Published by Baker Books on September 1, 2020
Genres: Non-Fiction
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How would you describe your walk with God? Fresh and passionate? Vibrant and full of life? Stagnant? Nonexistent? No matter where you are on your walk, that's exactly where God promises to meet you--even if it's messy.
Sharing his own story of spiritual drifting, popular online pastor Rashawn Copeland encourages you to accept yourself as a glorious work in progress, a beloved child in whom God delights, a person on the brink of revival. Anchoring everything in Scripture, he shows you how to start your walk with God now, even in the midst of your mess. Even in the midst of addiction, doubt, depression, fear, and years spent running from God, he shows it is possible to
- find God's love and acceptance - develop strong character- choose to rejoice- move out of your mess- see life through God's eyes- be a loving person in a hateful world- never settle for less than God's best- and more
The change you long to see in the world starts in your own heart. Thankfully, that's exactly where God is waiting for you.
The hardest step on a long journey is the first step. In Start Where You Are, Rashawn Copeland encourages readers to forget about preparations. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. No need to get it all together first. Wherever you are, start your journey toward God now. And the best part? That first step is all you’ll need.
Rashawn Copelands’s punchy, fast-paced, conversational storytelling and motivating simply cannot be ignored. Reading this book is like sitting down with a friend who’s talking a mile a minute, intent on sharing with you something that’s been on his mind. There’s no drip drip drip of information. Copeland pours it on in bucketloads, intertwining Scripture with personal stories and anecdotes, encouraging readers to pursue God with their whole hearts. Start Where You Are is like an energy drink for the soul.
Copeland works his way through the fruits of the Spirit with chapters on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, conviction, and self-control. He works out taking that first step, beginning where you are, allows God to take you the rest of the way and help you through your issues. It’s a passionate, heartfelt book that oozes with genuine encouragement every step of the way.
Each chapter ends with a discussion prompt, a prayer, and a practical thing to do. This means you can read Start Where You Are straight through or use as a devotional, taking it one chapter every day or one chapter every week. Nothing that Rashawn says is revolutionary—I mean, it is, but not in the sense that it’s never been said before. In a way, Start Where You Are is elementary. It’s nothing you probably haven’t heard before. It’s Copeland’s tone, the way in which he comes alongside as a cheerleader through the printed word, that makes this stand out. What he is saying is basic, but it’s a needed message.
We can have the tendency to, when we know something so well we know it by rote, that we process it intellectually and not emotionally. Copeland challenges to recapture that emotion and live a passionate life as we grow in Christ day by day. If you’re struggling in your faith, this is what you need to pick you up. If you’re good in your faith, this is your shot in the arm to keep running the race. Simple, solid, and Gospel, Start Where You Are is a refreshing challenge to lay everything down and pursue Christ.