Christine Caine offers life-transforming insights about how not only to overcome the challenges, wrong turns, and often painful circumstances we all experience, but also to actually grow from those experiences and be equipped and empowered to help others. Using her own dramatic life story, Caine shows how God rescued her from a life where she was unnamed, unwanted, and unqualified. She tells how she overcame abuse, abandonment, fears, and other challenges to go on a mission of adventure, fueled by faith and filled with love and courage. Her personal stories inspire readers to hear their name called, just as Christine heard her own―“You are beloved. You are the hope. You are chosen”―to go into a dark and troubled world, knowing each of us possess all it takes to bring hope, create change, and live completely for Christ. Part inspirational tale, part manifesto to stir readers to lives of adventure, Undaunted shows the way with spiritual wisdom and insight.
Christine Caine is a speaker, author, and activist who has been serving the local church globally for over 30 years. She and her husband, Nick, founded the anti-human trafficking organization, The A21 Campaign, which works at the local, domestic, and international level to end modern-day slavery. They also founded Equip & Empower, a ministry that is mobilizing people everywhere to live on mission for Jesus. Propel Women is an initiative of the ministry dedicated to coming alongside women all over the globe to activate their God-given purpose. The ministry has also planted three life-giving Zoe Churches in Europe that are not only bringing the Gospel to the region, but also serve the most vulnerable through humanitarian outreach during times of crisis.
Christine is the best-selling author of more than a dozen books and studies and you can tune into her weekly podcast or television program to be encouraged with the hope of Jesus wherever you are.
I have a confession to make... I stalk Christine Caine. I read her blog, listen to her podcasts, and follow her on Twitter. When you listen to or read what Christine Caine has to share, you realize that she leaks Jesus. I want to be around for the splash.
Undaunted is the testimony of someone who was lost and then was found. A story of the rescued called to rescue. It isn't just her story, but ours as well.
Throughout this book Christine shares about looking to God for her identity along with her purpose. She is completely transparent in telling her story, showing how God has worked in her life and brought her through so much with the truth in His Word.
My favorite part of the book is where Christine shares about finding our identity.
Why is it so hard to choose first what God says about us? Why do we listen to the voices of others more than His?
Allowing the labels you give yourself or someone else gives you can cause you to miss God's truth about who you are and into not pursuing God's purpose for your life.
Go to your Bible to remind yourself what God says.
God's Truths God made each one of us. God chooses each one of us. God is always with us. He names us. He saved us. He is our Father.
She goes on to write about overcoming disappointment, fighting fear, and following the example that Christ set before us. She challenges us to believe and go. To be the rescued rescuers. To live... Undaunted.
This may be more like a 3.5 because I didn't love the writing, but OH MAN is there a lot of truth in there. It's hard to think about writing styles in the midst of all that incredible message. I've heard many sermons by Christine Caine, and this book was just as good as those. Challenging in so so many ways. I'm leaving this book challenged not to sleep-walk through life but to be sensitive to and aware of opportunities and interruptions that could change the direction of my life. We are meant to be a light in the dark - not to sleep through the night.
"God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called." This is the main thing I got from this book and I think will stick with me forever. I just know that whatever he calls me to do, that he will help me to do it even if it seems impossible or if its something I have never done before.
Moving this from my “interested” shelf to my skip shelf since the author has been mixed up in a plagiarism scandal. It doesn’t affect this title but is a trigger for me since I had a childhood pastor who was a sermon plagiarist, among other things.
I can't say enough about this book. Every single page moved me and humbled me. There is always a tendency to think of ourselves first; like we are the world that should incumber everyone's thoughts and minds. In reality the world is made of people who need love, compassion, help, rescuing, who need Jesus. The pages of this book knocked the wind out of me! I would think of the times I have been selfish in my own desires when I am truly living a blessed life. There is a girl out there that has stripped away from her family, stripped away from her hopes and dreams and is thrown into human trafficking . A child who has been taken from their parents all while I'm sitting in the comfort of my home. A mother who has lost her child but pushes forward toward the things God has called her to do. A Christine Caine who has been faced with trails, tests, and temptations and yet she has a revelation of God and His promises. Jesus commissioned us to go into the world and shine His light in the darkness so that others can be rescued and set free. Our world is right there in front of us everyday; at work, at the store,etc. Our world is made of people that need us to be all who God has called us to be in order to help them.
