If you know anything about me, you might know that I love Bob Goff! I even got a picture with him this past September. My love for Bob Goff stems from what Meggie, my old youth director / current best friend, got me as a graduation gift. His book, Love Does, started to change my heart and how I acted towards others.

Bob Goff and a starstruck me

Here are 10 things Bob Goff has changed in my life and how we can love others better.

Mistakes are okay, and you SHOULD learn from them!A big message out of Love Does is that everyone makes mistakes, even Jesus, but we can’t let the mistakes keep us down. We have to get up and brush ourselves off and continue trying. We can’t give up and wail “life isn’t fair!” We have to push past the failure and learn from it.

On page 30, Bob writes, ” [he] used to be afraid of failing at the things that really mattered to [him], but now [he’s] more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.” Do you want to fail doing what you love or succeeding that just sucks the passion out of you? Your life is not defined by what you believe in, it’s about what you actively and deliberately participate in.In the Bible, James 2:16 we learned that faith without works is dead. If we are called to believe in Jesus and be more like him, how can we call ourselves Christians if we’re not acting like who we worship each week? It doesn’t require anything more of us in most circumstances. We just have to love one another and help one another out – it’s just that easy folks! Goff wraps this up eloquently with the title – love. does. Say yes and see what happens.If you haven’t read my blog about being a ‘yes man,’ then I suggest you go read it. When it came to schooling for me, I knew nursing just wasn’t feeling right. Then, faith and social justice fell into my lap, and I said yes and ran with it. I couldn’t be happier. I am in an Old Testament class this semester, and I absolutely love it! I have gained so much knowledge from the class, and I seriously love it so much. In the book, we see Bob say yes to so many things and it works well for him, maybe we should all try that!

“We were all meant to save many lives. God is always trying to save lives, and it seems like He usually uses the least likely people to do it…. say yes!”

Be present – Immanuel “God with us”When sitting with friends having a heart to heart or at family dinner, put your phone down – those Facebook videos will be there for you later. Put your book down, read what God has written on your heart and share it. If God wanted Jesus to be present with his disciples and his people, wouldn’t he want the same for us?

“Sync it up!”I got the chance to see Bob speak, and I have many quotes. The next few are from his speech. We can’t say one thing and live out another. If we say we love our neighbor, and then curse them for playing music too loud, ultimately we aren’t loving our neighbor! *LOUD CLAP* Sync it up!

We have to align what we say with what we do, or else our words mean nothing. We have to sync it up, people!

“Just be you. No one can be youier than you!” This one is rather straight forward but so hard to do! God didn’t make multiples of you. You are the only you out there. Why try to be like the Kardashians or  Justin Bieber (I don’t know why you’d ever want to be like him, but that is your decision) when you can be you?! No one is more like you than you!! If you love reading books, share that. If you love sticking your foot over the back of your head, do it! Don’t try to be something you’re not because that will really suck when you are left with only yourself at the end of the day.  Discover your passions, your likes, your dislikes – know yourself inside and out, and LOVE YOURSELF! “You can have all the attitude you want, it just had to be the attitude of Jesus.”If you know me in person, you know I have attitude. I’m funny, sassy, and quirky (i think, but not sure). I’m not afraid to make jokes and want everyone to have a good laugh. But, at some point, I have to cut myself off and be like Jesus. I have to do what Jesus wants me to do and be like him no matter what. I encourage you to join me in trying to have the attitude of Jesus. (Maybe we should do a weekly post series exploring the be-attitudes?) Offer love and acceptance not advice.Sometimes when you’re going through something, you don’t want advice. You just want a shoulder to cry on, a pillow to punch, and a friend to agree with you. That’s ok! If you happen to be the friend receiving the crying person, maybe just give them a hug and offer your support, then chime in with the advice when the time is acceptable. Encourage one another.The words we say to one another leave a lasting impression and can make or break someone’s day. We should speak words of love and life instead of destructive ones. We have to love another; I think our world needs more love.

“The words people say to us not only have shelf life but have the ability to shape life.”

“When joy is a habit, love is a reflex”We need to have joyful hearts that way we can share the love we have inside. Joy is straight from God, and it’s contagious, share it.

If you haven’t gotten it yet, Bob Goff really wants us all to love one another. We see this all throughout his book,  Love Does. If you haven’t read it yet, buy a copy and read it – it will change your life! For those of you who want more, Bob is releasing another book in April called Everybody, Always and you can preorder a copy now from Barnes & Noble for like $15. I’ve already read the first 5 chapters, and they are amazing!! Buy it. I dare you.

with love and good vibes, michael