Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life

by Jeff Goins, Michael Hyatt (Foreword by)

Overview

What happens when a broken world slams into your comfortable life?

Wrecked is about the life we are afraid to live. It’s about radical sacrifice and selfless service—how we find purpose in the midst of pain. It's a look at how we discover fulfillment in the least likely of places. It's about living like we mean it. It’s a guide to growing up and giving your life away, helping you live in the tension between the next adventure and the daily mundane.

This book is for us—a generation intent on pursuing our life's work in a way that leaves us without regrets.

Author Jeff Goins shares his own experience of struggling as a missionary and twentysomething who understands the call to live radically while dealing with the everyday responsibilities of life. Wrecked is a manifesto for a generation dissatisfied with the status quo and wanting to make a difference.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802483645
Publisher:	Moody Publishers
Publication date:	08/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

JEFF GOINS was born and raised outside of Chicago. After graduating from Illinois College, he spent a year on the road with a band and was once recognized on the streets of Taipei. An author, speaker, and writing coach, Jeff's work has been featured on some of the largest blogs in the world. He lives in Franklin, TN with his family. You can find him online at goinswriter.com.
JEFF GOINS Originally from Chicago, IL, Jeff graduated from Illinois College with a degree in Spanish and Religion. Immediately after graduating, he spent a year traveling with a music ministry, playing concerts in churches, schools, and prisons for a year. In 2006, he moved to Nashville, where he now lives with his wife and dog. Jeff works for Adventures in Missions, a short-term missions agency. You can visit him online at www.goinswriter.com.

Read an Excerpt

WRECKED

WHEN A BROKEN WORLD SLAMS into YOUR COMFORTABLE LIFE

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By JEFF GOINS

Moody Publishers

Copyright © 2012 Jeff Goins
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8024-0492-3

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Chapter One

You Must Get WRECKED

"Something's missing, and I don't know what it is." —JOHN MAYER

Everyone in this world is searching. Each of us is searching for something to give meaning to life. To bring purpose to our work. We all know this; we're familiar with this emptiness, this longing for more.

We're looking for a story to make sense of, a role to play. Despite our best efforts, activities and adventures barely touch the tip of the iceberg. We sense we were made for a great purpose, some cause to make the world a better place. Maybe it's as simple as the realization that our lives aren't a total waste, or maybe it's something more. Whatever the case, most of us despair of ever finding it. It feels so distant, so unattainable.

We begin life with a simple understanding—that our lives are tales worth telling and we have an important part to play. Children understand this: what it means to live and love without condition, to be delighted in. Their lives are full of reckless abandon, and no one has to tell them so. They don't need to be reminded of their crucial roles; they know intuitively. Without prompting, kids know how to dream up adventures and slay dragons. To embark on epic voyages and live out idyllic scenes. "lb spend hours in the backyard with nothing but their imaginations.

Fixed in my memory is a scene from a day I spent at my grandparents' twenty years ago. I am seven years old, maybe, in the front yard of that old, yellow home, playing on a mild summer day. I am running up and down the stairs, hopping on and off the old, rusty porch swing painted white. In my right hand is a stick, substituting as an imaginary sword, and surrounding me are orcs and goblins and other villainous things. Suddenly, in the heat of battle, I hear a voice: "What are you doing?" It's the neighbor's child—a boy, about the same age as me. I tell him, and he wrinkles his brow, obviously confused. He was an only child, and his parents were practical people. As a result, he missed one of the greatest gifts childhood has to offer. For the rest of the afternoon, I teach the boy how to play, and at the end of the afternoon, he says something that doesn't quite register: "You have a great imagination." I have never considered this, which is the whole point.

As children, most of us needed no prompting to play, to engage in the grand experience of life.

But as adults, many of us do. Somewhere along the journey we lose our way. We get caught up in the pursuit of trivial things. For some, it's money; for others, sex or Fame. Some get stuck in the cruel cycle of moralism, endlessly striving to be "good enough." Whatever our fixation, we obsess over it. We give our lives to this pursuit of a promise that eludes us. And we wind up years down the road wondering what happened and why we feel so empty. This happens at age twenty, forty, or even sixty. Emptiness knows no boundaries.

