I really wanted to love this. and part of me did. I just really don't like faith based books that tell detailed stories from the bible, like word for word. I've read read the bible, I know these stories, I want to hear your perspective and your stories and how those stories relate to today. when the author did do this, I really enjoyed it, but there was a lot of reciting the bible.

Using 10 examples of various men and women from the bible, along with plenty of scripture reference and a little imagination, When God says "Go" is an inspiring read that will encourage you to trust God when he prompts you to move in a direction you might not be sure of. Including prayers as well as Journal Prompts, the author guides you to take a leap into the unknown and to be able to trust that God is directing and guiding your path. Thank you to Net Galley for the read.

We have all been there. Stuck in a rut and just overwhelmed. This book helps us learn firstly that we are not alone and that Christ is on our side. This book is like a coaching session in print. It offers everyday examples, humor and permission to "feel your feelings"

God gives us free will. Will you stay where you are and suffer, will you stay and be content (yes) or will you be open to the voice of God and go running where/when he tells you to do so (double yes!)

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was easy to read. The author is inspiring and challenging as she shares the stories of people in the Bible that were used by God yet they had their own struggles with going also. When God tells us to go we have to remember that he never said we have to go alone. As she shares these stories she reminds us that we need to lay down the fears that are standing if the way of walking out our calling. So many of us think we are so unworthy to walk out something God has called us to do and the author does a great job at helping you see the truth and lay down the lies that the enemy has placed on you that keep you bound. At the end of each chapter she has a section that is called "Let's Go Deeper" which is very good and makes us think through thoughts or feelings that are keeping us down and then she ends with a prayer. The author also provides practical advice that will help you as you decide to follow "When God Says GO" I highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling in this area. I received an advanced copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.

Elizabeth Laing Thompson’s When God Says Go is the sequel to her previous book, last year’s When God Says ‘Wait’. Even though I found things that were worthy of appraisal in the other book, I probably wouldn’t have gone out and found this new book on my own on NetGalley. The publisher wound up contacting me with this book (maybe as part of a conversion attempt, as I was only lukewarm on the previous tome), and I decided … eh, why not? And so the now-completed book is closed on my Kindle. While it’s ironic that I have read both books at exactly the point in my life when I needed them, I found When God Says Go to be a disappointing follow-up that lacks the focus of its predecessor. Ideas are haphazardly strung all over the place, and in the end I’m not sure I fully understood what I read. Reading it was a bit of a chore — notwithstanding the fact this is a book for evangelicals, and I’m not one.

You can tell that When God Says Go was rushed just by looking at the publication dates between the two books. One was published in March 2017, with the follow-up coming just a little more than a year later. Rather than refining the prose and taking into account any criticisms of the first book, those problems have become increasingly magnified in the second. For instance, each of the 12 chapters again open with a retelling of a Bible story as told using modern-day slang and idioms. Again, I suppose this is to make the book seem fresh to new Christians, if not a wee bit literary — though I now wonder if this is the Christian publishing industry’s way of skirting around copyright issues with the publishers of what particular Bible the author is quoting from.

I suppose Laing Thompson’s approach may work for some people, and prove to be a useful way of getting into the Bible without actually having to read it. For me, though, I found myself frequently getting impatient with it. The author fills in a lot of gaps with detail that just aren’t in the Bible and are a product of her own imagination. Now, I’m not the type of guy to take the Bible literally as the undeniable word of God, but I really found the digressions into hypothesis to be rather annoying and cloying — even more so than I did in the first book. The Bible gets reduced to almost juvenile ravings. So, yeah, I didn’t like this aspect of this book (or the other one).

However, Laing Thompson uses these stories as a jumping off point for real-life stories that happened to her or her friends. The connectivity or thread of these stories to the Bible is tenuous at best. I’d want to provide an example of how the author does this, but I can’t for the life of me link the Bible story the author uses to, say, a memoir-esque story about being afraid to jump off of a diving board. Not a good thing when you consider that I always review books immediately after reading them so that the images stay fresh in my mind. Suffice to say, there’s not much that’s really all that memorable about the book.

When God Says Go comes to me at an interesting point in my life when things are (finally) going well for me. The job situation has improved, I’ve made many new friends at the church I attend, and my vinyl collection is growing again. So I’m hard pressed to say why this particular book didn’t resonate with me. It might be that it’s easier when your down and out to look for something that will lift you out of your funk, and glom onto that thing as though it is a life-preserver. When times are great, you really don’t need that lifejacket anymore. This might be a reason, but I also want to circle back to a lack of focus. I’m a smart guy, but I really didn’t get the point of this book’s existence, other than to perhaps convert a few new people to Christianity by extolling its positive virtues.

The author makes her points though, about sin and leading a Godly life, among other things, and as much as I want to say that I’m a Christian who has grown more comfortable with other Christians having divergent views from mine (unless they’re way out of line with what Jesus taught), I found myself recoiling through most of this book. I suppose it’s the author’s reliance on sin doctrine and the whole atonement “Jesus died for your sins” overtones — which, again, shouldn’t bother me because, as I’ve said before, I think that so long as you’re not hurting someone else with your beliefs, go with it. But it did bother me, I’m sorry to say.

