Stay in the Game: No Adversity is Too Great for You by Joel Osteen Book Review

In Stay in the Game, Joel Osteen has written a powerful book about how to handle any obstacle that we will face. Joel encouraged readers to get back into the game and not to quit. We can have joy while we are finishing our race in this life. He shared how critical it is to not sit on the sidelines of life.  We instead still need to pursue our life and go be a blessing to someone else while we are hurting. He explained how his own mother was able to do this while she was battling terminal liver cancer. She chose to stay in the game and to pray for people who were hurting. She kept going to church and even though she was in pain and hurting she was making a decision to be a blessing to someone else. He looked at Isaiah and how he stated that we must arise up from our depression and come into a new life. Even if we lost a relationship, our job, battling a health issue, or anything else. We need to shake off our disappointment and hurt. God is able to restore everything taken from us like Job. 

 

 

 

The book begins with a story about Shaquille O’Neal and how he walked up to Dale Brown, a legendary coach of the LSU basketball team when he was giving a speech. O’Neal told him how he wanted to play basketball but that he couldn’t jump or dunk the ball. He was thirteen years old at the time and the coach provided him with a training program and tried to mentor him. He was still cut from his local basketball team and was told he was too big, clumsy, and slow. Brown encouraged him to stay in the game and keep trying and to keep relying on God to help him. O’Neal was able to remove all the negative labels that were put on him. As we all know, he eventually went to LSU and was a very successful basketball player. Joel shared this example to remind us about the importance of staying in the game. 

 

 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is discouraged and they are wanting to give up on their race to the finish life. I appreciated Joel’s encouragement throughout the book and the teachings about overcoming whatever we are facing and to stay in the game. One of my favorite teaching stories he shared was the one about the telescope and the little boy who was getting bullied. This was a great message about our perspective. I also enjoyed reading about the story of the Christmas pies and how God was able to provide and use the setback for their good. I also liked Joel’s humor in this one and the joke he says at the end of the story. I also liked how the book is small and it makes it easy to carry around and to keep it with us for daily reminders. 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Stay-Game-Adversity-Too-Great/dp/1546029338