If you peek at all of my reviews from previous books read by Jennie Allen you will notice something. Each and every book, although different, gives a tremendous blessing to the soul. I mean, that hungry soul, searching for something unlike anything else to fill it up. Jennie's books don't just fill it up, they satisfy.
Her books speak to the heart. She lays all the truth on the table. What I admire most about her is her audacious love for Jesus and her transparency to share Him with the world around her. She is genuine and that is something rare today.
I would say this is a book I needed to read right now. I am sure either in your past, maybe in your today, but certainly somewhere in your tomorrow, you too will need these words. This is that book you highlight so much, there isn't any black and white left. It's that read that you say, "Oh, me too!!" Jennie Allen is that girlfriend who tells us the truth and is ready with open arms when we realize where we have been and just where we need to be. Jesus is everything and she is willing to share that.
Through her words she brings the reader straight to Jesus. She sharing from the heart, but in every chapter, every subject, she takes us to Jesus. That isn't shining light on her, not even us, but always Him.
I am one of those girls who is forever trying too hard. I found this passage full of a wisdom that I often forget:
"We are made for dependency on God. We were built for that. Because God is invisible we put our neediness on people, and that becomes unhealthy one hundred percent of the time. It's called codependency. If we connect with people and we do t connect with God, we end up asking people to be our enough. People will always eventually disappoint you. Don't be surprised. They aren't enough either. Only GOD has the resources and ability to exhaustively meet your needs. Yes, we also were designed to need human relationships, but they can never be enjoyed if we're using them to replace the ultimate relationship."
Here's a few more faves:
"To get to the place where God can be enough, we have to first admit we aren't. Pretending we are okay-that is how a lot of us are making life work. With that illusion gone, we might have to live needing God."
"He is waiting. He is waiting and He wants to go crazy through you. You don't feel like you measure up? Then you are exactly who God is looking for. you are the one. You are the one He is after. He wants you and me: the losers, the broken, the sinful, the ones who know and accept how great our need is for Him. That is how He works. Every single person in the Bible, besides Jesus, was broken, afraid, insecure, fearful, busy, did not have enough time, did not have enough money, did not have enough anything-and God move through them to change history. Eternity is going to be shifted. Because finally a little army decided nothing on earth could hold them back."
That's good stuff, right? This is that book to share with a girlfriend, to share with your children, read with your husband, to use as a small group study. Bottom line..it's the book you need to read if you are feeling overwhelmed, not good enough, and just plain worn smack out from trying to do it all and succeed at everything and everyone. It's one I will keep on the shelf and go back to from time to time.
This is one you need to grab up. I promise. You will not walk away empty.
This book was a gift from Waterbrook Multnomah for sharing my review with you.
Jennie Allen is a recovering achiever who is passionate about Jesus. She is the best-selling author of Anything and Restless, as well as the found and visionary for the million-strong IF:Gathering, which exists to gather, equip, and unleash the next generation to live out their purpose. Jennie speaks frequently at conferences such as Catalyst and Q. She holds a master's degree in biblical studies from Dallas Theological Seminary and lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Zac, and their four children.