We would do well to remember that this is strictly an adult problem. Children do not wait all year for two weeks of vacation. They don't spend their lives doing things they hate so they can earn the right to do what they really want. They live life to the full, children do, and somehow we have to regain that innocence.

Something is missing. Something important. Something necessary to making a difference in the world. And most of us are afraid to find out what it is. Because we know. It's the secret we're afraid to admit: this will cost us our lives.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE WRECKED

Several years ago, 1 started helping missionaries tell their stories. It began when 1 was hired as a staff writer for an organization called Adventures in Missions to teach missionaries how to blog. I assumed this job would be much like my experience as a writing tutor. In college, I met with students every day to go over their papers—to help them learn basic grammar and how to write a thesis. I thought this experience would be similar. What I never expected was how it would change me, how it would affect everything I did, from going to the grocery store to walking down the street.

As I heard these missionaries recount their tales, I realized something: all these people were telling the same story. No matter where they were or what they were doing, the outcome was the same. Whether immersed in aboriginal cultures along the Amazon or surrounded by drug dealers in downtown Philadelphia, whether in the company of dying mothers in central Asia or MDS-infected babies in Africa, they all sang a similar song: wherever there is pain without explanation, hope amidst despair, redemption in spite of tragedy, that's where they wanted to be. Walking away from each experience, people would tell me how they felt, and they all used the same interesting word: wrecked.

Ruined. Devastated. Undone. Their lives were forever changed, and there was no returning to how life used to be. Their paradigms had shifted. Their worldview was infected with a contagion that was spreading to every facet of their life. More than one person told me, "I can't go back to who I was."

Take my friend Stephen Proctor, for example. Gifted at using media and video to communicate, Stephen moved to Nashville to pursue a career in the music business. A few years ago, he had the chance to go on an overseas mission trip. He and his business partner, Nate, had just launched their new media company, so this trip made absolutely no sense. He should have been building the business and acquiring new clients. But he felt called to leave. After praying and talking to several friends, he knew he needed to go.

Stephen spent five weeks living in Papua New Guinea. No technology, no access to the outside world—just him and the natives. The experience humbled him. "Life was so simple," he recalled. "Everything was stripped away. God's whisper grew louder to my ears."

When Stephen returned, the trip didn't leave him. It affected every facet of his life, from how he treated strangers on the street to how he conducted business. He wasn't one of those people who goes overseas and turns into a lifelong missionary, but he knew there was a purpose to this experience. He just needed to find it. "I wanted to embrace my passions even more," he said, "and direct them toward a greater purpose." Stephen and his partner, Nate, decided to call their company Grateful Inconvenience, and they live up to that moniker.

Today Stephen travels all over the world producing media and video presentations for some of the world's most popular music acts. Every year he takes off several months to go to China or Africa or the Middle East. It's become part of his life to intentionally disorient himself so that his heart stays sensitive to the needs of the world. He has found his life by "losing" it, all because of an initial uncomfortable experience. Although he's a self-reliant businessman, he still disciplines himself to take time off and serve. He doesn't allow his heart to grow cold. What once wrecked him continues to disorient him because he chooses to let it.

There is something important about a life lived like this— full of moments that tear us apart and break our hearts and help us understand our purpose. Moments that inconvenience us. Moments for which we should be eternally grateful.

When I first encountered this idea of being wrecked, I was surprised to find that missionaries were not the only ones experiencing this attitude of feeling ruined and undone. It came from a variety sources, I heard it from graduate students serving in the public school system. I heard it from friends who worked at summer camps. I even heard it from suburbanites who had experienced a brush with the poor. So I started asking more people, "What wrecks you?" And I was surprised by what I found. Entrepreneurs and homemakers and physical therapists all told me the same thing. They were devastated by the possibility of a better world. They had seen things they couldn't unsee. They were introduced to a way of life that didn't revolve around them, one that intentionally made room for others. And they loved it. They were addicted. After listening to enough stories, so was I.