Are you afraid to do what God is calling you to do? Then this book is for you. "There is ALWAYS something to lose - we can choose to surrender to the fear and let it rule us or we can surrender to God and live Undaunted." My favorite message from this book is to remove the phrase "but, God..." from our lives (But, God I don't know how to do that...But God, no one will believe me...etc). God does not ask, Are you capable? He asks, Are you willing? We will never have enough time, money, resources or know how - but God will use what we have and make up the rest. "When God calls us - we see problems. He sees possibilities. We see difficulties. He sees destiny." What is God calling you to do?
Absolutely amazing example & story. While I held my sleeping 5-month old daughter, I welled up with tears as I read heartbreaking stories of young girls who have been hellishly abused. As a daddy I cannot fathom such things. As Christians we must realize that those girls are all of our daughters and sisters, and we must accordingly take action in the name of Jesus.
This book fell into my hands the very week I needed the help it is packed with. What were the odds of that happening? I didn't recall how it crossed my radar, when I had placed a request with my library to buy or borrow it, and when that would happen. It arrived, via inter-library loan, which pushed it up to the top of the 'gotta read now' stack. Now I find myself wanting to purchase a case-quantity to give away to any and all takers. (The case quantity is two dozen, so I've settled for just six, which is still a stretch for my budget -- one for me and for five of my most special friends).
The author first shares what she calls her "Schindler's List" moment. I'll wager there are very few who can put the book down after reading this chapter. What ensues in the book is her personal journey to that moment.
You'll find yourself googling her name and her organization to learn more about this remarkable woman and the work she is doing.
I didn't know I needed Christine Cain and her inspiring words in my life until I read them. Thank you to a friend for lending it to me. I want to buy for myself and a dozen other people. It is hard being a Christian nowadays for all the people that are negative towards it. Religion isn't bad, there's just bad people in religion. So to read about forgiveness and seeking God and being called to do selfless acts makes me take a strong look at myself and want to be a better human in this life. I always feel daunted by the tasks in front of me and God gives me the strength to want to walk with a purpose of feeling Undaunted. She doesn't push her beliefs on anyone so I did like that. She just talks with a zen and her truth as it is known to her. Good Book!!!
This book changed my perspective on the world. It helped me grow as a person, and more importantly, it helped me grow in my relationship with God.
If you ever have a chance to read this again, may God bless your time and continue to work through you.
March 4th -I started reading this book when I was 16 years old in October 2015. I got to around page 45 when my life continued to plummet, so I put this book on hold with full conviction to start it up again later. Now, almost a year and a half later, I'm turning 18 in four days, and I'm starting from the beginning.
I knew Undaunted had impacted me back then even though I only read a small portion, but I'm surprised by how much I took from it, and carried into my perspective on life. What makes this read even more amazing is I'm borrowing it from my friend Laina who has underlined and written her thoughts in the book, so I'm able to get her perspective as well! By page 7, I'm already being impacted greatly by Christine's story, and I'm looking forward to continue to grow in Christ, and I'm excited that this book is part of it.
March 18 - I am so thankful I read these 20 pages today.
"When you believe God is who he says he is, when you hang onto Him and His Word in faith, His truth sets you free. The truth you store up in silence comes back to you in the storm"
"God knew me and loved me before I was even me. He knew me before I was born, and throughout my adoption, and he knew me even now that I wasn't sure who I was anymore. He loved me despite any trouble I found myself in or challenges I faced. I could mess up or meltdown and he would love me still. I could be ashamed of where I came from or try to hide who I was, and God would still love me, knowing me better than I knew myself. He loved me when I feared I was less-than. He loved me so much that he would always have my back in any challenge or distress, and he would go before me through anything unknown. "Yes," I thought. "I'm not who I thought I was. I am so much more. I am loved by God, the maker of the universe, the maker of me, and I was loved by him before I was born and will be after I die.""
