by 
Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People by Bob Goff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Bob Goff wears me out.
He is so high energy that he jokes about himself, “I make coffee nervous.” He said at a seminar I recently attended, “Coffee drinks me to wake up!” Bob has a different spirit than anyone I’ve ever met. Most people look at difficult situations and ask “Why?” Bob asks “Why not?”
On the Enneagram, Bob is a Seven with a Seven wing. On the one hand I admire him and am a little envious of the sheer amount of energy he exudes, on the other hand living his life for a week would completely destroy me. I get that he’s not calling us to live like he does. Not many of us can travel hundreds of thousands of miles a year across the globe, making multiple trips to places like Uganda every year. I’m never going to build a lodge resort in the back woods of Canada. But that’s not the point. The point is to live out the love of Christ wherever you are to the people you’re with.
More than anyone else I’ve ever met, Bob embodies what Jesus says in John 3: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Bob is not controlled by anyone except the Spirit of God. Bob has an openness to the urging of God’s Spirit and an availability to people and opportunities like I’ve never seen before. Bog Goff is a living, breathing example of what it means to be “born of the Spirit” and to love others as Christ has loved him.
I have my personal reasons for giving “Everybody, Always” four stars instead of five. For one, I prefer books that are a bit more….focused in their scope. I had the same feelings about “Love Does.” It’s just a bit too scattered. The last few chapters of the book are all focused on one single story and its outcome, and it’s one of the most inspiring stories demonstrating the power of God’s love that I’ve ever read. Besides that, every chapter heads off in a completely different direction. It’s GREAT for readers who don’t have a lot of time or with short attention spans. But it’s somewhat disjointed for simply sitting down and reading through.
Also, and another commenter made this point, Bob writes from a very privileged position. White, Christian, male, upper class, lawyer – it doesn’t get much better than that. Granted, he uses his wealth, privilege, position, and knowledge to make an amazing difference in the world. But he talks about dropping $95 per visit to Disneyland like it’s nothing. He makes multiple airplane trips per week like it’s normal. He owns a house in San Diego and a lodge in British Columbia. I can’t even begin to relate to that kind of money and privilege. He may lose some readers because of these things.
Everyone needs someone like Bob Goff in their lives. God is using him in big ways. He’s encouraging and hilarious and available. He literally puts his personal cell phone number in the back of his books and will answer your calls. Bob is inspiring a whole new generation of people – believers AND nonbelievers alike, to love – Everybody, Always. Go and do likewise.
Daniel N. Lee 