It was an awakening of sorts for these friends, strangers, and me. We were all coming to grips with the fact that the promises of the American Dream were a disappointment. Like Tyler Durden in Fight Club, we were beginning to deconstruct the world-view we had inherited. We were beginning to see the lies we had believed. Was it really enough to strive and pine away for the sake of a paycheck when we had to mortgage our passion? We weren't so sure anymore.

This is what I mean by being "wrecked." To be wrecked is to be disabused of the status quo.

It means to have a transformation that goes beyond mere words—to be introduced to another way of life, to follow in the footsteps of a teacher who is calling you through the eye of a needle. Often it involves being catalyzed by an encounter with pain. The process is horrible and ugly and completely gut-wrenching— and at the same time, beautiful. It is real and hard and true. Most of all, it is necessary.

BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN

Years ago, I was on the streets of Mexico with the same group of missionaries whose stories I was helping tell. But this time I was living the story.

There were four of us in a group: Ryan, Talia, Jenny, and me. We were in Chiapas, the southernmost state in Mexico, and it had been raining for five days straight. After sitting inside for a week, we grew restless and set out to do some good. This was a mission trip, after all, and what did we have to show for it? Nothing. So we went in search of a story, with our own mixed motives, as people often do.

We rounded a corner and there she was, begging in front of a bank: the woman we had passed the other day. We had all seen her and ignored her. We had kept walking. We hadn't time for a crazy beggar lady. But this time was different. Despite the discomfort, we marched right up to her and started talking.

We introduced ourselves and asked her name. She thought for a moment and said she couldn't remember. As she spoke, the Nameless Woman covered her mouth with a blanket; she said it was because of "shame." One moment she would say something lucid, and the next she would get lost in incoherent ramblings.

She was blind in her right eye, which lazily dragged behind when she turned her head to look from one person to the next. As we talked to her, Ryan ran to get some bread and water for her. She would not eat in front of us. The woman complained of pains on her face, but she also talked about having a mustache. It was hard to understand what was real and what was imagined.

After giving her the food, we prayed for the Nameless Woman. She thanked us and said she felt peace. But we walked away feeling terrible. We had prayed, tried to feed this woman without a name, and we felt no satisfaction. This was nothing like what we expected. For all that we could tell, nothing had changed. The Nameless Woman was still hungry, still hurting, and still lonely. And still, we left her.

Talia walked away with an especially heavy burden. Moments later, she burst into tears. "I just feel so helpless," she said. We all felt that way: paralyzed by our inability to help, to heal. It was unnerving. Yet somehow, we knew it was good; maybe not right, but good nonetheless. We didn't understand that our hearts were being changed. This is how it often feels when you're doing the right thing.

We want to explain and understand messy moments like this one. At church or the mall or over dinner, we'll say to our friends that a seed was planted. They'll nod in mock recognition, offering some cliché about how you never know what good was probably done. For me, this has always been unsettling. It feels like patting myself on the back for my own apathy. It's a way to anesthetize the pain, to dull the discomfort of not doing enough. So often we want to move quickly past these moments. We want resolution; we want to justify ourselves. But these are the experiences we need. Our brokenheartedness at the injustices we witness is what gives us compassion. So when we rush past these messy and uncomfortable moments, we take away the experiences that teach us mercy.

Although I didn't realize it that day, the lack of resolution we experienced was a gift. The fact that we walked away from the Nameless Woman unable to help was an epiphany. The world is broken and remains that way, in spite of our efforts to help it. This is beautiful, in a way, because it breaks us of our self-dependency, In a world that refuses to be healed, we must face the fact that we are not the heroes of our stories, it teaches us to rely on something bigger than ourselves and teaches the source of true compassion.

