Book Review and Giveaway: Overrated by Eugene Cho

About the Author:

Eugene is the founder and visionary of One Day’s Wages, a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. He is the founder and senior pastor of Quest Church, an urban, multicultural, and multigenerational church in Seattle, Washington. Eugene and his wife, Minhee, have three children.

My Review:
What is overrated? You may wonder :). The author explains, "While I want to applaud (really!), the desire and sincerity of people wanting to change the world, I fear that if we're not careful, we might become...the most overrated generation. I fear that we might be more in love with the idea of changing the world than actually changing the world...I think our wealth of resources and opportunities lends itself to this theory that we may be part of the most overrated generation in human history--because we have access to so much data, info, resources, modes of communication...but we end up doing so little." (p. 29, p. 30) Good intention and desire do not change the world; action does. Do you walk the talk? If you are passionate about social justice, what are you doing about it? And why should you care about it in the first place? Overrated is, in fact, a book of confession, compassion, and conviction. The author shares his own journey and struggles with transparency and humor. Painfully honest and refreshingly inspiring.

The author challenges us readers to dig deep into what we truly care about in order to be well informed and well equipped and then to effectively serve well. Justice, mercy, and humility...are what God wants His children to embrace. I'm thankful for the author's boldness to speak up the hard truth that Christ's followers must hear (read). And I like the fact that he lives what he preaches...not perfectly but intentionally. The message in this book is a call for us to examine our hearts/passions and live the Gospel authentically. When you live what you believe, the world will notice. We are called to be light in this dark world....to help the poor...to defend the defenseless...to be a voice for the voiceless...to be artisans of hope to the hopeless...to share with those in need...to make a difference in the world. There are so many social issues such as poverty, starvation, lack of clean drinking water, injustice, oppression, diseases, abortion, human trafficking, and orphans. We are to actively demonstrate Christ's love to all people. We must put our love into action. God wants us to use our time, talents, and treasure to help the hurting world for His glory and for His kingdom.

Motives matter! God looks at the heart! Know why you do what you do. Is it done out of love for God and for others or out of self-love/selfish ambition? Is it for God's glory or for self-promotion and people's applause? Do you do it because it's fashionable and trendy or because it's the right thing to do/it pleases and honors God? There's cost to discipleship/cost to following Jesus...cost to living a life of radical obedience, but "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." (Jim Elliot)  I really enjoyed reading this eye-opening, thought-provoking, heart-probing book and I highly recommend it! By the way, this book made me think of these two songs: God of Justice by Tim Hughes and The Motions by Matthew West.

"This is why for us, as Christians, the person of God, the deity of God, God's justice, and God's goodness are such powerful things. God's justice is His plan of redemption for a broken world. God's justice is renewing the world to where He would have intended it to be." (p. 37)
"God invites and commands His people to not just be aware of injustice but to pursue justice. Not just to pursue justice but to live justly...We do justice because justice is rooted in the character of God and thus must reflect in the character of His followers." (p. 38, p. 39)
"We need to pursue justice not just because the world is broken, but because we're broken, too. Pursuing justice helps us put our own lives in order. Perhaps this is what God intended--that in doing His work serving others, we discover more of His character and are changed ourselves." (p. 52)
"Contentment does not come from our upward mobility. Our contentment comes from a life of gratitude and generosity. Our contentment comes in living in the truth that Jesus emptied Himself and invites us to live in countercultural obedience to Him." (p. 66)
"As Christians, we should be about the work of God, the work of shalom, restoration, and redemption--in all the simplicity and profundity that this work requires." (p. 97)
"Don't be held captive to either praise or criticism. Know who you are, what you're about, and most important, Who you serve." (p. 150)
"God calls us to be generous, because in giving others, we are blessed. Our generosity blesses others, certainly, but it also rescues us from the idolatry of greed in our own lives." (p. 184)

Check out the book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqvd12mEEK4&list=UU4vF_MunQDVGg-P497Bj6nA

Official Website: http://areyouoverrated.com

GIVEAWAY: You can win a copy of this book. Open only to residents in the US and Canada.

Deadline: 10/14 at midnight (Pacific time) 

To Enter: Leave a comment here with your email address. Please share what your favorite Christian charity organization you like to support is.

~"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

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