Simply bought this book because of the title.  It is short, simple, easy to read and is full of practical information.

The book is based on the Old Testament story of David when he has been appointed King by God but Saul is still king in man’s eyes.  David and a band of men and their families are camped in an area called Ziklag.  While the men are away the Amalekites invade the camp taking all the women and children along with their possessions.  David returns to have a head on collision with the worst day of his life. 

The 10 chapters are basically the ten steps you should take on the worst day of your life.

The titles are as follows:

1.  Weep

2. Don’t get bitter

3. Encourage yourself in the Lord

4. Get a word from God

5. Reorient your vision

6. Regain your passion

7..Attack

8. Recover all

9. Celebrate Recovery

10. Give to others

This book was not off the charts but worth the time it took to read.  It could be a good source of encouragement for anyone going through a tough time in life.

It had been a while since I had read a book that just really moved me and touched my soul.  That streak ended when I read this book by Craig Gross and Jason Harper.  This simple, easy to read book reminded me of God’s love and desire to reach people from all walks of life.

I love good books about sharing the love of God with others.  This is one of the best I have read in a while.

We had 201 in attendance at FOTP Grapevine yesterday.  It is the first time in the history of the church outside of Easter that we have had over 200.  We started 18 months ago with 10 people in our living room. 

More importantly, we had three more adults baptized.  Like many others their lives are being transformed by what God is doing through the people of FOTP Grapevine.

Please pray for us as we are now looking at possible sites for a permanent location.  This would be early in the life of the average church campus but FOTP Grapevine is not average.  It is made up of some of the most amazing people I have ever met.

We are doing a series called “Prodigal”.  Most people do not realize that prodigal means recklessly extravagant.  We want people to know about God’s prodigal love for them and to see that love change them from the inside out.

May the people of FOTP Grapevine forever passionately follow the Jesus example.

Even though I have lived 51 of my 56 years in Texas, I say that Louisiana is my home.  I went to school from the eighth grade through high school there and my mom sitll lives  there.  We lived in northwest Lousiana where most of the football fans are Cowboy fans.  Being much closer to Dallas than New Orleans made it easier to root for the Cowboys plus they were the team that we normally got on TV.  In addition, the Cowboys had many winning seasons while the Saints were simply pethetic at times.

All that said, at least for this week I am a part of the Who Dat Nation.  Seeing the Saints close out a story book season was exciting.  The people of New Orleans and Louisiana deserve to have a chance to celebrate and honestl it does not take much to set them off over there. So all I have to say is Way to Geaux Saints.

In Forgotten God, Francis Chan reminds us about the importance of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.  I totally agree with him that little is taught today in many churches regarding the Holy Spirit.  He is truly the forgotten God. 

This book is a good read for a new believer.  It is simple and avoids some of the stickier issues regarding the Holy Spirit while sticking to the basics of His role in our lives.  The best part of the book, for me were the short inspiring real life stories that followed each chapter.

While the book is a good read for the new believer, for the more mature believer it may be a little boring.   Hopefully, those who have been Christ followers for some time have a basic understanding of the Holy Spirit and how He operates.  That being said, I think there are more people who could benefit from reading this book than those who would find it boring.

I have to admit that when I read Crazy Love by Chan, I was not blown away by it.  I did find others who just loved the book.  I think the same could be true about The Forgotten God.

I actually read this book a few years ago but reread it recently.  I recalled a story from the book that I wanted to use as a sermon illustration. I had given my copy of the book away so I ordered another.  Originally I found the book in a Kinko’s when I was waiting for some copies to be made.  It was one of those books that after reading a few pages, I knew I would enjoy it.

Unstoppable is made up of 45 stories of people who beat the odds through perseverance and determination.  The stories are not written from a Christian perspective but some contain elements of Christianity in them.  For instance, my favorite story (the one I used in the sermon) was the story of Legson Kayira who left his home in east Africa with only a Bible and a copy of Pilgrims Progress to walk 3,000 miles to get on a boat to the U.S. to attend college.  On the way he contacted Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Washington.  They offered him a full scholarship.  By the time he reached his destination the students had raised the money for his trip to the U.S.  He eventually became a professor of political science at Cambridge.

The story of Millard Fuller was equally inspiring.  At the age of thirty he had become a millionaire and set his sites on making 10 million dollars.  His dream was shattered when his wife announced that she was taking their two children and leaving.  After begging her to stay and putting his faith first in his life, they sold everything they had and moved to Americus, Georgia to work at a farm for the needy called Konania.  Later on a mission, trip to Africa with Clarence Jordan the founder of Konania, the Fullers were used to help build houses for the needy.  Once they returned God gave Millard Fuller a vision for what is now known at Habitat For Humanity.  I googled Millard Fuller and found out he went home to be with the Lord last year.