THE KEY TO LIFE'S PURPOSE

Finding your identity and place in the world is not a seven-step program. It is not a tapestry, neatly woven, it is not easy or simple or tidy. In fact, it feels more like a sweater unwinding thread by thread. You are wrecked. It is not something you do. It happens to you. You cannot control it.

To be wrecked begins with an experience that pulls you out of your comfort zone and self-centeredness, whether you want it to or not. Your old narcissistic dreams begin to fade in light of something bigger, something better. The process leaves you battered and broken after the "real world" has slammed up against your ideals a couple dozen times. What's left standing is a new paradigm. It's hard, but it's good. It's incredible and indelible. It's tough, but only in the way that all things worth fighting for are tough. Being wrecked means everything you believe—everything you know about yourself, your world, and your destiny—is now in question. Because you've seen something bigger. And you can't go back. At first the process is disorienting. It calls out the greatest parts of you, the parts you might be afraid of] It tests your courage, the very fibers of your being. This may very well be why we avoid conflict. It calls into question that which we are most afraid of—ourselves. And in the end, you're not who you were before. You're different. You're changed. Your old life begins to make less and less sense in light of your new priorities. Everything that used to matter now feels arbitrary. And it seems futile to try rebuilding the old way of doing life. As confusing or as difficult as that may be, it's good.

This is how my friend Jimmy felt. A Canadian from Ontario who grew up in a good Dutch Reformed family, he's never lacked a theological explanation for anything. The church has quickly resolved any philosophical dilemma he's ever had.

But for Jimmy, that wasn't enough. He didn't want pat answers; he wanted to experience truth.

Last year, Jimmy left on a six-month stint to Latin America. He wasn't exactly sure at the time what he believed about church or God. Ali he knew was this: life had grown dull. Despite growing up in a polite, middle-class family, his life was missing something. He knew it wasn't actually in the southern hemisphere, but maybe, he hoped, he would find something in the going, in the falling apart. Maybe his heart would break enough that he'd be able to see clearly, to actually feel something.

I spoke with Jimmy the other week. 1 wanted to know why, at a time when plenty of his friends are buying houses and having babies, he refuses to settle down. His answer was simple: he travels to remember that he's not done yet. The uncertainty of moving around reminds him of the fickleness of life and what's really important.

"When I travel," he told me on a Skype call from Peru, "my problems slide into the context of the rest of the world. Things that were building up at home with work or relationships or whatever become contextual, and it helps me to understand the meaning of those struggles and maybe how to better respond to them. Traveling helps me realize what my preferences are, who my true friends and family are, and where my home is. It gives me a clearer understanding of the need to have an anchor in this uncertain, unsteady life." For Jimmy, the leaving reminds him of the importance of staying.

DYING TO LIVE

I've known a few "cutters"—people who cut themselves with a razor blade or pair of scissors. Unfortunately, this form of self-mutilating is a dangerously growing trend among young adults. However, there is an important lesson to be learned here. I always thought people cut themselves because they were suicidal, that they wanted to die. But in fact the exact opposite is true. Most cutters I know cut themselves not because they want to die, but because they want to live. ]he world of comfort has slowly crept around them, intoxicating them with a dullness of life that makes everything £eel cloudy and confusing. Cutting, in their minds, is the only way to feel alive again.

Although terribly misguided, there is truth in this understanding of pain and life. Coming back to grips with life as it was meant to be lived will hurt. It will bring discomfort. You will have to bear the burdens of others and carry those whose legs can no longer take them where they need to go. You will have to suffer, to endure, to persevere—not just for yourself, but for others. And it will be painful.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from WRECKED by JEFF GOINS Copyright © 2012 by Jeff Goins. Excerpted by permission of Moody Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Foreword by Michael Hyatt

Introduction
Chapter 1: You Must Get Wrecked
Chapter 2: You Won't Find Yourself Where You're Looking
Chapter 3: Help Wanted: Come and Die
Chapter 4: How I Was Wrecked
Chapter 5: From Wrecked to Committed
Chapter 6: The Fruit of Commitment
Chapter 7: When You Have to Walk Away
Chapter 8: Get a Job
Chapter 9: Going Where You Don't Want to Go
Chapter 10: Wrecking Others
Notes
Acknowledgments