Otherwise, I’m hard pressed to really say why this book didn’t talk to me. In the end, I suppose its rushed nature and tattered quilt approach to stringing together thoughts and ideas may be a cause. That said, if you believe in the sorts of things that Laing Thompson believes in, you may get a great deal of mileage from this book. It certainly makes for an interesting companion piece to When God Says ‘Wait’. However, I think the author would have been better served in, um, waiting for this book to be written. I don’t want to sound crass, but it seems to me that the whole notion of the volume’s existence is to complete a duology and be put on the market before readers have a chance to forget about the first book. All in all, I’d say read When God Says ‘Wait’ and decide from that if you need the sister volume in your life. If anything, it may serve as a cautionary tale about how things that were relatively OK can so swiftly go downhill when it’s finally time for the difficult sophomore follow-up.

"God's call isn't about our age, our experience, our qualifications, our giftedness, our skill set, our appearances, our intelligence, our connections....". This is the common clarion call that Christians get throughout their lives to participate in various forms of ministry. However, their main challenge is reconciling one's heart, mind and actions. Elizabeth L. Thompson understands these inner struggles and attempts to help her readers take down the various inner barriers that prevent them from "making the jump".

Elizabeth injects her own creativity to bring to life several characters and the possible ways that they might have reacted when they got their own direct and indirect calls to fulfil their missions despite their perceived inadequacies. Readers will immediately imagine Moses at the burning bush or Mary having the talk with Joseph about her extraordinary pregnancy.

She does not give the wrong impressions that readers should take up all the opportunities that come their way. This might involve looking for ministry opportunities in one's backyard:

"Right now God may not be calling you to move to a new city or seek a new job or assume a new role. God always wants us to move forward but that forward motion often happens fight where we are, in the life we already have, among people we already know. Sometimes God tells us to go and stay: Stay home, Go back to an old place with a new attitude. Show His grace to our family. Share His love with our neighbours. Go deep. Love hard. Grow strong. Serving God isn't always loud and dramatic and full of transition, most of the time it's quiet. It's humble. It's simple. And it's hard work."

At the end of every chapter, she provides questions and resources for readers to reflect, meditate and journal as they reflect on various decisions that may be weighing on their minds. When God says "Go" will be a good book to use a chapter per day devotional because there is much to ruminate on.

Both encouraging but convicting this book is full of wisdom. The author clearly presents her points and backs everything with scripture and experience. These are the things that make books great and she does them so well. She has a clear writing style that makes it easy for the reader to understand and follow. She doesn’t make the reader feel trapped or bored. Love her inclusion of personal narrative. Overall great applicable book.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was in no way required to write a review

I have read and loved another book by this author and started reading this with the same hope. I really liked it and the lessons learnt within its's pages but I didn't love it.
The book is twelve chapters referencing ten bible characters using their stories or parts of their stories to guide us through. Moses, Jeremiah, Mary Magdalene, Peter (x2). Mary Mother of Jesus (x2), Esther, Samuel, Jonathan, Legion and Abigail. You may be thinking how were some of these people called to go but after reading this book I can see the different ways that calls us to "go". It's not always what we think or want, The book uses "retellings" of bible events, fleshing out the stories, to teach us and encourage us.
For the most part I did not mind but a few I felt to too great of a creative licence that did not line up with the character. Legion for example was the name of the demon not the man. I get that his name is not given in the bible but I just felt it wrong to go the chapter using that as his name. I also had an issue with Mary part 2.
Each chapter ends with a "Let's Go Deeper" section with "For Further Study" scriptures, "Journal Prompt" questions and "Prayer Prompt" to end using scripture to guide the prayer.
I can recommend this with caution, it was a good book that asks some good heart questions.

When God Says "Go" by Elizabeth Laing Thompson is a wonderfully inspirational book that encourages readers to grow in their faith, to grow in their relationship with a God who gives us what we need, when we need it. With wit and humor, the author has crafted an easy to read book that is infused with truths from God's Word. Using ten individuals from the Bible, the author tells their story in a conversational manner to convey a different concept from each one. From Moses we are reminded that God is always calling--how will we answer His call. From Mary Magdelene readers are encouraged to not let a shameful past destroy our present joy. From Peter we learn that there is a time to go all in when Jesus says, 'come' and that even though we might fail cataclysmically, God still has a plan and we can trust Him to fulfill it. At the end of each chapter is Let's Go Deeper section with suggestions for Further Study, Journal and Prayer Prompts. I liked this book as it is a wonderful reminder that as God has called me to surrender to His will, He is with me always, and He is the answer. The pressure is off of me to perform because whatever the situation is, it is about Him and He is able. When God Says "Go" is an insightful devotional for personal use or for gift-giving.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Great book on how we have to go when God says so. We have fear and other things that hold us back but we have to let go and trust God.