This is just a taste of a great book that will inspire you to take life to a new level.

It has been a while since I posted anything regarding our new church campus.  Today we had our all time high attendance with 193.  In about 18 months we have gone from a handful of people in my living room to this vibrant church that is reaching people with the good news of the gospel.  One couple that recently got saved told me today how amazed they are at the cahnges taking place in thier lives. 

One of the things I love most about FOTP Grapevine is that the people practice extraordinary generosity.  Last year we combined witht the Keller campus to provide over 460 pairs of new shoes for the 300 foster children in Tarrant County.  We also provided (who knows how many) teddy bears for the national adoption day.  We planted our fist ever community garden.  In addition, our contributions exceeded our budget and we gave $90,000 to our Live It Forward building fund.

Combined with the Keller campus we had well over 2000 people in attendance today.  Threee years ago on our first Sunday at FOTP, there were 1,200 in attendance.Read the following recently and it reminded me of FOTP:

"But when believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in thier lives is supernatural.  The church cannot help but be different, and the world cannot help but notice." - Francis Chan author of Forgotten God

This is the follow up book to one of my all-time favorite books Same Kind of Different as Me.  Many of you no doubt have read Same Kind of Different which is the unlikely friendship that develops between a art dealer and an illiterate homeless man.

This book continues the story by looking at the countless lives that have been touched by Same Kind Of Different.   You will read the story of a woman in New York who picks up a copy of the book in a library.  She called her brother in Pasco, Washington to tell him about the book.  He is a pastor and decided to do a sermon series on the book.  Many people in his congregation bought the book.  One lady read the book and left it on her nightstand.  She and her husband were on the brink of divorce.  One day he picked up the book and confessed that he had been involved in an affair.  She decided to forgive him just as Deborah had forgiven Ron.  A marriage was saved.

What Difference Do It Make will inspire you to continue to embrace the simple arithmetic of Deborah’s life – loving God means loving people, and loving people means making a difference for God.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year.  Being a resident of Grapevine, I am proud of our city's celebration of Christmas.  Downtown Grapevine reminds me of Bedford Falls in my all-time favorite movie, It's A Wonderful Life.  If you haven't seen the light show at the gazebo area in downtown you need to check it out.  It takes place ever half hour.  Pat and I went to the musical presentation, I'll Be Home for Christmas at the Grapevine Opry.  It was a lot of fun.  Tonight we went to the airport and welcomed home some of our troops.  We had talked about doing this for months but just now got around to doing it.  If you haven't ever taken part in this check out the website for info. http://dfwairport.com/heroes/index.php

Tomorrow night we will have our first ever Christmas eve service at Fellowship of the Parks Grapevine.  I feel so very blessed to get to celebrate this special occasion with these incredible people.  Our service will be at 5 at Faith Christian School located at 730 E. Worth Street in Grapevine.

 The best part of Christmas is spending time with Pat and the kids - John, Jenilee and Caroline.  Having grown up in a single parent home, I dreamed of having a family to and celebrating Christmas together.   Now I get to live the dream.  I am blessed.

I have read several of Miller's books in the past and because he is somewhat abstract in his thinking, I have had a hard time connecting with his writing.  This was not the case with this book.  Having grown up without a father, I could relate to the message of this book.  At one point he speaks about being around men and their sons and feeling like thier was a men's club that he did not belong to.   I remember that feeling but had never really idnetified exactly what it was.

It was inspiring to hear the story about how he was floundering when he saw an interview on TV that changed his life.  the man being interviewed taught kids who were struggling in life to play chess.  The result was that they learned the value of having a strategy and making right decisions.  Miller began to play chess while implementing what he was learning to his everyday life.  He had always wanted to publish a book and a few weeks later he had his first book contract.  Today, he is one of the most popular Christian writers.

If there was any downside to this book, it is simply that he does not make a strong appeal to young men to put thier faith in Christ.  He does not focus much on the life-transforming power of Christ.  While he foucses much of his attention on God, there is no clear cut explanation of how to have a relationship with God.  I always get the feeling that his beliefs in regards to man's lostness and need for salvation do not line up with mine.

Even though I have some theological concerns, this is still a great book for those who have grown up without a father.  It will help you get  grip on some of your struggles, make you laugh and in the end inspire you to be all that God intended you to be.