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

In His upside-down Kingdom, God promises we can actually find our life by giving it away to others. What is your God-given passion for serving? What is outside of you and bigger than you that demands your time, talent and treasure? I encourage you to ponder that as you read Jeff’s thoughts in Wrecked. The result will be life changing … and you may be surprised to discover that the life changed could be yours.
—Dr. Wess Stafford, President and CEO, Compassion International 

The dissatisfaction we feel has a surprising remedy, and this beautiful book tells us what it is: we need to change, and we need to be broken. The lessons of Wrecked will lead you through the wilderness.
—Chris Guillebeau, Author, The $100 Startup

A stunning debut, this book—admittedly—wrecked me. In Wrecked, Jeff Goins held nothing back, using his poetic writing and passion for change-making to call me to action in my own life. He'll do the same for you.
—Claire Díaz-Ortiz, Social Innovation, Twitter, Inc.

It’s been said, "The true Gospel comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable." Jeff reminds us that Jesus not only came to heal broken hearts—but also to shatter the status quo. Let his book be an invitation to say ‘yes’ to Jesus and then do something daring with your life. May it help you become a holy nonconformist to all the patterns of this world that are out of sync with the upside-down Kingdom of God. May it give you the courage to join the revolutionary work of Jesus, loving people back to life and building a new world in the shell of the old one.
—Shane Claiborne, author, activist, and lover of Jesus, www.facebook.com/ShaneClaiborne

Although Jeff Goins writes of his experience working with missionaries and ministry, this is truly a guide to growing up and committing to a worthy cause. Yes, young people will find this book immensely practical and helpful, but so will anyone of any age who wants to do work that matters. Perhaps you are like me, at the stage of life where you wonder if you are chasing air and evaluating your overall purpose and impact—this book is also for you. Get Wrecked and walk away changed.
—Carrie Wilkerson, Author, The Barefoot Executive, Host of BarefootExecutive.TV

Jeff Goins wrote my favorite kind of book. First he lived it, then he wrote it. The result is a book that everyone who has ever wondered "Is there more to life than this?" should read.
—Jon Acuff, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job

Jeff Goins has written an inspiring, instructive, exciting, forceful call for young people. I'd love to give it to almost every twenty-something I know.
—Shauna Niequist, author of Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet, www.shaunaniequist.com.

There is a life that most of us dream of living. Chances are you won't drift into that life. But there are some clear choices you can make along the way to set yourself up to receive all that God has for you. Jeff does a masterful job of gracefully yet purposely helping us take the steps of faith so many of us need to take.
—Pete Wilson, Pastor of Cross Point Church, Author of Plan B and Empty Promises

With Wrecked, Jeff Goins goes way beyond a simple call to action. He gives you a manifesto for getting off the sidelines and living the kind of life you've only dreamed about. Be warned—Wrecked will change you! This is one of the best books I've read in a long time.
—Mark Lee, Guitarist and founding member of Third Day

Jeff Goins is a precise and passionate speaker which is also true of his writing. No unnecessary verbiage—to the point truth that will change our lives. I like that...I like that a lot.
—Patsy Clairmont, Author, Stained Glass Hearts

Jeff Goins has written a clear-eyed book about the grit and glory of growing up and choosing commitment over complacency. His perspective is refreshing and at times hard to hear, but it brims with practical wisdom for those who yearn to serve a purpose larger than themselves.
—Ian Morgan Cron, Author, Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: a Memoir…of Sorts

Wrecked is a book you should be deliciously afraid to read because it's content will collide into your conscience and derail your future into a life more meaningful than the one you've lived before.
—Sarah Cunningham, Author, Idea Junkie, and Blogger who tries to bring people together around good things. www.sarahcunningham.org

