Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into your Comfortable Life

Are you comfortable? If you have traveled on a plane at some point a flight attendant may ask this question. Why? Why is being comfortable so important?In his book Wrecked, Jeff Goins shares stories of how his life was altered--wrecked--by the world around him. Seeing other people suffering, hurting, needy, and desperate caused him to reflect on his own life, his worldview, and his calling.This was not an easy book to read as it challenged me to live outside myself and not become self-absorbed. I was spurred to live for more than just me and make a differnce in the lives of others. I was wrecked reading this book and I am sure others will as well.*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Book HighlightsFrom the amazon.com description of this book, it is described as a manifesto "for a generation dissatisfied with the status quo and wanting to make a difference". The main thesis of the book is that today's young adults in North America live a too sheltered existence. As a result, they are insulated from the problems of the world. Jeff seeks in this book to challenge the status quo (doing nothing about the world's problems) and to motivate young adults to care about the problems they see around them.The book's chapters are arranged in a chronological order. It takes the reader on a journey of discovery by relating the author's life experience. Jeff shares how he has been "wrecked" by his encounter with poverty, and what he did about it. He begins with a challenge: "You Must Get Wrecked"; then moves to "You Won't Find Yourself Where You're Looking". This is geared towards personal evaluation. Next he states the problem: "Help Wanted: Come and Die". There is a dire need out there, and people that are crying out for help. Next Jeff shares his personal wrecked story: "How I Was Wrecked". He shows what happens as a result of being wrecked: "From Wrecked to Committed" and "The Fruit of Commitment". He demonstrates the limits of our help: "When You Have to Walk Away" and the practical realities of growing up: "Get a Job" and "Going Where You don't Want to Go". Finally he ends with a challenge: "Wrecking Others". He wants us to help others see the needs, just like we have (hopefully).EvaluationOn the positive side, I loved Jeff's enthusiasm for helping others in practical ways. One thing I learned from my mission trip to New York City when I was in college is that in order to meet someones spiritual needs, one must at times meet a physical need. Jeff captures the heart of his generation (young adults in their 20's) by playing to their sense of compassion. Jeff shows what true compassion is and what it is not. It means helping without expecting something back; it also means knowing the limits of compassion (avoiding co-dependency).While I liked a lot of the book, there were some weaknesses. The transitions in the book are weak. I found it somewhat disjointed. Given that Jeff is a blogger, it reads like it in places. It is long on personal reflection and short on scriptural exegesis. The scriptural ties are weak at best or maybe I should say that they are vague. It would have strengthened the book considerably. It could be his personal style, but in a Christian living book, it should be well grounded in the Bible; the book was too oblique in that sense. If this book is supposed to be a manifesto, it was not for me. It just did not strike me in that way. A manifesto needs to be more urgent and more scriptural.This book is certainly geared toward 20-somethings. Jeff addresses specific issues relating to this age group. While this is good, it limits the appeal of the book to that demographic. For me, in my early 40s, I couldn't really relate in portions of the book.RecommendationI would recommend this book, especially for those in the 20s and 30s. While it has some structural issues, and needs more scriptural grounding, I think the book is motivating. Compassion for the poor is certainly a priority that the church needs to have. We need to be more aware of the needs in our world, and have the courage to do something about it. While it is not the central mandate for the church (the Great Commission), it certainly is related and can open up the hearts of those we help to hear and respond to the gospel.

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.

I can't express how incredible this book is. Reading it made me feel so uncomfortable at first, but in the best way possible- it was a real eye opener and it made me rethink my own life and how I've lived it so far. The way Jeff Goins writes is so fluid that you just have to keep turning on to the next page. l have nothing but admiration and respect for Jeff, especially in his description of his own personal experiences and encounters with people from all walks of life who he would never again see. He dared to be different, he chose to see the invisible, and went out of his way to treat them as civilized humans, even if the experience itself was somewhat uncomfortable. This is certainly a fulfilling and moving read, that at times had me reaching out for my tissues. Thank you for writing this Jeff, you're an inspiration to me!

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.

Jeff Goins book answers the question we all struggle with when faced with brokenness we can't fix: "What am I supposed to do?" He isn't afraid to engage the ugly tension in face head-on and tackle it. After reading the book, I'm not afraid of brokenness. I'm free from the expectation that I have to "solve" it. I'm ok with the unknown between seeing need and embracing it. Goins states, "It's about living in the tension of a broken world and being content with the journey, no conjuring some contrived sense of arriving."Jeff gives the answer to the question: "How do you move through this tension, avoiding shame and inaction alike?" I'm not going to reveal the answer to you. The book will tell you. Check it out! It's a great read.Get ready to get wrecked.

Dir geht es gut. Doch dann bricht etwas über Dich herein. Ein Mensch in Not, und Du lässt ihn an Dein Herz. Dein Bild der Welt ist zerstört, der Sinn Deines Lebens herausgefordert. Schlimmer noch - bald erkennst Du, dass, was immer Du auch tun kannst, zuwenig ist. Der Autor ist auf einer Reise von einem glücklichen, sorglosen Studentenleben zu Mann zu Mann-Betreuung in den Niederungen der amerikanischen Grossstadt zu institutionalisierter Betreuung mit mehr Durchschlagskraft, von einer durch kurzzeitige Einsätze geprägte Abenteuerkultur mit guten Vorsätzen dahin, eine stetige Arbeit, mit Hingabe, in seiner Berufung anzunehmen.Wem empfehle ich dieses Buch? Du bist jung (oder auch nicht). Dir ist wohl, aber Du willst mehr? Deine Weltansicht ist zusammengebrochen, eine Welt, wie Du sie bisher nicht gekannt hast, ist in Dein Weltbild eingebrochen? Oder Du bist bereits involviert in Deiner Berufung und möchtest den nächsten Schritt wagen? Dann ist dieses Buch für Dich.Oder Du bist bereits etwas länger unterwegs und hast Deine Aufgabe gefunden. Dazu gehört die Beratung von Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen auf ihrem Lebensweg. Auch dann empfehle ich das Buch.Viel Vergnügen beim Lesen - und ein zerbrochenes Herz, eine Sehnsucht, danach. Wie sagt die Bibel so schön? Und ich verschlang dieses Buch, und es war süss wie Honig im Mund, aber bitter im Magen.

I am lost for words to describe how this book has left me feeling.... selfish, lost, disoriented... yet somehow hopeful.