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Full Tank Life









Full Tank Life by Ben Tankard

Pastor and musician Ben Tankard has seen the dark times of life and experienced much light in his life, and in his new book, Full Tank Life, he shares his wisdom on following our dreams and making them work for us.  The book combines personal stories, wisdom, biblical insights, and common practical sense to give the reader encouragement in their quest for living a full tank life.  Ben tells his story in the book of beginning a new genre of music, namely gospel jazz, and how it was hard getting people to buy into the genre, some seeing it as too jazzy, others not enough gospel music, and yet her persisted in his efforts, even selling tapes out of the back of his car.

One of the things I appreciated about the book was Ben’s excellent way of taking big concepts such as destiny, and helping the reader practically see how this works in real life.  He writes, “Make a “vision map” that captures words, images, colors, and textures that reflect your dreams…The goal is to begin creating something that you can use as a reference, a treasure map, to inspire you to forward-moving action.  Keep it handy so you can look at it throughout your day…” (11). The concrete imagery, words and phrases, identifies others who have achieved your goals and dreams, but also gives you a visual for what you are aiming to accomplish. 

Another very wise portion of the book is Ben’s focus on Time-The “T” in DESTINY chapter.  He writes about committing to our calling in such a way and combines that with God’s calling on our life.  He writes, “God is faithful and won’t start something in your life without equipping you to finish it…Don’t let your past keep from answering the call…Don’t let insecurity keep you from answering the call.” (80)  God isn’t out to leave us stranded without giving us gifts, talents, and people around us to fulfill our goals.  Yet, often we allow things to block our calling that impede our progress in going after our dreams. 

I enjoyed this book and its practical applications to those seeking to chase after goals and dreams.  I also thought Ben’s emphasis on time spent with the Lord will always be a great encouragement to people.


Thanks to Faith Words for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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