"Why is it always so hard to choose first what God says about us? Why do we listen to the voices of others more than His?"
"You need to return to the truth of God's Word that will last forever, not meditate on circumstances that will change and fade. I was not an accident. I am not unknown, unnamed, or unwanted. Niether are you."
August 18 pg 96 & 97 & 101
""How," you might ask, "can you rejoice when your heart is broken and you are hurting?" When I learned that my baby had died, there was no escaping the pain - you can't stop the sorrow you feel. But feeling your disappointment and staying stuck in it are two different things. And the enemy wants you to stay stuck in disappointment."
"God has incredible plans for you - and the enemy would like to keep you from ever experiencing them."
"God has a plan and purpose for my life, as he does for each of us, beyond this moment of disappointment. We need not give up and stop fighting for what we believe in; there is always hope, and as long as there is hope, we can move forward - and bring others with us."
The last sentance really got me.
"Even when I cannot see him, I hear the beautiful gallop of God's heartbeat for humanity."
August 22nd pg 117, 118, 120
"Jesus beckons us to come. If we stay focused on him, we will be able to go anywhere and do whatever is required of us. If we take our eyes off him and stare at the storm, at the danger, we will surely sink. We will never go to the millions trapped out there in the darkness of human trafficking, or the millions without water, or the million suffering abuse, disease, famine, injustice, loneliness, or hopelessness. To get to them, we may have to walk on water."
" We live in a dark world. Rain falls. Storms come. Lightning strikes. Your life can shatter. The roof can fall in. You can be damaged. As long as you live, you will have something to lose-little pieces of yourself. The people you love, the life choices you cherish-there is always something at risk, something dear. Some cause for fear"
"Some people have paid a horror of a price to live in fear. All they see is the darkness. All they have to clutch is their fear or their despair, there loneliness, there despondency. But those who follow Christ have the light. We know his love. We have hope. We can bring the news of his grace, of change. "Do you love me?" Jesus asks. Undaunted, we can answer yes-and prepare to serve him without fear ."
September 4th
On the topic of Devine Interuption, page 172 - page 175 "How do you know whether something is a God interruption or distraction from the good works you are on the road to completing? It's not always easy. These five habits help me know when the Lord is leading me to cross the street and help the one in the ditch: 1 Be Sensitive to the Spirit of God...2 Live Aware...3 Simply Step into the Moment...4 Pray for a Heart Change Allow God to continually soften your heart so that it beats for what his heart beats for-people...When our hearts are changed, we see things we never saw before, hear cries that we never heard before, and act out of a compassion that we did not have before...5 Be Open The ones we are asked to go to are not always across the street or around the globe. Sometimes they are right under our nose and just at our elbow..."
September 20th chapter 10
Christine writes about the giants she and her team faced with starting up their human-trafficking rescue in Greece. These are the inspirational stories I wish to here: seeing God's power overthrowing difficulty and the impossible. "When difficulties get in the way of us daring to do what God has called us to do, we must ask ourselves, 'Who am I going to believe? The rational---or a supernatural? The factual---or the true?'"
"Faith is required when you are in doubt, when you're in want, when things are difficult and unclear. 'Faith,' the Bible tells us, is, 'confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we do not see' (Hebrews 11:1) You can't touch faith, but it can move mountains. The Bible puts it this way: You may not be able to hold faith or wrap it up in a box, but it is real and powerful and can conquer kingdoms, administer justice, gain what was promised...faith can take you right where God wants you."
"At times, it's possible to see life as a conflict between faith and that old bully Difficulty. And Difficulty loves to stand directly in the way, so that we see as little as possible ahead. Which is just when we need faith."
"How misleading our perspective is for the things God calls us to do. We see problems, he sees possibilities. We see difficulty, he sees destiny. We see a disheveled woman fishing around in her purse for her phone in the hubbub of a busy airport, and God sees a person with a calling and purpose and something big to do in a place inhabited by all kinds of giants."