Wrecked fulfills two rare deliverables: it messes with you (in a good way), and introduces you to the fantastic writing of a new author you'll certainly be hearing more from.
—Mark Oestreicher, Partner, The Youth Cartel

I've read Jeff's writing for years, and I can tell you: What he talks about, he lives. As someone who has given his life to helping the least and less-fortunate, he shares his heart-rending experiences and struggles in a voice that resonates. Read this book, but be warned: You won't finish it the same way you started it.
—Anne Jackson, Speaker and Author, Mad Church Disease and Permission to Speak Freely

I loved this book. The stories filled me with a desire to be more, risk more, and live more. Who would have guessed that being wrecked is really the beginning to living? If you want to live, get Wrecked — read it, then do it!
—Ken Davis, Author, Fully Alive, Speaker, and Communications Trainer

Wrecked reminded me of my own times of beautiful wrecking, and it wooed me once again toward a sacrificial, joyful life. The stories, the writing, the theology all beckoned me to live intentionally, work hard, and obey Jesus afresh.
—Mary DeMuth, Author, Everything: What You Gain and What You Give to Become Like Jesus

If you're someone who is groping in the dark without purpose or inspiration, Wrecked just might be the flashlight you need, enabling you to see the next step in the journey.
—Frank Viola, Author, From Eternity to Here and Jesus Manifesto, www.frankviola.org

Jeff has the rare gift of moving hearts. You'll find encouragement, be inspired to step out of your comfort zone, and live with purpose. Enjoy the journey.
—Alli Worthington, Founder of Picha Global and BlissDom

My dreams and goals have all been sideswiped by something much greater than I could muster up in my dream machine of a brain. So many times we chase and run after a dream and dodge the very things that will get us closer to the dream if we would only allow them to. Jeff has taken stories in this book and wrapped practical advice on what to do when life hits the fan. We think it's over. But it’s only just beginning...
—Carlos Whittaker, Blogger, Musician, & Creative Coach

In Wrecked, Jeff Goins emerges as a noteworthy and influential voice for this generation. As great writers do, he frames the pain that accompanies compassion with words and stories I won’t soon forget. Reader beware: change is coming and Jeff Goins holds the megaphone.
—Emily P. Freeman, Author, Grace for the Good Girl

Everything Jeff Goins writes is purposeful, fervent, and full of humanity. The stories and ideas in this book will break you, shape you, and ultimately fill you.
—Matthew Paul Turner, Author, Churched and Hear No Evil

If you're looking to be stirred towards something more, encouraged toward your true calling, and challenged to act accordingly, even when it's hard, read Wrecked and join the adventure of a lifetime!
—Cheri Keaggy, Dove Award-winning Singer/Songwriter, Speaker, Blogger

Wrecked is a creative mix of wit, transparency, and courageous thinking that will catch you off guard and lead you on an unexpected exploration into your own soul and calling. Open this book if you dare to live life to the fullest.
—Charles Lee, CEO of Ideation, & Author, Good Idea. Now What?

The compassion Christ calls us to can sometimes break us in ways that completely wreck our former way of living in our comfortable little worlds. Goins challenges readers to live life not only on purpose but with purpose—remembering that none of us gets a second chance at life. If you are ready to make a difference—a real, raw, life-altering difference in the world—then Wrecked is a must-read.
—Lorie Newman, Speaker, Orphan Advocate, and Author, A Cup of Cold Water in His Name: 60 Ways to Care for the Needy

Jeff Goins is one of the freshest writers coming on the scene today. He not only brings a raw, authentic perspective to the issues we struggle with most but also a surprising wisdom that is far beyond his years. Wrecked is a must-read because if you haven't been, you will be. And this book is for such a time as this.
—Ben Arment, Creator of STORY and Dream Year

Vulnerable and gritty, Wrecked is going to dig into your heart and change you. You will be compelled to live.
—Sarah Mae, Author, Desperate

