Double Blessing by Mark Batterson

God's default setting is blessing, Batterson says. God wants to bless us beyond what we could ever imagine. But how do we position ourselves to receive the blessings from God? That's what this book is about.

I was glad to see that this is not a book about God promising physical health or material wealth. It is about having a mindset of receiving and giving. Blessing others is the endgame. We are blessed so we can bless others.

Batterson reminds us that every blessing in the Bible is part of our birthright because of Christ – even those in the Old Testament given to Israel. It was a bit surprising to find that God's blessings are unique to each of us. My favorite chapter was the one on gratitude. What a great lesson.

While the first part of the book is on how to receive the blessings from God, the latter part is about giving out blessings, passing them on. Batterson gives so many suggestions, no one can say they wouldn't know how to bless others. Many of them do not require money so finances are no excuse. The one that really impressed me was so simple yet so profound – giving undivided attention to someone. That might take some doing in our media distracting culture.

Batterson has some strong words for churches. “God will bless us in proportion to how we give to missions and care for the poor in our city.” (36)

This is a good book to help Christians grasp what we have been given in Christ and how we can pass on those blessings to others.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church, one church with seven campuses in Washington, D.C. He is the New York Times best-selling author of The Circle Maker, and has also written a dozen other popular titles. He has a DMin from Regent University. He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife and their three children. You can find out more at www.markbatterson.com.

Multnomah, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary uncorrected proof of this book. My comments are an independent and honest review.