"There is no promise too hard for God to fulfill. When our consultants told Nick and me that A21 would never work in Eastern Europe, that it needed much more than a wing and a prayer to fly, we took only part of their advice. The prayer part. Now we have offices all over the world. A21 works to raise awareness of human trafficking, establish prevention programs in schools in orphanages, represent victims as legal advocates, and give them refuge--in safe houses, then restoration in transition homes. God didn't remove all the difficulties from our path. Difficulty is part of our world. But God is bigger than any difficulty"
"...to live truly undaunted, to ask others to have faith, you must summon your own faith in God. You follow a God who is moved by your prayers, and your tears, just as you would be moved by the words and tears of your own child. And when God is moved, you look up and over whatever giant is standing in your way, because God will move him. After all, God can move mountains. Why would he hesitate to remove a mere giant?"
The Challenge
"...when Jesus said to go into all the world he didn't mean to wait until morning or until you get the right job, or find the perfect spouse...Christ brought us light in the darkness so that we can reach everyone living a nightmare now. He longs to shake us awake so that we can shout out the truth--- that humankind is made for eternity but trapped in time, and time is running out. He means for us to be a lantern in the darkness. He means for us to find and rescue others because we know what it is to be lost and then found, hurting and then healed . He means for us to walk into the gap, where he's thrown down the cross, to walk like him, to walk with him. Unwilling to stay asleep. Unafraid of the dark. Unflinching in the face of disappointment. Unstoppable in the face of difficulty. Undaunted."
Some of the stuff that goes on in our world today is shocking. It’s difficult to imagine teen girls involved in human trafficking, abused, sex slaves, facing their lives with no escape, beatings, and even death. I was amazed when I read about such cases. In my little world, such happenings are impossible. Or are they?
In her book UNDAUNTED, Author Christine Caine begins the story at a safe house in Greece, run by The A21 Campaign, the rescue ministry that she and her husband, Nick, started. She’s talking with fourteen young women, from European countries, who had been rescued from sex trafficking. The stories the author hears are heartbreaking. The question the girls ask her is even more so. “Why didn’t you come sooner?” As she considered the question from the teens, she also thought of her own story.
The discovery of the secrets about her life, along with Nick’s love and understanding, helped Christine Caine to heal and to forgive as God asks us to do. She gives examples from Scripture to show others that have forgiven: Joseph, for example, who forgave his brothers, saying God intended what happened to him for the good. Dealing with her struggles opened her eyes to what God had done for her and wanted her to do for others.
Christine Caine’s reflections about her life as she followed God’s will for her, along with quotes from the Bible make UNDAUNTED an inspiring story that will lift your heart and give you courage to face whatever obstacles you encounter. I know the book has encouraged me to reach out to others, knowing God will show me the way. It will help teens who are dealing with their own situations find the answers they need. With God, all things are possible. ###
There is a plethora of incredible, insightful, and inspiring Christian authors lining the shelves today. I look forward to each new book bringing motivation and perspective in my walk with God. While the organization the author and her husband lead sounds fantastic and I respect the wonderful things she is doing to be a light for Christ in the world, I did not enjoy the book. I found it to be very "woe is me" from the beginning with the adoption story that dragged out. Children are adopted every day and in so many lives those adoptive families are a blessing from God. Rather than dragging through being "unwanted and unnamed", I wish she focused on the gratitude that a couple made the choice to bring her into their home and love her as their own. Then the "scar tissue" story repetitively referencing the knee injury. For me, the personal stories felt redundant and oversimplified. I wanted to find something through this book, but it was not there for me. I hope it does reach out to others and inspire. I know we are all moved by different things as God makes us all unique. This just definitely was not mine.
Totally inspiring, especially very encouraging. Worthwhile reading, I get caught up with fear and trying to run away from where God wants me to go. Christine is right, we tend to make lists to get away from it, when in the beginning, the idea sounded great. The stories were really amazing! Loved it, the first day I read the book, I was almost halfway done because I could not get enough of the book. Feeling the love of Christ through her story was amazing! Im definitely going to keep this book to be reminded time to time of the power that we have through Christ.
