Book Review: ALL IN

BIOGRAPHICAL ENTRY

Jennings Sr., Dr. Marvin A., All In, Renown Publishing, www.renownpublishing.com, 2021, 136 pp.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR

Dr. Marvin A. Jennings Sr. was the pastor of Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church in Flint, Michigan, for over thirty-four years. In December 1949, Marvin Alphonza Jennings became the second born child to Pastor James and Mrs. Bertha Jennings. Eight siblings followed his birth, seven of whom are now living. In 1968, Marvin acknowledged and accepted his call to the ministry under his father’s pastorate at New True Vine Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan; two years later, on October 18, 1970, he was ordained.

Dr. Jennings married his wife Janis on July 24, 1971 and a month later he was called to pastor New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. In December 1968 he began pasturing Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church in Flint, Michigan. He has grown the church both numerically and spiritually. He has been a community leader, and he has received numerous awards. Dr. Jennings has earned several advanced degrees that have contributed to his growth as a man of God, a husband and father, and pastor.

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: “Deciding Whose Side You’re On.” Dr. Jennings tells us that as Christians we must decide whose side that we are on. Will we follow God with our whole heart or will we go our own way. Our faith is not about what we want. It’s about knowing who God is and the power that the Holy Spirit gives us to redeem our past and secure our future. Christians have no need to be ashamed because they have the name of Christ.

CHAPTER ONE: “God-Given, God-Driven Love.” Dr. Jennings describes four kinds of love. Three of them, eros, philia, and storge are natural to us, but they come and go. On the other hand, the fourth kind agape is not natural to us. It comes from God, and it is God’s perfect love for mankind. Our life of faith starts with God’s love, and His love sustains us.

CHAPTER TWO: “God Knows Best.” Like Moses we may do our best to serve God, but we find that things are not going well with us. We do not know the future. We must trust that God knows what is best; that God’s plan is being carried out. God is able and willing to care for you. Sometimes we go our own way choosing the desires of the flesh over God’s will. God forgives us if we repent. God will turn us to the right direction so that we reach our destiny. God leads and guides us on our journey, but we have to take the steps and do our own walking.

CHAPTER THREE: “Your Best Life—If You Want It.” God gives us dreams and desires because He has chosen us. Dr. Jennings challenges us to strive to fulfill our dreams and desires by having a sense of “I want to.” Don’t settle for less. Do not have excuses, don’t worry, and don’t quit. Obstacles are a part of reaching goals. The sources of the obstacles are unlimited; including self doubt. By faith we can overcome obstacles knowing that God is with us.

CHAPTER FOUR: “Accepting Your Greatness.” We must accept God’s call on our life. We must have a want to in order for us to allow God to use us for His purpose. We must make a choice if we will believe God, energize ourselves and pursue our purpose, or will we sit on the couch of comfort, not reaching our full potential. We must be willing to pay a price to fulfill our calling. No one has achieved greatness without hardships, suffering, setbacks, and stumbling blocks that they had to overcome. Following God plan may mean sacrificing some relationships because some people close to us may want to hold us back and pull us down to their level of wanting to. We must sacrifice our pride being willing to do small things now as we wait for God to elevate us to greater things.

CHAPTER FIVE: “Grasshoppers and Giant-Slayers.” Grasshopper mentality means seeing ourselves as powerless. Obstacles cause fear and intimidation. Giant-slayers trust God to keep His promises regardless of our own abilities. Giant-slayers remember that God cares about them.

CHAPTER SIX: “God Works Miracles.” God performs miracles in the everyday circumstances of our lives. God works miracles through His authority and power. We must be ready to accept God’s miracle. Faith and obedience to what God says to us is our part in God’s miracles. We pray for the miracles that we want to happen. Pray for a miracle and expect God to answer prayer.

CHAPTER SEVEN: “Growing in Life’s Valleys.” Psalm 23:1-4 expresses that God is with us in our shadow of death. God leads us there so that we can grow in our relationship with God and live for His purpose. In the valley we learn who to trust and those that can’t be trusted. If we embrace our valleys of hardships as times of growth in God we will come out richer and transformed.

CHAPTER EIGHT: “God Deserves Your Thanks.” We cannot thank God and praise Him if we do not know who He is and that He is the One who has brought us through our valleys. We have plenty in our past, present, and future to thank God and praise His holy name. We need mercy for all of our mess-ups that God brings us through. God’s grace and mercy are sovereign—He alone determines when, where, and how He extends them to us. So, thank God and praise Him.

CHAPTER NINE: “The Path of Faith.” “Every believer in God has been given a path to greatness. Faith in God goes hand in hand with your love for God demonstrated in our obedience to God. Accept every blessing that God gives to you. Remember that valleys are God’s gift to help us to grow in Him.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Dr. Jennings shows us that we can accomplish great things if we are all in for God. We must know God and decide if we will serve God or seek to serve our own interests. Dr. Jennings tells us that obstacles are placed in our lives, sometimes by God so that we can grow in God. We must trust God and follow Him on our life journey. Faith and trust result in positive outcomes because the outcomes are God’s destiny for our lives

This book follows the style of a preacher. He makes a point and demonstrates by using scripture, life stories of his own experiences and the experiences of other people. Like a preacher he summaries the point just made, and then he moves to the next point. This helps the reader to follow the thought pattern of the author.

In this book Dr. Jennings writes to encourage. He is honest about the pitfalls that Christians face on their life’s journey. Miracles do happen because the grace and mercy of God guides our steps and gives us strength. The reader is encouraged to pray for miracles in the everyday circumstances of their life. All that we can do in response to God’s goodness is thank Him and praise Him. This book will help anyone that wants to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.