A Song for Sunday: Broken Hallelujah - The Afters

A Song for Sunday: Do Something by Matthew West

A Song for Sunday: It's A Beautiful Day - Jamie Grace

Song for Sunday: Me Without You by Toby Mac

Book Review: All In: Student Edition

ALL IN by Mark Batterson is the BEST READ so far in my life! It's a life-changer! Not kidding.

Dawn's Recommendation: 5 of 5 Stars (I'd give more if I could!)

Overview: 

Halfway is no way to live.
Quit holding back. Quit holding out.
It’s time to go all in and all out for God.
The good news is this: If you don’t hold out on God, God won’t hold out on you. If you give everything you have to follow Jesus, you’ll receive amazing spiritual rewards. But this reality also comes with a deeper truth: Nothing belongs to you. Not even you.

In All In: Student Edition, Mark and Parker Batterson explore what going all in can mean for your life, sharing unique illustrations and unforgettable stories, as well as compelling accounts of biblical characters. Throughout, they demonstrate the amazing things that can happen when you surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Mark Batterson writes: “When did we start believing that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things? Jesus didn’t die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous.” (from Amazon)

What I liked: I loved the examples of people who have gone "All In" for Jesus. These stories were inspiring and make me want to step out more, in faith. I also loved the imagery like "Burn Your Ship" and "Rim-Huggers Vs. Hikers" - these have stuck with me. I can remember the lessons in these stories because they are catchy, but have deep meaning.

I love the short 1-2 page sections. This made it perfect for me to use it as a teen devotion for a teen mission trip. I used many of the sections, paring them with questions and Scripture, and it was a powerful teaching tool on why and how to be "All In" for Jesus!

The book is so awesome, that I am going to use it to develop a discipleship teen program! It is a go-getter, move-type of book. You can't sit still after you read it. You want to get out there and hike for Jesus!

What I didn't like: The only thing I'd add to this book is a "How To" section at the end. You know, what's the next step for someone who wants to go "All In"?  In my case, my step was to develop a devotion for teens for our mission trip. Next, I want to put it into practice with teen study that includes figuring out what God is calling each of us to do and then practicing it. While, I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how I can be "All In", I know that many don't know how to begin.

Final Word: Get and read this book!

Disclaimer: I received this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.