Book Review: Average Joe

I just finished reading Average Joe by Troy Meeder and thought it was a good book. Subtitled God’s Extraordinary Calling to Ordinary Men, Troy unpacks what it means to be a so called Average Joe and how God uses Average Joe’s to change the world.

Troy starts the book at the beginning, looking back to childhood and the hopes and dreams boys have. Boys’ dreams are big dreams, dreams of being an astronaut, a fire fighter or a football player. Yet we are not all star athletes or pilots, so what happened? Well, life happens and we seem to get caught up in the small things in life and forget what is truly important.

Section 2 of the book looks at some examples of Average Joe’s that have been in Troy’s life and how God has used them in big ways. He unpacks the importance of mentors and having friends you can trust. With each story he shares what he learned and what we can learn about ourselves and who God is and how God is at work.

Section 3 finishes up with some stories from Troy’s life and lessons that he has learned along the way. He digs into his own story, triumphs he has had, mistakes he has made, and through all of it, shows us how Christ has been at work in his heart.

All in all, I thought this was a good book and I would recommend it to anyone to read. Troy knows what it means to be a man after God’s heart and it shows through this book. He opens up his heart and shares what most men would be uncomfortable sharing and he is able to do this because Troy knows his value in Christ. I really resonated with Troy when he said “My concern is that we often forsake the ver best things in life for the pursuit of the seemingly good things.” He continually calls men love; love God, love your family, love your friends, love your enemies, love your neighbor. Troy says at the end of the book, “If you understand nothing else within the pages of this book, understand this: Jesus Christ is the Rock of our salvation. He is the one and only son of God. He is the only way to eternal life. Life begins at the Rock, at the Cross.”