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I Didn't Sign Up for This: Navigating Life's Detours

by Aaron Sharp (Goodreads Author)

4.4 of 5 stars 4.40 · rating details · 5 ratings · 3 reviews

Without the least bit of notice, life can take a sudden turn down a road we never anticipated or never would have chosen to travel. I Didn't Sign Up for This: Navigating Life's Detours offers insights from the life and times of the prophet Elijah to encourage readers who have suddenly veered off the road into a wilderness experience. It provides guidelines and tools to hel...more

Paperback, 216 pages

Published April 1st 2012 by Discovery House Publishers

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May 25, 2012 Sunflower rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-book-reviews, first-wild-card-tour

"I didn't sign up for this", like many books, isn't meant to be a cure all or an answer for everything, but rather, it does what it successfully reaches to its intended audience, in which,"We are unique individuals, and what God is attempting to do in our detours will never be exactly the same from one person to another. Rather than a one-size-fits-all answer, the following principles are meant to function much as additional fuel to keep you going even if your unexpected journey is a lengthy one...more "I didn't sign up for this", like many books, isn't meant to be a cure all or an answer for everything, but rather, it does what it successfully reaches to its intended audience, in which,"We are unique individuals, and what God is attempting to do in our detours will never be exactly the same from one person to another. Rather than a one-size-fits-all answer, the following principles are meant to function much as additional fuel to keep you going even if your unexpected journey is a lengthy one.".

Many of us have had times in our lives, when something comes up that doesn't come up as planned or scheduled, or maybe what we thought our lives were imagined to be; Maybe we have unexpected surprises that finds us having to re-adjust and change courses or keep strong and sail through while managing with whatever it is, which has come up.

Whatever is the case, "I Didn’t Sign Up for This!: Navigating Life’s Detours" by Aaron Sharp is a book about dealing, adapting and support through the changes that we can and also cannot expect in our lives.

From the look of the cover, it is a reminder, we will have moments of "wildernesses" in our lives, however minor or major and using an example of Elijah (though we may not find ourselves in such the same position as Elijah was), I like how, "I Didn’t Sign Up for This!: Navigating Life’s Detours" reminds us that, "Though we all have expectations, we must remember that we cannot write our expectations in stone. If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to agree with James’s point that we can do nothing on our own. The only reason we make it from one day to the next is because God has provided the breath and life for us. We must approach our expectations with the understanding that we have not been promised tomorrow." as we are poignantly reminded in Matthew 6:25-34.

Trouble is that for many of us who are planners, organizers, basically type A personalities who like to know what happens second by second, what the next hour will bring, and schedule to the "T" tomorrow, often life does have other plans and we have to learn to be able to readjust, to re-plan and often, to weather whatever it is that tomorrow (or even today) may bring, and with that, "I Didn’t Sign Up for This!: Navigating Life’s Detours" does that very thing.

We are all going to have times of wildernesses in our lives that will test our faith, our hope and our strength, and "I Didn’t Sign Up for This!: Navigating Life’s Detours" reminds us through scriptural and personal insight, that we are capable of doing that.

People will fail us.

Places will fail us.

Life will fail us, but God never will though it is easy to feel that.

So if you are looking for an inspiring, encouraging, and a you can get through this, book,"I Didn’t Sign Up for This!: Navigating Life’s Detours" is a wonderful read to help you go forward, not backward or stay in place....be inspired...be encouraged!(less)

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May 15, 2012 Lisa Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Title: I Didn’t Sign Up For This
Author: Aaron Sharp
Pages: 224
Year: 2012
Publisher: Discovery House Publishers
Note: I received a complimentary copy for reviewing.

What does the name Elijah remind you of? Is there someone you know who has that name or do you remember a man in the Bible with that name? Is there anything specific you remember about him? My favorite story of Elijah comes from the Old Testament. He was a man who was a powerful prophet and proved that an idol had no power, but the LORD...more Title: I Didn’t Sign Up For This
Author: Aaron Sharp
Pages: 224
Year: 2012
Publisher: Discovery House Publishers
Note: I received a complimentary copy for reviewing.

What does the name Elijah remind you of? Is there someone you know who has that name or do you remember a man in the Bible with that name? Is there anything specific you remember about him? My favorite story of Elijah comes from the Old Testament. He was a man who was a powerful prophet and proved that an idol had no power, but the LORD did have power and still does. Next, I remember him feeling exhausted, beaten, and done with his ministry. He goes out to the desert to talk to God, and the amazing thing about it all to me is that God never once tells him to be quiet. God listens.
Does any of the above ring a bell with you? Where exactly is that located in the Bible anyway? In this book, writer Aaron Sharp focuses on 1 Kings 19 and Elijah specifically. Why? Elijah probably felt like he didn’t sign up for what he was going through, and sometimes we feel like we didn’t sign up for what we are going through either. Aaron Sharp unpacks 1 Kings 19 to show the detours Elijah went through in his life and how God was working, even if Elijah didn’t see or know that truth. We need to be reminded too that detours aren’t always comfortable, but God is working beyond our capacity to see or understand.
In this book of twelve chapters, Aaron Sharp shares what he has learned in the sometimes painful detours he has lived through in his life. The wisdom he gained and the struggles he went through are reminiscent of what some of us have gone through too. In the backdrop of 1 Kings 19, we see what Elijah experienced with his mountaintop experience followed by what might be a valley experience. We see why God allowed Elijah to make the choices he made, and why God didn’t tell Elijah to be quiet when he was in a cave, pouring out his heart.
There are other Biblical people whose experiences Aaron Sharp briefly shares with the reader, and then he helps the reader to see not just his/her humanity, but God’s hand in his/her life. This book helps to give comfort; we aren’t alone in what we suffer. We see that “time,” though not always viewed as a friend when we want answers quick, isn’t an enemy either because God is working things out not just for the here and now, but for the tomorrows of many people. Toward the end of the book Aaron reminds us that eventually we have to begin thinking that whatever tough season we are in will end and what will we be found doing then? We might feel like the tough season will never end. I know I am there too, but the truth is that it will end and then what do you envision yourself doing? Sometimes life doesn’t return to the former normalcy we once knew; it is a new normalcy. You might want to prayerfully consider what God has prepared for you to do.
Elijah returns to his ministry, but not as the same man. Now, he is a man with some new direction. In his obedience, Elijah does what God tells him to do, but it isn’t only his life that is changed. In fact, when you or I are done with our tough season, we won’t be the same either. We might come out with some directions too. Will we obey? Personally, I am glad Elijah did as the ripple effect of his life and testimony are still felt today. Will our ripple effect be felt too? We may never know this side of heaven, but knowing God never wastes anything, I plan to obey and trust that He has something much grander in mind than just letting the season end. What about you?
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Mar 19, 2013 IrenesChristianReviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book and should be read by all Christians. Everyone goes through a time in their life when they questions if being a Christian should be this hard. This book shows you how to take those moments and turn them into positive growth. Once you realize that the hard times are the times you need the Lord the most, you will learn to rely on Him to help you instead of trying to do it on your own.

I gave this book 5/5 stars. I thought the examples used were excellent and related well t...more

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About Aaron Sharp

Here are some basics about me, Aaron E. Sharp. Not to be confused with Aaron D. Sharp. I used to get Aaron D. Sharp's Dillards bill, and apparently he has some outstanding tickets in the state of Pennsylvania, but that is in fact, not me.

I am a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. It took me 7 years to get my 120 hour Master of Theology degree there. Jacob worked 7 years and got a wife. I spen...more

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