Book Review: Extraordinary

Click here to read an excerpt from this book by John Bevere.

I requested to review this book because it sounded intriguing. "Isn't it true that we long to see the extraordinary, experience the extraordinary, do the extraordinary? Yet we so often settle for mediocrity when greatness is within our grasp. Why are we drawn to stories of heroic triumph over seemingly impossible circumstances? In our fascination with adventure movies, superheroes, and tales of incredible human feats, do we reveal an inherent desire for something larger and greater in life? Maybe what we think is a need to escape or be entertained is actually a God-inspired longing...for the extraordinary."

Reading the book, however, I was less enthused. I was a bit confused about the message that Bever was trying to get across. It finally came together towards the end of the book, though: We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s power. Grace has been freely given to us, but it can only be accessed by faith. God responds to faith and nothing else. Bever challenges the Church to arise and walk extraordinarily in the power of grace through relentless faith. Quit looking at your ability, but focus in on His authority, His ability, His power that is residing in you. He has given us so much. There is no limit to what we can do to help people come into fullness of life.

It's a great message, but it took a while for the author to get there. Bever repeated himself a lot and never showed the big picture until the conclusion of the book. I found myself a bit bored and lacking the initial enthusiasm I had hoped I'd find while reading.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.