Evan Craft has published his first book, tying together his gruelling cycling tour as well as the theme of going the extra mile for others as Christians.
Craft’s book The Extra Mile: An Extraordinary Cycling Journey to Find Faith and Purpose was released on Sept. 23 this year.
“I believe that God is big enough to receive our doubts, our anxiety, and we don’t have to be afraid to lay that at His feet,” Craft said in an interview with Christian Post.
The book’s central themes include Craft’s sharing his own struggle with anxiety. He was inspired to put pen to paper after reading the biography of missionary Reinhard Bonnke.
The book isn’t just about ideas, but focuses on action. This includes the act Craft took when he did a cycling tour through South America. During this time, he decided to invite two Venezuelan paracyclists, both missing a leg, to join the course. The goal was to raise funds for their prosthetics.
“Everything was more difficult, everything was more complex, but if you want to do something important, meaningful in life, it’s going to be difficult,” said Craft. “We see a sacrificial love in Jesus. God doesn’t need us, but He decided to love us and gave His own Son. And that’s the kind of love that leads us to go the extra mile instead of always thinking about ourselves.”
While the singer travelled a long distance to show his love in this way, Craft shares in the book that going the ‘extra mile’ can be as simple as helping out in any way at people’s local church.
“I have neighbours to whom I brought coffee from Colombia. It is to love your neighbour as yourself. I could cut the grass for my neighbor. I could offer to do something super simple.”
The gospel is often easily shared through simple acts of service, as people tend to ask, ‘Why would you do this?’ The rest is quite simple in letting people know it’s because of Jesus, according to Craft.
“I am an imperfect man,” says Craft. “God doesn’t need you to be perfect to accompany you on an adventure, to use you. Faith in action is love, and love in action is service. Do you know why I keep bringing up love in action? It’s because this world needs God’s love now more than ever. Don’t wait, choose today to love God and serve others. The journey awaits, just take the first step.”