Well you could do a lot worse than turn to ‘Plan B: What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought He would?’, the first book by Cross Point Church pastor Pete Wilson. In Plan B, Wilson endeavors to show us that although we may wonder where God has gone when things go wrong, the fact is that God often does His best work in our most hopeless situations.

When we face difficulties in our lives we quite often wonder where God has gone, but Wilson reminds us that God hasn’t gone anywhere. God is always there. The problem is that we allow our circumstances to distort our perspective and we miss God.

Drawing on examples from Biblical characters like David, Joshua, Joseph and Job, as well as from the experiences of personal friends, the author demonstrates time and again that even in our darkest hour, God is present and working in our lives.

One of the biggest problems we have as Christians is getting stuck in what Pete calls the pervasive lie that says “If you do good, God will bless you with good, and if you do bad, God will allow bad to happen to you.” This is simply not true.

Plan B is written in a very easy to follow down-to-earth conversational style and at times I felt like author Pete Wilson was sitting next to me ready to offer me support or field my questions.

Unlike other books I’ve read, Plan B doesn’t pretend to provide all the answers. As Wilson says himself in response to questions like ‘Why is this happening?’ or ‘Will it end soon?’ – ‘I don’t know.’ No meaningless platitudes here.

He concludes the book by asking that we trust the God who loves us, and affirming that God will finish what he started.

If you’re at a stage in your life where things aren’t going the way you planned and you’re wondering which way to turn next, I would highly recommend this book.

(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program called Book Sneeze (www.booksneeze.com) I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

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Each of these seven ‘inevitables’ – injustice, rejection, loneliness, loss, discipline, failure and death – is afforded its own section, which in turn is divided into four chapters offering guidance and support based both on scripture and anecdotal stories gleaned from the experiences of treating their own patients. The reader is invited to not necessarily read the book from start to finish but rather to start with the chapter or chapters that cover the particular pain they are encountering at the time.

Having read the book twice now from cover to cover I must admit to feeling a sense of disappointment. Like a lot of people I have suffered from more than one of the ‘inevitables’ on occasions during my life and have read a number of books and undergone counseling to help me deal with the pain, and I was hoping to find something new in this book that might provide some fresh insight. Unfortunately I didn’t.

That’s not to say it’s a bad book, far from it. If you are suffering from one of these pains and looking for Biblical answers to help you in your struggles you will certainly find them in this book. However if you’re looking for some new unique revelation I am sorry to say you will not find it within the pages of this book.

Disclosure – I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program and was provided with a free copy of the book for review purposes.

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1. Book Review – Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah
2. Book Review – Called To Worship by Vernon M Whaley

Job losses. House foreclosures. Credit crunch. Financial meltdown. Recession. All of us have either been directly affected by one or more of these, or know somebody who has. What are we to do now?

Dr. Jeremiah suggests a practical ten point survival strategy. Stay calm. Stay compassionate. Stay constructive. Stay challenged. Stay connected. Stay centered. Stay confident. Stay consistent. Stay committed. Stay convinced.

A chapter is allocated to each of these strategies with anecdotes and scriptural quotes reinforcing his teaching. Of these ten chapters my favorite is chapter eight ‘Stay Consistent’ where the author defines consistency as ‘the act of living true to what you believe regardless of the cost’. He says that one of the biblical essentials for getting through times like these is to live a life of solid consistency – to be one person through and through, to be an example of tough-minded integrity that does not throw out the game plan just because things have gotten tougher.

Of all the many Bible verses used through the book, perhaps the one quoting the words of Christ to his disciples in the upper room “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27) is the one we all need to take to heart.

I found ‘Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World‘ to be an easy read and a book that was hard to put down. If you are a Christian seeking reassurance that everything is going to work out OK this book will certainly help to assure you.

Disclosure: as a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger I was provided with a free copy of this book for me to review.

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1. Book Review – Called To Worship by Vernon M Whaley
2. Book Review – Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Meier and Henderson

Author Vernon M Whaley is the Director of the Center for Worship at Liberty University and his enthusiasm for us to answer God’s call to worship shines through from every page. Leaving no stone unturned in his examination of worship, he takes us on a journey through the Bible that begins in the Old Testament with a study of the worship of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Judges and Kings, continues in the books of Wisdom, Psalms and the Prophetic books, and then enters the New Testament taking us through worship in the Gospels and the early church. Our journey ends with a discussion of worship in eternity based on the book of Revelation.

I liked the way each chapter concludes with a summary of the worship principles to be gleaned from that particular chapter, and particularly enjoyed the chapter on worship in the Psalms that concluded with a full week of devotions from the book of Psalms to be used in personal worship.

Dr. Whaley makes the point on more than one occasion that the purpose of worship is not to please the congregation but rather to please God, something which should give some worship leaders pause for thought. He also emphasizes that just how we worship is somewhat irrelevant, what is of importance is that we do in fact worship, whether that be accompanied by an organ, drums and guitar, or no instruments at all.

Called to Worship is aimed primarily at Pastors and Worship Leaders, however I would recommend it to anybody seeking to increase their knowledge of worship based on solid Biblical practices.

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1. Book Review – Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Meier and Henderson
2. Book Review – Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah

The first Sunday, he only preached 10 minutes.

The second Sunday, he preached only 20 minutes.

But, on the third Sunday, he preached 1 hour 25 minutes.

