(I almost forgot that I committed to posting a review for this book on May 3rd! May 3rd is just about over - and here is my review, just in time!)
A little over 3 weeks ago I received an e-mail from BookSneeze informing me that the following day they were going to make 500 copies of Pete Wilson’s book, Plan B, available for review on a first-come-first-serve basis. Three months ago I had never heard of Pete Wilson, but a couple of months ago I found his blog and his church’s website and both have challenged me to grow in various ways. I was thus excited to hear about a review opportunity for his book, and jumped at the chance to obtain a copy.
The subtitle of the book is, “What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?” Pete writes in a casual, conversational manner, which helped me to better grasp and understand the concepts he presents. He readily admits that he doesn’t have all the answers, but the point of the book is to help you understand how to respond during your Plan B times and how to use those times to continue transforming yourself into the person God wants you to be.
At first glance this book sounds very similar to another book I recently reviewed (“Where is God? Finding His Presence, Purpose and Power in Difficult Times”), but I felt challenged and encouraged much more by “Plan B” than I did by “Where is God?” Pete weaves real-life stories throughout the chapters to help illustrate his points – stories of Biblical characters (including David, Job, Naomi, and Joseph) and stories from people he has encountered in his ministry.
This book challenged me to:
-Trust God more, recognizing that sometimes trust requires me to take the first step of faith
-Wait on God, realizing that just because I don’t see him working to bring good out of a Plan B situation doesn’t mean he isn’t working and preparing for an ultimately better end to the situation.
-Remember that God’s presence is something I can always rely on, no matter what.
I highly recommend the book to anyone who has gone through difficult times in their life.
I will leave you some words from the last chapter of the book.
“It seems hardly a day goes by that we don’t witness a collision between these two realities. How can we reconcile these two unmixable components: a God of love who is all-powerful and the universal experience of tragedy and suffering? … Instead of an answer, God offers us something better. He offers us a solution. He offers us the cross.”
“If you’re in the midst of a Plan B situation or if you’re still reeling from one, then you’re continuing to flatten your nose against those two contradictory realities: a loving God and a broken life full of pain.And every time you confront it, you’re left with a choice. The choice of faith.Faith is saying I choose to believe in you, God, more than this or that tragedy. I throw myself in utter dependence on you – you alone, a God who specializes in resurrections, a God who brings hope to the hopeless, a God who is a father to the fatherless, a God who was willing to send your Son to a cross to prove that you are more powerful than the worst thing evil could do.”
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.
