Mark Horvath is fond of the word “wrecked.” He’s the founder of InvisiblePeople.tv, where he posts his video interviews with the homeless. He uses the word “wrecked” to describe the experience of seeing the reality of homelessness. When he comes across some heart-breaking tragedy—such as a mom on the streets with her kids at her side—his response is simply, “I’m wrecked.”
Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life by Jeff Goins is a manual for dealing with that experience of being wrecked. More than dealing with the incredible brokenness of life, Wrecked is about embracing it. For only when we turn away from ourselves and face what’s broken do we truly live.
As church communicators, this is part of our duty. As we come in contact with a broken world we strive to show them Jesus. But beyond billboards, this is about translating our communication and marketing into action.
Jeff makes a living telling stories. And those stories are more powerful because he’s chosen to embrace the things that break him, to pursue those stories that break his heart, to go where things are hard, difficult and uncomfortable. It’s not easy, but it’s where we’re supposed to be.
While this is a manual for being wrecked, it’s also a how-to for converting our safe lives as communicators into the wild and messy world of engagers. Jeff talks about finding your place in the world and finding satisfaction in your job. He talks about making commitments and sticking through the hard times to discover the greater rewards. He talks about those terrible times when you have to walk away.
It’s a horribly idealistic little book and it’s great.
More:
- Read our interview with author Jeff Goins.
- Buy a copy of Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life.