This book is awesome. I took my time reading it because I didn't want to miss the message within its pages. I know that God is using books like this one to motivate people who know He's calling them to a greater degree of relationship. As the relationship deepens our eyes open to the ministerial assignments we feel we are incapable of accepting. There will always be giants to intimidate us into remaining comfortable with being complacent, but it is up to us to see through the eyes of faith and push through them undaunted.
Christine Caine is as powerful a writer as she is a speaker. She openly shares the hurdles she has faced and overcome because she puts such strong faith in Jesus Christ. In the first half of the book she discusses what holds us back from jumping the hurdles set before us. In the second half, she strikes directly at the heart with the importance of doing what seem like a daunting task.
This is a challenging but inspirational read. Prepare to have your motives reassessed and be willing to open to what she says.
This can be a difficult book to read -- there is some "intense" content at times, but overall it is a book with a solid message. It's a book that causes the reader to think, to consider, to really stop and look at what is keeping you from doing what God is specifically calling you to do. It may not be as public an act as this author's ministry, but we all are called to be light in the dark. Good read. Worth your time.
I felt very convicted by Christine Caine's story that even though I am only one person, I can make a difference in this world by showing others Jesus' love, mercy, forgiveness, healing, and grace. A powerful, convicting book. You will be forever changed once you have read it.
We read this book and used it's accompanying workbook for a five week summer study at church and I found it covered a number of areas that could be a part of many people's life and gave some encouraging scripture as well as personal insights.
3.5 star rating (after some deliberation as to whether it should be 3 or 4 stars!!)
I liked this book.... I liked the author's message. She reminds us in a very captivating way, that we are commanded to be the light in this dark world. Her story of starting her ministry in freeing women enslaved in human trafficking is very, very inspirational. Praise God that we have women such as Christine Caine in this world!! A fellow Goodreader's review warned me that after reading this book, I would want to Google Christine Caine and the work that she is doing... and that was very true!! WOW!!
If I have one complaint about this book (well, I actually have 2 complaints) - and I am aware that I will be among the minority saying this - its that it didn't draw out the introvert in me. I am ALWAYS very, very hesitant to read books like this (and there are others that I really feel called to read, but feel intimidated to do so) because they seem to showcase a very gregarious person who does HUGE, GIANT things for God, like dropping everything you own and all of your loved ones and going to a foreign country to care for others. (the author does not do this in this book, but she does do something equally daunting!) For an introvert like me, you might as well be challenging me to fly to Venus.
Or the authors of these books always seem to be much more in tune with God' voice then I am. They feel very confident that they hear or feel Him nudging them towards a certain action or direction. There is one little story in this book about how the author felt God "tell" her to say something very, very specific to a cashier regarding a situation that only the cashier herself knew about. My jaw dropped when I read that... God has never been that specific with me!
I would love to read a book filled with examples of women who did great things for God, just one teeny, tiny bite-sized step at a time. I would love to hear admissions from these women about how they too felt God was silent at times and how they didn't know if they were on their God-chosen path and for a very,very long time, weren't sure what their next step should be...
I realize that this might not make for an exciting read..... but it would give this introvert an idea that I,too, might change the world with my itty-bitty offering...
But back to this book.... I really, really liked the message - the author took a time-worn message and made it quite fresh and very inspirational. I found myself highlighting quite a bit in this book! I would definitely recommend this book to others!
And that second complaint? Oh - its really, rather nit-picky.... but she consistently calls a spade by a different name... she consistently uses the name Difficulty (with a capital D) instead of Satan...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Christine Caine offers life-transforming insights about how not only to overcome the challenges, wrong turns, and often painful circumstances we all experience, but also to actually grow from those experiences and be equipped and empowered to help others. Using her own dramatic life story, Caine shows how God rescued her from a life where she was unnamed, unwanted, and unqualified. She tells how she overcame abuse, abandonment, fears, and other challenges to go on a mission of adventure, fueled by faith and filled with love and courage. Her personal stories inspire readers to hear their name called, just as Christine heard her own---“You are beloved. You are the hope. You are chosen”---to go into a dark and troubled world, knowing each of us possess all it takes to bring hope, create change, and live completely for Christ. Part inspirational tale, part manifesto to stir readers to lives of adventure, Undauntedshows the way with spiritual wisdom and insight.
