I don't do endorsements often. I am an eclectic reader, my music - well we know how weird that is... I am aware that like Paul said, "all things are permissible, not all things are beneficial" and I would be horrified to cause someone else to stumble. So I keep most of those choices to myself.
I do believe in exceptions to almost every rule, however, and Wrecked fits the bill. I talked about it here. And to make it even more an exception I signed up to blog about it for the author, Jeff Goins. If you haven't guessed, I would highly recommend giving it a read! If you need a push, check out Jeff's answers to some basic questions about "Wrecked" and what it may do for you.
ME: As Christians, we all know that dealing with discouragement is a daily endeavor. We seem to think that the other guy has it easier, makes less mistakes and has better coping skills than we do. What is something that you deal with regularly that can discourage you if not dealt with properly?
JEFF: Insecurity. I rarely think much of myself — that I'm talented enough, smart enough, good looking enough, and so on. Despite what I achieve, it never seems to be enough. If I don't nip this in the bud — or more often than not, if my wife doesn't — this insecurity can consume me and paralyze me.
ME: What is a source of encouragement to you that might not look like encouragement to someone else - or what is the most unusual way you found yourself being encouraged?
JEFF: I think you alluded to it above. When I hear successful people having the same struggles that I do, I don't feel so weird. I am rarely encouraged by people who have it all together, who never seem to struggle. I can't relate to that.
ME: In "Wrecked" you speak at length about that gnawing feeling of wanting to do more, be more, give more. You also touched on the fact that not everyone experiences this is an over seas missionary. Can you please explain to those who haven't purchased "Wrecked" (yet) what it means to be wrecked and what are some examples in your own daily life that have caused you to be "wrecked"?
JEFF: To be wrecked is to be disabused of the status quo, to live a life that is about more than you. Ultimately, it's about intentionally stepping into discomfort, because that's where we grow. It's about laying down your life for others, because that's where we find our greatest desires being met.
I believe we should do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, but I also believe this is the most fulfilling way to live — when you focus on others and their needs.
As for my own life, I'm wrecked by everything from a trip to the developing world to the discomfort of a baby crying in the middle of the night. For me, it's not about making one experience more amazing than the next; it's about where we grow. And for me, that's always the place I don't want to go: the place of greatest discomfort.
Wrecked is about stepping into those situations, ready to be changed.
ME: Your book gave me a set of definitions to wrap my head around. I knew I had been wrecked months earlier but I didn't have a way to verbalize it to others. It was an awakening and I realized there had to be more to who I was. Explaining it has been challenging. Can you clarify: Is being wrecked akin to a midlife crisis, or is it something else entirely?
JEFF: Something else, entirely. A midlife crisis is debilitating — it's what happens when you defer your adolescence and it catches up with you. Being wrecked is empowering, when rightly considered. It's a vision of a life that is about more than you. Sure, it can turn your world upside down, but if you embrace the change this paradigm shift offers, it can change everything in your life — for better.
ME: Once I experienced the holy wrecking of my life, I knew in my heart there was just no going back. Something deep inside me had changed, although my outsides looked completely normal. I wasn't singed around the edges with tendrils of smoke wafting about, so it was difficult to keep myself accountable to the commitment I had made. Who and/or what keeps you living the wrecked life?
JEFF: My family. They remind me that my story is not about me. And when I make it about me, they remind me I'm living a smaller one than I'm meant to.
So there it is, folks! You can pick up a copy of Wrecked here (electronically or analog) and start living a life wrecked in the best way possible!
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