If you’re looking for a book full of deep theology or tear-jerking narratives that tug your emotions, this is NOT your book. That’s not Goff’s style. And I love it! Because it’s written for ordinary people like you and me with the message to go live a life beyond the ordinary. Goff did just this and reading this book felt like listening to a new friend recant exciting tales.
Love Does is a compilation of Goff’s various “whimsical” (a word he really likes to us) memories. He tells story after story of events from his life and then reflects on what he learned about God through each one. He shares with us how God teaches things about Himself through people and occurrences..IF we’re willing to look for Him.
Goff’s overlying theme is that love isn’t lip service, but that love takes action and does something. I read thirty-one short, comical stories of adventures where love takes action. Love is a hopelessly romantic guy pursuing a woman with a ridiculously, embarrassingly oversized Valentine’s card. Love is a dad that teaches his son about his passions and a dad that shares his kid’s dreams. Love is a child who wants to make a friend instead of an enemy. Love is a law student who gets on a plane to Uganda and changes the lives of hundreds of children in a war-torn country.
My belief at Mended Life has always been that we should value the broken things that have been restored. I think Goff would agree. After sharing a story about his destroyed wedding cake, we read some simple, but profound, truths. Goff shares, “It has always seemed to me that broken things, just like broken people, get used more; it’s probably because God has more pieces to work with.” He later continues, “But He [Jesus] also talked about everybody else and what He said to them is that we all could be used, not just when we’re broken, but especially because we’re broken.”
This book won’t take long to read. It’s perfect for someone who has 5-10 minutes here and there to read a chapter at a time. Honestly, I found myself treating chapters like potato chips…bet you can’t eat (or read) just one!
Teaser: The last chapter delivers a surprise where YOU, the reader, have already been roped into moving beyond the ordinary. You’ll have to read and find out how!