Double Blessing: How to Get It. How to Give It by Mark Batterson (Multnomah/Random House; 2019)

This is the latest book by Pastor Mark Batterson, who has written several bestsellers, such as The Circle Maker, Chase the Lion, and Whisper. As evidenced by the title, this book is about blessing --- both the kind that we receive from God and the kind believers can pass on to others. Starting with the premise that blessing is God's default nature toward us, Batterson splits the book into two parts --- to describe what the blessing of God is and how we can perceive and receive His blessings. And the second part hammers home the real point of this book: That blessings are lavishly given to believers as God's children, but after receiving blessings, we are to take our blessings and use them to bless others.

In the first section, the author starts with the story of Elijah and Elisha, and how Elisha had the audacity (and faith!) to ask for a double portion of the blessing that Elijah had received from God. And then he was granted his request by God and did many mighty and gracious blessings to people inside and even outside ancient Israel. From here, Batterson takes readers on a quick journey through the Old and New Testaments to highlight how the blessings of God are a thread found throughout Scripture. Batterson offers a beneficial description of how to think about God's blessings --- "Blessings are like an umbrella. An umbrella doesn't change the forecast. Life will rain pain...But the blessing of God does provide covering of sorts, an extra layer of protection from the elements."

The author then goes on in the rest of this first section with a word study of the meanings and applications for the Hebrew word for "blessing," along with providing examples of characters in the Bible --- like Jacob and Zerubbabel; and historical figures like Abraham Lincoln and Charles Spurgeon. He chose these characters to illustrate that blessings from God do not deliver us from all evil, for all of these men suffered in some catastrophic ways in their lives, but the blessings came later after wisdom and faith were matured through these difficulties.

In Part Two, Batterson focuses on our giving of blessings to others. He summarizes that this way: "God has blessings for us in categories we cannot even conceive of. [And]... it is our job to steward those blessings by flipping them for others!" So, using examples from the founding of his church in Washington, DC -- - National Community Church --- as well as stories and applications drawn from real-life events and biographies (along with neat scientific facts and trivia, which I find fascinating), Batterson shows how God means for His blessings to us are to be given for the sake of others. The author impresses on his readers that as we learn to grow in gratitude from the blessings we have received, God will also enable us to become more generous in giving to others in three categories --- time, talents, and treasure.

Batterson's writing is sincere and positive, and his lessons and encouragements are both engaging and entertaining. In reading this book, I certainly learned a lot about God's desire to bless, what blessings really are, and how to maximize our blessings by sharing them with others. And as we do so, God blesses even more! I highly recommend this book! ( )

Batterson is one of my favorite authors and I was excited to be an early reader for this amazing book! In "Double Blessing," pastor Mark Batterson shares his opinion on how we've misunderstood the blessings of God: "What is the blessing of God? It’s God—God with us, God for us, God in us. To reduce it to anything less dishonors God and devalues the blessing."

Don't expect a how to on prosperity gospel in "Double Blessing." This book is about anything but! Often we attempt to place God in box, asking Him for what we call blessings, instead of trusting Him to supply our needs and bless us according to His will. If we are blessed with more than we can use or are given a way to bless another, that becomes a double blessing--we are able to help someone else because we've been blessed by God. It seems simple, doesn't it?

Batterson writes in a relatable way and is easy to understand. He uses his years of experience in ministry, gathering examples from Scripture and applying those examples to real world situations. He walks with the reader, not using verbiage that is above the reader's head or using "Christianese."

"Double Blessing" would be an amazing book to read corporately as a church, small group or even for those in the non profit sector. Don't miss this one if you've struggled with giving or receiving blessings. To give means to provide for another-and you can't out give God!

I especially loved this quote: "Generosity is born of optimism. Optimism is an abundance of hope, an abundance of faith." Batterson then speaks on the boy with the two loaves and five fish and his willingness to give to Jesus, inadvertently providing for thousands with his small gift.

I was an early reader, thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah. All opinions were my own and I was not required to leave a review. ( )

Mark Batterson is one of my favorite authors because he shares about the Word of God in a way that is easily understood and applicable to our lives. This book about blessings is a perfect example of that.

He explains what a blessing is and how we can and are blessed by God and how, when then, can turn around and bless others! This is definitely not a prosperity book but a truly Biblical teaching on what a blessing is. He shares a lot of different stories from his own life and the lives of others to show what a blessing can look like in our every day lives. That's one thing I really enjoy about his writing; he brings us right into his life and shows us, by example, how the concept he is teaching works.

I thought it was eye opening that he shows us that we don't always have a clear understanding of what a blessing really is. Again, he goes to the Bible to show us what a blessing really is. I know for myself, I probably use the word blessing way too much and not in the right way. Not that it's wrong but I now understand the full meaning of blessing.

We all want to be blessed but I loved the part of the book about blessing others. There is such joy in blessing others in small and large ways and Mark's thoughts on this were so wonderful.

This book is really good and I highly recommend it. I give it 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Waterbrook/Multnomah. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book. ( )