What if you told God you would do anything . . . and he took you up on it?
In the years since the initial release of Anything, God continued to stretch Jennie Allen and her faith because of the courageous prayer of surrender that she and her husband, Zac, prayed, "God, we will do anything. Anything." Previously caught in the dizzying haze of worldly happiness and empty pursuits, Jennie went on to begin living out the adventure God had written for them—to include becoming the founder of IF: Gathering, an organization to gather, equip, and unleash the next generation to live out their purpose.
Anything is a prayer of surrender that will spark something. A prayer that will move you to stop chasing things that just make you feel happy and start living a surrendered life that matters.
This newly revised edition is updated throughout to include a new introduction and an in-depth Bible study component for those who have been wanting to lead a study on this topic.
Join Jennie on an adventure to discover your anything, those things that actually mean nothing until you know the God truly worth giving it all up for. And when you do, that will change everything.
My Review:
Some of you may remember my first encounter with Jennie Allen, when I was given the opportunity to review her DVD study, Stuck. I enjoyed that study and I have to say that this one was a great experience for me also.
It came to me at a point in time where I was questioning my part of the relationship I have with God. Was I doing enough? Was I doing what I should be doing? Was I missing something? So when I was offered the chance to review this book my interest was piqued and I accepted. In a world where people are bombarded with the message that God is here to make your life better, Jennie Allen's Anything sets the record straight. While He truly does want what is best for us, we have to completely surrender to Him and His will to receive it, and what is best often doesn't look the way we imagined it. The first three chapters, which dealt with unbelief, pretending and shame in relation to our walk with God, had me in tears as I faced some of my own issues that I had buried. The study guide at the end of the book not only caused me to dig deep into my own feelings, but it prompted me to look at how God felt as well by examining scripture.
And once the journey began I couldn't stop. Allen breaks the book into three parts: Everything keeping us from anything, Praying anything, and Living Anything. Each brought me to serious moments of reflection and stirred a desire to take the next step. Isn't that what a good Bible study is supposed to do?
Allen shares her own failings and insecurities openly and honestly, making this an "I'm in the trenches with you" rather than a finger pointing "You should be doing better!" experience. And this updated version includes a section at the end in which she shares how her life has changed as a result of her personal Anything prayer, demonstrating just how God can take what you offer and make it into something wonderful for His kingdom.
