What is the main message of Everybody, Always?

The main message of Everybody, Always is to love everyone, even the difficult ones, with no strings attached.

How long does it take to read Everybody, Always?

The reading time for Everybody, Always varies depending on the reader. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

Who is the author of Everybody, Always?

The author of Everybody, Always is Bob Goff.

Religion & Spirituality

Everybody, Always Book Summary - Everybody, Always Book explained in key points

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Everybody, Always summary

Name: Everybody, Always
Rating: 4.5 (69 reviews)
Author: Bob Goff

Bob Goff

Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People

4.5 (69 ratings)

19 mins

Brief summary

Everybody, Always by Bob Goff is an inspiring book about loving others like Jesus does. It challenges readers to choose love in every situation and treat everyone with kindness, even the difficult people.

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Christianity

Table of Contents

Everybody, Always
Summary of 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Bring the Bible into your everyday life.

“Darkness,” as Martin Luther King once said, “cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.” Making the world a better place, in other words, begins with love.

As author Bob Goff explains, that’s the message preached by Jesus and followed by all who aspire to live by his example.

But talking the talk is one thing – walking the walk another. So how can we begin turning words into actions?

One place to start is by recognizing that it’s difficult to live up to Jesus’s message. The world is full of setbacks and difficult people, which means love has to be learned, bit by bit. Like everything else, it takes time and practice to master.

Everybody, Always is a hands-on how-to guide designed to put us on the path to a life of love. Packed with moving anecdotes and personal experiences, this is an inspiring and at times deeply personal account that brings the Bible into the heart of our lives.

In the following blinks, you’ll find out

what skydiving can teach us about faith;
why we shouldn’t think of doing good as a competition; and
how forgiveness can change the world.

Learn to love those you fear and build a kingdom rather than a castle.

If you had to summarize Jesus’s message in one word, “love” wouldn’t be a bad place to start. It’s at the heart of what he taught his followers. But here’s where another word would come in handy. It’s not enough to just love your friends and family – you have to love everyone.

And that includes the people you might disapprove of or simply dislike. Take it from Jesus himself; he shared his last meal with Judas, the man he knew would betray him.

So why is that so important?

Well, God asks us to love our neighbors. That doesn’t just mean the people living next door, though. Think of it this way: God created the whole world as a single neighborhood – from his perspective, we all live next door to each other!

That means loving each other, and Jesus teaches us how. We have to treat everyone as if he were God, regardless of whether he’s sick or hungry, a friend or a stranger.

When you really get down to it, it’s all about welcoming every single person you encounter. Take Goff’s friend Walter. He welcomes refugees in person at the airport with open arms and a beaming smile.

But to do that you need to build a kingdom rather than a castle.

In other words, don’t build high walls to keep others out – work toward a world in which everyone is included!

And everyone really does mean everyone, even those who might see themselves as castles.

Goff learned how important this was when he was invited to a “crop drop” by a church in Alabama. This is essentially when different churches in an area join forces to bag leftover potatoes and give them to the needy.

The reason it’s so powerful is that the participants lower their metaphorical drawbridges. Rather than seeing themselves as different or even opposed churches, they come together to form a new – and larger – community.

So that’s where you can start if you want to lead a more loving life: Jesus! But that can be a daunting task. In the following blinks, we’ll learn more about finding the courage to love others.

If you put your faith in God, he’ll reward you with strength and courage in the face of adversity.

Faith can make the seemingly impossible possible.

Take the example of Goff’s friend Lex. He lost his eyesight at the age of eight – but it hasn’t held him back. Today, he’s a long jumper with the US Paralympic team.

As strange as it might sound, skydiving can teach you how to love others.

After graduating from college, Goff’s son decided he wanted to learn skydiving. Goff chose to also learn so they could take the jump together.

But Goff ended up learning much more than how to fasten harnesses and pack a parachute. He soon realized that the safety instructions also contained insights into how we should treat others.

God loves his children like a parent, so please him by showing your children love.

Goff didn’t decide to learn to skydive because it sounded like fun – it was because he loves his son and wants to spend time with him. That’s what love is. It makes us willing to jump out of a plane for someone!

And as the author puts it, Jesus jumped out of heaven to be with us.

Loving others isn’t about winning brownie points – love is its own reward.

There are plenty of people who are just a bit too eager to tell you all about the good they’ve done. They treat good works in the name of God as a kind of competition. If they do more than others, they seem to think, they’ll come in first and claim the trophy.

But by focusing on the “credit” they think they’re collecting along the way, they lose sight of the true purpose of doing good. And all those brownie points they’ve stashed away in their personal virtue account end up being worthless.

If you want to demonstrate your love for others, put your money where your mouth is.

Goff once took his kids to the Madame Tussauds waxwork museum in Washington. While messing around with his children, he decided to play a prank on two old women and pretended to be a sculpture. The joke came off – they were convinced he was made of wax!

He realized that he’s an excellent poser. But that also reminded him of an important truth: posing doesn’t get you very far when it comes to faith. God always knows the truth, no matter who we pretend to be.

When you have faith and courage and are willing to forgive even your worst enemies, you can achieve anything.

It might sound like something out of a horror story, but there are still witch doctors practicing child sacrifice in certain parts of Africa. One of Goff’s proudest achievements was bringing one of them to trial in Uganda. But it wasn’t just an exemplary lesson in justice – it also reminded him of the importance of forgiveness.

Witch doctors believe that the blood, head and genitals of children hold magical properties. They’re so convinced of this that they go to terrible lengths to get hold of them; they don’t hesitate to kidnap and hurt children.

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What is Everybody, Always about?

Everybody, Always (2018) chronicles best-selling author Bob Goff’s inspiring one-man mission to translate Jesus’s message of love and compassion into everyday practice. That, as he himself admits, isn’t always easy. Life is full of setbacks, obstacles and difficult people. But it is possible. By staying true to his beliefs and finding courage when the going gets tough, Goff strives to lead an exemplary life of love.

Everybody, Always Review

Everybody, Always (2018) by Bob Goff is a heartfelt exploration of living a life of love and acceptance. Here's why this book is worth reading:

Overflowing with inspiring stories and anecdotes, it demonstrates the transformative power of unconditional love.
Through practical examples and personal experiences, the book encourages readers to embrace a life of radical love and acceptance.
Goff's humorous and relatable writing style keeps the book engaging and ensures that the message resonates with readers.

Best quote from Everybody, Always

Theres a difference between good judgment and living in judgment.

—Bob Goff

Who should read Everybody, Always?

Anyone interested in leading a more loving – and fulfilling – life
Fans of inspiring true-life stories
Anyone wondering how the Bible relates to modern life

About the Author

Bob Goff is the founder of Love Does, an international NGO committed to helping women and children in war zones. Active in Uganda, Somalia and Iraq, the charity builds schools and safe houses in some of the world’s most dangerous countries. Trained as a lawyer, Goff is an honorary consul for the Republic of Uganda in the United States. His previous books include the New York Times best seller Love Does.

Categories with Everybody, Always

Religion & Spirituality Sex & Relationships

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