Anne Jackson (2) (1980–)

Great book on keeping God first in your life. Some of my favorite quotes:
I loved Jesus, but his church was wearing me out. “the way I was doing the work of God was destroying the work of God in my life.” Craig Groeschel
I gave God a choice that night (sixteen-year-olds are so smart!). Either I was going to part ways with the church entirely, or he was going to give me a way to help bring unity to the church.
I didn’t have the answer. But I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was so wrapped up in doing, I had forgotten how to simply be.
If the leader is exhausted, then the people following that leader will feel exhausted. If the leader is wearing thin on hope, then people start losing hope too. If the leader gets pessimistic, everybody gets pessimistic. You see where this is going. I would hope we could find the kind of energy that comes only from the Holy Spirit so that we can sustain productive, Christ-honoring ministry over the long haul. Bill Hybels
Anne, your dreams are just too big for our church. Maybe it's time you found somewhere else you can dream.
I don’t do evening meetings, don’t schedule dinner meetings, and don’t have the elders meeting in the evening. We have those meetings early in the morning or at lunchtime. I get home around 5:15 every night, and that is practically set in stone. You should design your ministry around your family values. Craig Groeschel
Do you run to something that only covers up your pain? Something that allows you to hide in it? Or do you run to God?
“People are afraid to be amazing.” Penelope Trunk
Don’t get older; get better: Live realistically. Give generously. Adapt willingly. Trust fearlessly. Rejoice daily. Charles Swindoll
We cannot be dependent on ourselves and on God at the same time. When we consider the practice of rest unnecessary, we will also inevitably lose sight of the necessity of God.… (mais)

Anne Jackson's new book is brave and beautiful. And it is what the church needs. Many churches bemoan the falling off of young adults and the challenges in staying relevant to their lives. Anne was one of those teenagers, one of those young adults who couldn't bear to be in a place that didn't welcome her as she was, with all of her brokenness. But Anne realized that we are all broken, and she uses this book to reach the brokenness in all of us - to welcome it and release it and replace it with love. And this is the picture of Jesus - inviting confession, healing the broken, and pouring out love. Through the stories and art of Anne's life and those she has met, we see a broken church. Then, in Anne's open confessions, we see that God provides the hope, help, and healing. When the church provided rejection, God provided grace. Anne writes about the church being a refuge and how it needs to return to being that space for all of us, in our brokenness and through our healing as a picture of God's love.

By giving her confession, Anne is giving all of us a beautiful gift. She is helping the church understand how it appears to those who are struggling and why young people are turning away. She is inspiring us to confess our own struggles by showing what a blessing confession can be and how it is the first step towards healing. She is providing us with a sense of community and oneness - the message that we are not alone. And she is showing us what grace looks like, providing hope to all of us that are lost.

Read this book because you want to understand young people. Read this book because you struggle. Read this book if you feel rejected or alone. Read this book if you need some hope. Read this book to experience God's grace. Read this book to learn what it means to love your neighbor in our broken world.

And then thank God for giving Anne the courage to write this book and speak to crowds with open arms using her struggles to bring all of us closer to Him. I know I did.… (mais)