- livingthedash.tv

What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought he would?

It’s a question we all have to deal with at some point in our lives. Things don’t go according to plan and we find ourselves turning to Plan B.

In a new book titled, Plan B, pastor and author, Pete Wilson, uses stories from real life Plan B situations along with stories from the Bible to offer hope and guide readers through tragedies, shattered dreams, and times of loss.

The same authenticity, humility, and honesty that so many appreciate from Pete’s popular blog, WithoutWax.tv, and his daily presence on Twitter (@pwilson) will make this book appealing to many readers.

I loved how Pete offers hope and encouragement to readers while being very honest that he doesn’t have all the answers.

In this life, many of your questions will simply not have answers. But through it all, God himself will never change.

When people ask me how they can know God’s will for their lives, I tell them the best first step is to know God. Beyond that I really don’t have any steps.

I also appreciated how Pete shared some difficult truths that I needed to hear.

Here’s the truth-and this one is thoroughly biblical: throughout life you will face one situation after another that will be completely beyond what you can handle.

I think this is a difficult truth to grasp, but God loves you enough to strip you of anything that keeps you from him.

I enjoyed and laughed at some of the personal stories that Pete shared about life with his 3 boys. Perhaps because I have 3 boys of my own and I have experienced similar adventures.

There are many things to love about this book: the comforting tone, the touching stories, the authenticity of the author, the way it points people to Jesus…..but the best part of the book may not be the content, but the timing…God’s perfect timing. Plan B released to the public on the very same day that many in Pastor Pete’s very own church community enter their very own Plan B situations after experiencing great loss from a major flood disaster in the Nashville area. I think the update and photo that Pete posted to Twitter this evening says it best…

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. 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.”

Some stuff that showed up in my Google Reader Shared Items recently……..

- Brad Lomenick offers up some Heisman analysis.  He gets it right. Even if a Sooner did come out on top.

- Zac Smith talks about risky business and what it’s like to work in an environment where risk taking is encouraged and failure is an option.

- Steven Furtick says to leaders: Never stop “Doing the details.” Just change the way you do them.

- Mark Batterson tells us about a Christmas Catalog.  Not your ordinary christmas catalog.

- Tony Morgan stirs things up with 10 reasons he doesn’t like most Christians.

- Will Johnston presents an interesting case study on Pete Wilson’s withoutwax.tv blog community.

That’s what I’m sharing.  Do you use Shared Items in Google Reader?  What are you sharing?

We are home.  Home from a week long vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  Here are a few highlights from our trip…….

- We spent the 1st night in Nashville.  On Sunday morning we dropped in @ Cross Point Church.  We got the chance to chat with a few blogging friends: Jenni Catron and Pastor Pete Wilson.  Pete inspired me with his message to drop the Civilized Love and develop a Crazy Love.  We also got to meet Family Ministry Pastor Pat Rowland.  He and his team in Kidz World made our boys feel so welcome.

- We ate lunch at the famous Loveless Cafe just outside of Nashville.  Biscuits and BLTs with Fried Green Tomatoes. Yum!

- We spent 6 nights in a beautiful log cabin with an amazing view of The Smokies.  If you need some time away, I highly recommend the cabins @ The Preserve Resort in TN.

- While hiking, we came across a Black Bear and her 3 cubs.  Very cool, but also a little scary.

- We went to the top of Clingman’s Dome.  The highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

- We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

- We went up an Aerial Tramway and down an Alpine Slide.

- Our boys were sworn in as Junior Rangers.

- In Memphis, we ate dinner at the famous Charles Vergo’s Rendezvous.  This place has so much character.  And the ribs…Yum!  We also got to meet Percy.  Percy is a friend of a friend and he has been serving at the restaurant for almost 40 years.  He has served bar-b-q to President George W. Bush and the Prime Minister of Japan.

- In Memphis, we ate breakfast at Brother Juniper’s.  I ate an open faced omelet called ‘The San Diegan’.  The dish was once featured on Rachel Ray’s show, $40 a Day.

- On the way home, we made a side trip to Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas.

Quantity time with the family.  Quality time with the family.  Creating memories.  My batteries are recharged.

- My church, Fellowship of The Woodlands, is now Woodlands Church.  One church. 3 Locations.  Now on Twitter @woodlandschurch

- The greatest QB ever wants to be on your football team.  And you want to pay him $25 million not be on your football team.  I don’t get that.  And neither does Mark.

- Pastor John Burke of Gateway Church in Austin is now blogging here.  Looking forward to hearing him speak @ Leadership Summit this week.

- Excited about vacationing here next week.  On our way there, we are going to check out Cross Point Church in Nashville and say hi to a few of my favorite bloggers….Pete & Anne

- Ben is making history with posts On Innovation and One Great Idea.

- CEO, Michael Hyatt is Creating a Sense of Urgency.

- Perry answers the question….”Is it OK for a Christian to Drink Alcohol?“

In the sidebar of my blog you will find a section titled Look What I Found.

This is where I share my Google Reader Shared Items with you.

Here’s some stuff I shared recently……..

• matthew wrote a cool letter to his son…..his unborn son
• tony shares some thoughts on Generation Y and what that means to the future workplace
• michael provides some advice on how to win the email battle
• mark offers some blogging tips….great tips from a great blogger
• perry tells a funny yet powerful wedding story
• carlos shared a clever Father’s Day message
• tony listed a Who’s Who of Web Apps
• pete turns his Sunday message into a Monday conversation here, here, & here