Book Review: The End of Me

When I say that The End of Me by Kyle Idleman is worth reading, I mean it. I’ve read 23 books since January (not an easy feat since I work full-time) and this one ranks in the top five.

The End of Me uses Scripture to show how God is most glorified, not despite our weaknesses, but through them. Kyle Idleman interweaves true narratives with Scripture to show how people who have reached the end of themselves have finally returned their eyes to Jesus.

Because I cannot accurately convey my enjoyment in my own words, here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

Brokenness is not trending on Twitter. It’s not written on anyone’s résumé, and it’s no business strategy at all.

We tend to tweak the word sin and substitute mistake or one of those other more innocuous phrases. Sin is “preachy.” It wags its finger at us too much. It meddles. So we talk about unfortunate choices or slipups.

I believe many a man is praying to God to fill him when he is full already with something else. Before we pray that God will fill us, I believe we ought to pray that He would empty us.

When we hear a good zinger in church, we always tend to assume it’s about somebody over in the next pew. We think, “I hope she takes this to heart,” rather than, “Does this fit me?

Kyle structures his book in two parts:

1. Where Blessings Begin. He challenges us to look at our brokenness and accept it, to mourn our sin, and allow it to humble us before God so that we can live an authentic faith.

2. Where Strength Begins. In this section, Kyle helps us see that God will need to empty us. This leaves us helpless, feeling disqualified and weak. But God in His mercy doesn’t leave us that way. Rather, He empties us in order to fill us with Himself.

For me, the most applicable section could be titled, “You may be a Pharisee if…” I have to daily fight to remember that “following the rules” isn’t the same as “following God.”

Along the way, Kyle uses the footnotes not to site sources but to sneak in snarky comments, mostly making fun of himself. When you read this book, be certain not to skip over them! The book is on sale at Amazon. You can read more about Kyle Idleman at his website, kyleidleman.com. The End of Me releases October 1st so be certain to pre-order yours today!