Wrecked - Getting Messed Up In a Good Way

I was privileged to get a pre-release of Jeff Goin's new book Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life. In exchange for the sneak peek, I was asked to write a review. 


Very Good Stuff
I'll go ahead and confess, I'm not sure if I can do that effectively. The book has so much great content, that to attempt to whittle it down into a summary may not do it justice. I have a different approach that I want to use. Before I do share, let me set the stage with this simple overview.


Wrecked will make you pause and look back over your life at the moments when your life collided with the world and in those moments, your eyes were opened to a new perspective. More than likely, those experiences altered the direction of your life. Jeff attempts to help us understand those experiences and how the people around us respond to their own Wrecked moments.

Five Minutes That Can Change Your Life Forever

Do you know where your life is going? Have you figured out how you are going to get there?

The buzz word we use for this is vision. I believe vision is best defined as the picture you have of you in your future. I fret to think how many people have never given that one second of thought. How many people live minute by minute without any consideration for where they want their lives to go? They have no picture of them in the future. They have no vision.

Let God Mess You Up!

Have you ever had your life wrecked? You were going along fine then the something happened that you weren't expecting and it caused a big "crash." The one thing I know about getting wrecked is that it comes when you least expect it and you have to make a life-altering decision. And this is important because "our lives will be the sum total of our decisions" (Andy Stanley). It happened to me when I was in college.


"Our lives will be the sum total of our decisions." - Andy Stanley (Click Here to Tweet)

I was attending a conference hosted by Campus Crusade for Christ. I don't remember a lot of details about the conference. I could not tell you who the musical artist was or who any of the speakers were. What I do remember is that during a break, I had a very significant conversation with God. Not an audible conversation, but a moment where it seemed there was no one in the auditorium but the two of us although we were surrounded by hundreds of college students. 

Phyllis Crain: It's About Living, Not Dying

I'll go ahead and tell you...this is a video that last for nine minutes. But if you need encouragement, it will be worth those nine minutes. Thus why I'm posting it on a Friday. I hope you can carve out some time over the weekend to watch.


This is a story about Phyllis Crain. She was my 6th grade teacher at O.P. Earle Elementary School in Landrum, SC. She had a huge impact on my life. I'm sure we all can point to a teacher or two who influenced us a little differently than the other teachers in our lives. Mrs. Crain launched me onto a journey that would play a big part of shaping me into the person I am today.

How to Give Something When You Have Nothing

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

What if your phone rang and the person on the other end was asking you to give them something? Something you didn't have. Nothing elaborate or expensive, just a mattress.


This is a true story about a need, a desire to help and a computer. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. (I've always wanted to say that.)

Valerie is a friend of mine who has a big heart and loves to help people. I've learned that if you ever have something you want prayed over, she's the person to call. When Valerie prays, you almost feel like breaking the rules and peeping to see where Jesus is standing because she talks to Him as if He's right in front of her...well He is, you know.

One afternoon, Valerie's phone rang and a stranger was on the other end of the call. Not a complete stranger, but a lady she had recently met. We'll call her Sue. Sue was in a bind. Turns out one of Sue's children needed a place to sleep other than the floor. Sue was asking Valerie if she had an extra mattress or knew of someone who did. Sue figured if she could just get a mattress it would be better than sleeping on the floor. Valerie loves to help people, but she was very limited in what she could do. She was unemployed. A victim of a recession-driven downsize, Valerie found herself barely able to keep the power on and food on the table.

How does a person who has almost nothing give something?

Are You Raising a Nimrod?

Before you answer that, are you sure you would know a Nimrod if you saw one? My guess is that most people would say a Nimrod is synonymous with an idiot. In fact, recent American use of the word lends itself to a negative tone. Some even link its origination to its constant use in the ridiculous battles between Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd (I know, I just dated myself…).  However, that’s not the Nimrod I want you to consider. I’ve used capital “N” because there was a man named Nimrod and you find his story in the Bible, Genesis 10:8-9.

Stop Giving People the Finger

Yep, you've done it. You've given people the finger but I don't mean that one.

If you've read Michael Hyatt's book, Platform, or listened to his recent podcast, you should recognize the phrase, "The How of Wow". I love his use of the lobby experience to illustrate how some companies create the “Wow” experience and others come just short of asking you to leave. There's a company local to me that has actually removed the receptionist completely from their lobby. When you enter the lobby, there's a sign on the wall next to a phone that reads, "If you need assistance, use the phone and the extension list."

Listening to Michael paint a picture of the “Wow” experience, I was reminded of something we teach the Host Team at church: Don’t give people the finger.