In a few sentences, what is your new book Everything about?
I wanted to discover why some people grew like crazy in their walk with Jesus and others got more and more bitter as the years wore on. What I discovered is that those of us who need control are most likely to push out Jesus. (Ouch.) I am one of those people. So Everything is a book about how to let go of your control so you can grow like a weed. It helps people uncover the whys of their spiritual growth path, why they grow, why they don’t. It’s not a book about how I’ve conquered this, but more of a story about how I struggle and learn to give Jesus my everything.
What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned in the process of writing the book?
Once again I realized that Jesus doesn’t save us so we can keep a spiritual list of do-good things. He saves us for Himself. He saves us so our hearts will be His. So often I’d rather rely on formulas for Christian growth. Instead, He asks us all to hand Him our hearts, which is both harder and easier than list following. Harder in that we have to realize that apart from Him we can do nothing of eternal significance. Easier in that Jesus does a much better job changing the world through us than when we try to manufacture that change.
Who do you think will benefit most from reading Everything?
Anyone who has felt stale in their walk with Jesus, who is longing for something more, who sees other Christians who grow and change the world with their infectious enthusiasm and longs to be that way.
Other than the bible, which books have had the most impact on you?
I actually wrote a post about that a few weeks ago. Here are my top ten: http://www.marydemuth.com/2012/11/10-amazing-spiritual-growth-books/
You can find out more about Mary at her website, follow her on twitter and buy Everything at amazon.com
A big thank you to Mary for taking the time to answer my questions.