My Review (From Me:)
For anyone who feels they have a call from God on their lives, a purpose, a passion OR for anyone who really wants one: THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! Christine opens up and shares her inspiring personal story. If you need a kick in the butt to wake-up and go out there and do the thing you feel God calling you to do, or if you just desperately want to be AWAKENED and called into something I highly recommend reading this book. It is an absolute 10. Make sure you have your highlighter, notebook, pen close by, you're going to need it :)
Don't wait to figure out what you want to do with your life, pick up this book and discover what God wants you to do with your life.
Many blessings and happy readings,
Nicole
P.S. - Thank you to Booksneeze for providing a complimentary copy of this book :)
The author, Christine Caine, founded the anti-human-trafficking organization, The A21 Campaign. When I first started reading this book it starts out with her "Schindler's List Moment" about a human-trafficking story. I thought that the book would be a bunch of these stories, but it is not. This little, 195 page book, has so much content. It is an insight to the authors life and how she got through her difficult trials and fears to be God's hands and feet. She talks about how God calls us each by name, she talks about healing, and overcoming disappointment and pain. She talks about fear & panic and how to move from them to trust and love. She encourages us to be the Good Samaritan by interrupting our plans, crossing the street and taking action to help others. "Compassion means taking action". "How often we pray for God to use us for his purpose - and then when he interrupts our lives to answer our prayer, we list all our inadequacies."
This little book is filled with examples of God's love, of encouragement, of how to pray, how to trust, how to overcome our daunting life and emotions, how to take action...How to walk with God, awake, in the light, courageous and Undaunted!
Forward....by Max Lucado Ch 1: The Schindler's List Moment Part 1: God Knows My Name Ch 2: I'm Not Who I Thought I Was Ch 3: Number 2508 of 1966 Part 2: God Knows My Pain Ch 4: Scar Tissue Ch 5: Heartbreak---or Breakthrough? Part 3: God Knows My Fear Ch 6: Love and Fear Ch 7: I Once Was Lost Part 4: God Knows My Destiny Ch 8: Awakened Ch 9: Divine Interruption Ch10: Facing Giants Conclusion: The Challenge
Author and spiritual leader, Christine Caine shares her personal story about being unwanted, unnamed, and abused. Hearing from God, and following His callings, she has been inspired to help others, with a particular desire to stop human trafficking, around the world. Christine and her husband Nick started an organization, called “A21” that serves to rescue those trapped in human trafficking. Christine shares the brutality and reality about human trafficking. She shares with the reader her trip to the Nazi concentration camps and how that affected her. Her overall message is to help others. Do whatever you can do, no matter how small you may think it is. Of course, she references many biblical scriptures that have spoken to her throughout her journey in life. And you will find little miracles, and God’s nudging within her story. I enjoyed reading this, although I was not shocked by Christine’s story, as I already knew her personal story and have heard her preach. The details are real, but not too violent or shocking, so I do recommend reading; it just might open your eyes and your heart. I received this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review.
I've heard Chris Caine speak, and amazing does not even begin to cover it! So, this book left me a bit bewildered. It has great content but it is quite choppy. Thoughts are never really expressed fully before jumping onto the next. However, the message is great, I've learned a bit and my eyes were opened to a world I pray will cease to exist. I applaud A21 for its gigantic efforts against Human Trafficking and will recommend this book for that reason. More need to know this problem exists. There is great power in knowledge and in prayer!
Honestly this book has me thinking and feeling so many things I really can’t even put them into words. I have a heart and passion for fighting against human trafficking and Christine Caine has really fueled it in my reading of her book. Her stories really challenge you to take on the calling you have in spite of any fears.
This book starts a little slowly, but then gets better as you read on. As you can imagine from the title, this book will remind you of God's truth if you feel unable to do what God has asked you to do because of what people have told you, how you have been labeled, your fears, or any other limitations you may experience.
This is a book I would give to a new believer, because Christines writing is simple, but you can still feel the passion she has for Christ, His church and the good works Christians can do in this world. I loved the stories she shared and also how the a21 campaign started.