“When you put your all into something, when you're so inspired or dedicated that you give it all you've got, you are taking your best shot.” Do these sound like words that would come from a teenager who claims, “I'm no different than you, I'm just a normal kid.”? Amazingly, Take Your Best Shot by Austin Gutwein, who founded Hoops of Hope, is an amazing account of Austin's personal walk in discovering how he can personally make a difference for eternity. Challenged by a video from World Vision his family was given, Austin came to a realization that some adults never contemplate. First, we all eventually die. Second, our time here on this earth is very short compared to eternity. Austin started to see the world for what it is and started to discover his place in it. Challenged to do something to make a difference in the lives of orphans in Africa, Austin set out to dream a bodacious dream that he could only accomplish with God's help. This all started with a paradigm shift on Austin's part: things that do not expire are more important than things that do expire. Simply put; people are eternal~things are not.
Austin's challenge to all who read his book is to dream a big bodacious dream that only God can accomplish. Not just any dream, though. He asks the reader what passion God has put in their heart. Austin is not trying to build a following for financial support but truly enticing his readers to take the vision God has given them and to take their best shot to change the world for the better.
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