When You Are Longing for More in this Life (#ComeWithMe book review and #giveaway)

Who doesn’t have a longing for more in this life? There’s an ache that lies deep in each of us, begging for more. But more of what?

More of what this world offers will not satisfy.

The only salve that will heal the longing for more we all have is a deeper connection with our Creator.

The only salve that will heal the longing for more we all have is a deeper connection with our Creator. Share on X

I’ve long loved the Lord. My life activities reflect that, albeit imperfectly. 

Still something has been been missing. My salvation was secure in Christ, but my heart was crying for something more. Something that could not be satisfied with more doing, but only through

more surrendering, 

more communing, 

more Jesus!

Satisfaction and contentment are found in surrendering my understanding of what is good and simply following Jesus. It’s found in surrendering what I should be doing for what He asks me to do. It’s found in surrendering all I have and all I am to follow the One who promises something much greater.

It’s really about being sold out to God, like each of the 12 disciples were. And I’m finding it makes all the difference in this beautiful walk called faith.

Being sold out to God makes all the difference in this beautiful walk called faith. Share on X

Come With Me

As He did the 12 disciples 2,000 years ago, Jesus asks each of us to “Follow Him.” And He doesn’t mean follow Him to a dogmatic way of living and certainly not to a life of comfort. He’s asking us to go into the “harder places of faith” and “discover the unexpected beauty of following where he leads.”

As He did the 12 disciples 2,000 years ago, Jesus asks each of us to 'Follow Him.' Will you go wherever He leads? Share on X

As Author and Speaker Suzanne Eller puts it in her powerful new book, Come With Me: Discovering the Beauty of Following Where He Leads, “When we answer the [Jesus’] call of ‘Come with me,’ something changes…. It’s no longer about church, though we love our church family. It’s no longer about being moral just for morality’s sake. It’s discovering what it means for faith to infiltrate every detail of your life.”

In Come With Me, the author challenges us to reconsider what following Jesus looks like in each of our lives. After spending months walking with the disciples through the gospel of Luke (with excursions to the other three gospels), she came to realize that each of us “are called to walk as the thirteenth disciple.”

In her new book, she takes time to unpack and explore what that looks like in today’s world.

Walk as the Thirteenth Disciple

Filled with challenging thoughts and poignant scripture passages, Come With Me, leads us to a better understanding of what a deeper faith walk looks like.

A walk that

involves adopting a new identity as God’s own chosen daughter, “Home isn’t a place, but a connection with Christ to the point that we know whose we are.”

involves a new definition of success, “Success is not about a specific feat, but about finding where you fit.”

involves a new definition of trials, “Sometimes the greatest surprises come in our greatest trials…. Yet it is in the storm that you discover who he is and, in the process, a whole lot more about you.”

involves a new definition of weakness: “God uses our strengths, but just as effectively, he uses our weaknesses…. Trusting him in your weakness is living the gospel in its most intimate form.”

involves a new definition of prayer: “There’s an untapped force to prayer that most of us fail to grasp…. We can communicate with God, but we are invited to commune with him…. A conversation — but more so a connection.

God is inviting and welcoming us to adventure with Him, not to “a charmed life, but to “a changed life.” To seek Him, not more of what we get from Him or even more of what we have to do for Him, but to simply connect with Him, in a beautiful form of communion.

And in that invitation lies a promise, not of comfort, but of joy and peace as we willingly and gratefully take each step.

Follow Jesus Deeper

Following Jesus wherever He leads, is about “walking into the deep…. not going in with expectations, but expectancy.” And in the process, experiencing “untapped transformation as we walk into the deep.”

But it’s important to remember going deeper with Jesus isn’t necessarily about giving up all we own and going to the far ends of the world. It may involve that, but more often it’s following Him to experience more right where we live.

Because “Going isn’t where we go, but what happens as we do.” It’s a journey that infiltrates every aspect of our life. 

Through exploration of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ calling and interaction with the 12 disciples and vulnerable stories from the author’s own life, Come With Me provides a catalyst for challenging our comfortable faith and offers an invitation to walk deeper with Jesus wherever He calls. 

It also gives guidance at the end of each chapter for exploring what that uniquely looks like in each of our lives. Suzanne Eller gently but powerfully encourages us through probing questions, a Scripture passage and prayer, and, my favorite section, Living As a Disciple, which includes practical tips to begin that deeper faith walk.

Her heart is for you and me to whisper yes to Jesus and experience the unexpected beauty of following wherever He leads. 

Will you join me in letting Jesus begin to fill that longing you have for more?

Say yes to Jesus & experience the unexpected beauty of following where He leads. Enter #giveaway of #comewithme Share on X

Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Reflections: Are you longing to go deeper with your faith? Will you whisper yes to wherever Jesus is asking you to go? 

Come With Me: Discovering the Beauty of Following Where He Leads releases May 3, but is available for preorder now. If you are longing for something more in your faith walk, make sure you check this book out.

Because I believe so strongly in the message of Come With Me, I’m offering a giveaway as well. Just follow the Rafflecopter below to enter to win 1 copy. The contest ends at midnight May 8.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Going on 5 years of counting and I’m nearing 5,000 gifts in Ann Voskamp’s Joy Dare! What a blessing! Here are numbers #4,957–4,977. Read my entire list by clicking here.