In a world that teaches us to spend our lives building hollow monuments to our comfort and success, the message of Wrecked rings true: we must allow our monuments to be knocked down in order to make way for something that will endure. Wrecked is a guide down a beautiful, broken road, and I'm grateful for it.
—Scott McClellan, Director of Echo Hub and Echo Conference

Wrecked is one of those books that had me continually saying ‘yes’ under my breath. Jeff is a great writer whose engaging storytelling resonated deeply with me at every turn of the page. He was able to put in 150 pages the transformational journey we all wrestle with early in life. As a therapist and pastor, this is exactly the type of book I can’t wait to put in the hands of the people I counsel and minister to.
—Rhett Smith, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Author, The Anxious Christian: Can God Use Your Anxiety for Good?

This life we live isn’t meant to be comfortable and easy. We’ll all experience and encounter situations that will challenge us to look at the world differently. How we respond will determine the kind of impact we leave. Wrecked will inspire anyone who desires to do more with their life.
—Crystal Renaud, Author, Dirty Girls Come Clean

In our story-centered culture we've learned that personal growth often comes through pain, struggle, and conflict, but we're still drawn to comfort over calamity. Through his own story of being wrecked, Jeff Goins leads us into a calling of giving our lives away for the sake of God being able to use us for His glory. Wrecked is the challenging book needed for upcoming generations looking to find their place in our world.
—Tyler Braun, Author, Why Holiness Matters—We've Lost Our Way But We Can Find It Again

Through the years, I've mentored many young men, but few of them have taken direction like Jeff Goins. His maturity and commitment are exemplary; he is years ahead of his peers. The writing in this book reflects that — a heart of humility and passion and a life that lives it.
—Seth Barnes, Executive Director, Adventures in Missions

We’re all creatures of habit. We want life to go as planned. Predictable. Neat. Tidy. If that’s what you really want, put this book down and walk away. Because Jeff's powerful stories and profound insights will scrape the scales from your eyes and shift your focus outward to a suffering world. The grip on your perfect personal reality will slip, because Wrecked will inject it with awareness, compassion, and room for others. Prepare to have your heart dislocated—for the better.
—Tor Constantino, Author, A Question of Faith, Founder, www.thedailyretort.com

 
“I better warn you. This book is not going to leave you alone. It hasn't left me alone, even when I wished it would. Jeff writes true things, with heart and integrity, and that's what gets under my skin and into my soul and makes everything get all, well, wrecked. This is the kind of book that people remember reading because it coincides with making big choices. Bravo to Jeff for living it first and then writing it well.”
—Annie Downs, Author, Perfectly Unique, and Writer at www.AnnieBlogs.com 

Wrecked is not your typical book about brokenness. Jeff's writing is deep and poignant. He has written a guide to the life most of us are too timid to live—the one in between the thrills and adventures. This book will force you to think differently; it did for me.
—Chad Jarnagin, Songwriter, Artist

Through brilliant storytelling, Jeff captures the heart and soul of those who will not be satisfied with watching others help others. They want to make their days count. In the pages of Wrecked, I found a new identity for myself. I want to be wrecked. When you read this book, you will, too.
—Ron Edmondson, Pastor, Leadership Consultant, and Blogger

What Jeff talks about in Wrecked is more than mere theory. As a twenty-something who has dedicated his life to serving a purpose bigger than himself, he shares the greatest opportunity his generation faces: the opportunity to make a difference. This is a book written from the trenches, and is real and relevant to the real world.
—Wayne Elsey, Founder of Soles4Souls, Head Coach of Wayne Elsey Enterprises

This book will cause you to take a long overdue look in the mirror. Mired in complacency? Prone to selfish behavior? Yeah, me neither—or so I thought until I read Wrecked. Jeff Goins will equip you with the practical steps needed to do something about it. If you're ready to be challenged, read it now. If you're comfortable where you are, read it anyway.
—Jeff Brown, Award-winning Broadcaster

For some of us, we try so hrd to avoid pain in our lives that we avoid making the right choices. We choose to reject God’s guidance because we value how we feel more than we value the