Blog Tour: Spotlight & Excerpt + Giveaway for A Book Called You by Matthew Stephen Brown

Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Book Called You by Matthew Stephen Brown, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: A Book Called You

Author: Matthew Stephen Brown

Publisher: W Publishing / Thomas Nelson

Release Date: October 5, 2021

Genre: Christian Growth / Enneagram

A biblically grounded Enneagram book that looks at the Enneagram numbers of people in the Bible so readers can discover more about themselves and gain specific wisdom about how and why they are uniquely made.

Who am I? Everyone asks that question, no matter their age or status in life. If we truly are supposed to be real with others, shouldn’t that start with learning how to be real with ourselves? We think so. But we have to be willing to look inside and ask, "Okay, God, who am I? What is it that I don’t see about myself that you see?" A Book Called YOU will help us learn about who we are as individuals and how a biblical view of self-discovery can improve every part of our lives.

Based on his widely successful teaching series "A Series Called You" and his personal experience using the Enneagram personality assessment tool in his marriage and other personal relationships, pastor Matt Brown offers a groundbreaking, entertaining, and heartfelt guide that highlights biblical truths alongside the Enneagram to help us better understand ourselves and how we relate to the people around us.

EXCERPT

For years as a Christian pastor, I struggled to reach people for Jesus. I was on a mission. The problem was, I forgot that God was also on a mission—to reach me. And he is on a mission to reach

you too!

I don’t know how you feel about yourself. There are probably some things you like, some things you hate, and some things you’ve never told anyone about. We are all a mixture of self-confidence

and insecurity. I am a person who leans toward insecurity. After I became a devoted Christian in college, I still struggled with way too many issues. I loved God, and I was born again. But I felt really stuck. I was saved but still a sinner. I was found but still incredibly lost. There were things in my life I was deeply ashamed of. There were things I felt I just couldn’t share.

One of the most embarrassing things about me was my toenails. I know—not super spiritual but true. I was a soccer player all the way through college, and my feet were gross. Even when I got

married, my wife loved me but hated my toenails. Isn’t that somehow true for all of us? I mean in the way that we may love someone more than anything, but if we’re honest, there are probably things about that other person that are . . . well, just gross. I would only wear sandals around people I trusted. In Southern California, where I lived, it seemed like everybody started wearing sandals in the nineties. Maybe people wore them before, but for me, I was pretty sure only Jesus wore them. I would only wear them around people I was really comfortable with. Even my closet relatives looked at my feet and were like, “Gross!” But I knew they still loved me, thank goodness.

I realized that if I ever started a church, it would be a place where people could see the very worst in me and still love me. Just as my wife loves me. Just as Jesus does. As I prayed about it, God laid

on my heart the need to start a church that would be a place where people could be real, a place where they could talk about anything and everything and still be loved. A place for people to be real with themselves, with others, and with God. So I walked in obedience, and in 1997, I planted Sandals Church in Riverside, California.

When I started Sandals, I did almost everything wrong! I did everything wrong until I found something that helped me get it right.

The early problems our church experienced were due to people not being real, despite our vison and all my best efforts. So, the church and I floundered. Until I discovered the Enneagram.

It helped change the way I see myself, the way I see others and, most important, how I see God in

the way the Bible had always wanted me to see Him. One thing I want you to understand as we get started is this: Jesus is the Surgeon, and the Enneagram is just a tool. When you have surgery, you don’t thank the knife—you thank the Surgeon. God used the Enneagram to cut deeply and remove so much I didn’t need. It has helped transform my life and the lives of thousands of people whom I am blessed to minister to.

The word Enneagram combines two Greek words: ennea, the number nine, and gram, which means “written,” like a telegram or Instagram. It is simply a tool that helps us understand personalities

and remixes the way we approach our relationships with God and others.

The Enneagram describes nine basic personality styles that God designed. You are not a number; you are a uniquely created individual. However, the Enneagram numbers (or types) will help

you better understand who you are and what drives you. It doesn’t just tell you what you tend to do; it helps you identify why you do what you do. The Enneagram gets at motivation. It helps you uncover the why.

I want you to find Jesus. Jesus wants you to find yourself. Jesus isn’t lost or confused about who He is, but you might be. The Enneagram is the best tool I’ve ever found to begin the process of

being real with yourself, so you can be real with God and others.

Some of you might like your spouse again after reading this book. You might find grace to change how you view that person at work you’ve been judging instead of loving. You might have sympathy

for people who are raising their kids a little bit differently from how you raise yours.

Understanding the Enneagram has helped me understand my wife. It’s helped me understand my kids. It’s helped me understand other people. And most of all, it has helped me understand myself and I believe it is going to have a powerful impact on your life as well.

MY REVIEW

COMING SOON!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Stephen Brown is the founding and lead pastor of Sandals Church in Riverside, California. Sandals Church began in 1997 when Pastor Matt and his wife, Tammy, set out to create a church where people could be real with themselves, God, and others. From its first meeting with eight people in the Browns' living room, Sandals Church has since grown to reach more than 12,000 people each weekend at eleven locations across Southern and Central California. Around the world, Sandals Church's digital content is viewed by close to 30,000 people every week.

Today, he continues to lead Sandals Church as the primary teaching pastor. In 2016, he launched The Debrief podcast, an opportunity for people to get real answers to tough questions about the Bible and Christianity. And last year, Pastor Matt and Sandals Church launched the ROGO Foundation, which exists to help save and replant dying churches and invest in up-and-coming leaders through hands-on leadership training programs at Sandals Church. Matt is passionate about the vision of authenticity and raising up the next generation of leaders for the local church. He and Tammy have three children and reside in Riverside, California.

CONNECT WITH MATTHEW: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a copy of A Book Called You!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight January 10, 2021 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on January 17, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!