guide everything that I believe, think, and do. I am loved by God in Jesus. I am sent by God into the world." –from the author So many people are starving for identity and meaning today. Loved and Sent describes how God took extraordinary action to address those two fundamental human needs. The author walks through his own quest for identity and meaning, revisiting core Christian convictions in a narrative style and making sense of why they matter today. As Christians, we often stutter when someone asks, “Who are you? What do you believe? Why does it matter to you?” We get a unique chance to share our heart, and we say too much—or nothing at all. Discover in this thought-provoking book who you are and why you matter, and then you’ll have something of greater value to share with someone else.

Genres: Christian, Faith

176 pages, Paperback

Published October 17, 2016

Reviews

[Kendall Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book. Cloeter is an excellent storyteller and he manages to present the story of Jesus and our lives in a way that is both concise and compelling. He manages to strike a balance between speaking of the gospel in a way that has clear and immediate relevance/impact into daily life and speaking in a way that is biblically sound, nuanced, and theologically mature. So many authors attempting to do something like this resort to platitudes, half-truths, and cliches. Cloeter has written something special here.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Pastor Cloeter in January of 2018 during a leadership class in seminary. That is also when I received this book (for free, for what that's worth). It was interesting to read a bit of the "story behind the man" who came across as a very open and wise leader. After hearing him talk for a week, my biggest thought was "I want to be a part of what this guy is part of." I believe his book really lays out what "he is a part of."

I really enjoyed the focus on "Loved" and "Sent," and have thought about the focus of a church community repeatedly since. He mentioned that all the programming at their church revolves around two words - take a guess on which two. Another "focus-able" phrase I learned from Dr. Okamoto at seminary is that to be a Christian is to confess "Jesus is Lord." These sort of narrow but DEEP phrases are perfect ways to fully convey the reality of God and what He has done for us. This book offers fantastic advice in that pursuit.

Looking forward to utilizing the ideas and content of this book in the future.

[Yijia Xu]

did not like it in the beginning. maybe I was arrogant. I didn't like how he made Jacob seems so godly and made Ava seem stupid. It got better. the points he made are good. They made better sense than my confirmation class. I converted from atheist to Christian and it makes me uncomfortable to read the descriptions that Christians put on atheists. Still made me uncomfortable, knowing that he's really trying. We Christians are way worse than he described us as. and know that I'm being nice.
I am also very not generous when it comes to the rating for a book and this book barely has any readers. I don't want to drag down the average but it's a 3/5 for me. Just for reference for myself.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is the author’s summation of what the books is about: “I’ve come to know who I am in two words. They guide everything that I believe, think, and do. I am loved by God in Jesus. I am sent by God into the world.” He explains all this in a relatively short work that tells his story through his experience as a man, father, pastor, and at some level a mentor to people he introduces to the story. I contemplate buying several copies with which to gift friends.

[Adam Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. It reminds the reader that they are loved by God and sent by Him. It is a short and easy to read book yet deep and thought provoking, especially with the reflection questions at the end of each chapter.

[Cliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book on our identity in Christ. Cloeter gets to the point quickly and doesn’t waste time with slogans or making a metaphor out of Scripture.

[Susan Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!

[Richard Erney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a difficult time finishing this book. Other people may like it better.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You are loved more than you can imagine and sent with more purpose than you thought.”