When asked about this by some of the congregation, he responded this way: ‘The first Sunday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk. The second Sunday, my new dentures were hurting me a lot. The third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my wife’s dentures… And I couldn’t shut up’

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One time, she was sitting next to a man. When he saw her pull out her Bible, he gave a little chuckle and smirk and went back to what he was doing.

After a while, he turned to her and asked, “You don’t really believe all that stuff in there do you?”

The woman replied, “Of course I do. It is the Bible.”

He said, “Well, what about that guy that was swallowed by that whale?”

She replied, “Oh, Jonah. Yes, I believe that, it is in the Bible.”

He asked, “Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time inside the whale?”

The woman said, “Well, I don’t really know. I guess when I get to heaven, I will ask him.”

“What if he isn’t in heaven?” the man asked sarcastically.

“Then you can ask him,” replied the woman.

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The Jews looked around for a champion who could defend their faith, but no one wanted to volunteer. It was too risky. So they finally picked an old man named Moishe who spent his life sweeping up after people to represent them. Being old and poor, he had less to lose, so he agreed. He asked only for one addition to the rules of debate. Not being used to saying very much, he asked that neither side be allowed to talk. The Pope agreed.

The day of the great debate came. Moishe and the Pope sat opposite each other for a full minute before the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. Moishe looked back at him and raised one finger. The Pope waved his fingers in a circle around his head. Moishe pointed to the ground where he sat. The Pope pulled out a wafer and a glass of wine. Moishe pulled out an apple. The Pope stood up and said, “I give up. This man is too good. The Jews win.”

An hour later, the cardinals were all around the Pope asking him what happened. The Pope said, “First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up one finger, to remind me that there was still one God common to both our religions. Then I waved my finger around me to show him, that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground, showing that God was also right here with us. I pulled out the wine and the wafer to show that God absolves us from our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of original sin. He had an answer for everything. What could I do?”

Meanwhile, the Jewish community had crowded around Moishe, amazed that this old, almost feeble-minded man had done what all their scholars had insisted was impossible. “What happened?” they asked.

“Well,” said Moishe, “first he said to me that the Jews had three days to get out of here. I told him that not one of us was leaving. Then he told me that this whole city would be cleared of Jews. I let him know that we were staying right here.”

“And then?” asked a woman.

“I don’t know,” said Moishe. “He took out his lunch and I took out mine.”

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1. Never both be angry at the same time.

2. Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire.

3. If one of you has to win an argument, let it be your mate.

4. If you must criticize, do it lovingly.

5. Never bring up mistakes of the past.

6. Neglect the whole world rather than each other.

7. Never go to sleep with an argument unsettled.

8. At least once every day say a kind or complimentary word to your life partner.

9. When you have done something wrong, admit it and ask for forgiveness.

10. It takes two to make a quarrel, and the one in the wrong usually is the one who does the most talking.

These rules for a happy marriage are based on the writings of Paul in his letter to the Ephesians:

Eph 4:26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
Eph 4:27 and give no opportunity to the devil.
Eph 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Eph 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (ESV)

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Unfortunately, the decorator didn’t know the Bible very well. So, instead of putting the words from 1 John 4:18 on the cake, the decorator wrote the words from the Gospel of John 4:18.

They read like this: “You have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.”

The bride and groom did not see the cake until their reception, as they were getting ready to cut it.

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We should love our wives not so much for their sake, as for Christ’s sake.

What if you devote the day to your work and your friends, and the evening to your wife; but she is still not satisfied, but is jealous for more of your time? Don’t be annoyed by her complaints; she loves you, she is not behaving absurdly – her complaints come from her fervent affection for you.

A wife should never nag her husband: “You lazy coward, you have no ambition! Look at our relatives and neighbors; they have plenty of money. Their wives have far more than I do.” Let no wife say any such thing. “But why should she endure poverty?” some will ask. If she is poor, let her console herself by thinking of those who are much poorer still. If she really loved her husband, she would never speak to him like that, but would value having him close to her more than all the gold in the world. Her husband must never exercise his authority by insulting and abusing her. Instead, he should show true nobility of spirit, and patiently remind her that in the wisdom of heaven, poverty is no evil. Then she will stop complaining.

Remove from you lives shameful, immodest, and Satanic music, and don’t associate with people who enjoy such profligate entertainment.

It never profits anyone to talk too much. Whenever you give your wife advice, always begin by telling her how much you love her. Nothing will persuade her so well to admit the wisdom of your words as her assurance that you are speaking to her with sincere affection.

Show her that you value her company, and prefer being at home to being out. Esteem her in the presence of your friends and children. Praise and show admiration for her good acts; and if she ever does anything foolish, advise her patiently.

Pray together at home and go to church; when you come back home, let each ask the other the meaning of the [Scripture] readings and prayers.

Finally, never call her by her name alone, but with terms of endearment, honor, and love. If you honor her, she won’t need honor from others; she won’t desire praise from others if she enjoys the praise that comes from you. Prefer her before all others, both for her beauty and her discernment, and praise her.

What sort of person do you think the children of such parents will be? Will they not eventually be the recipients of countless blessings as well? For generally the children acquire the character of their parents, are formed in the mold of their parent’s love, talk in the same fashion, and work for the same ends. If we order our lives in this way and diligently study the Scriptures, we will find lessons to guide us in everything we need!

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