Almost five years ago, while preparing for my last year of ministry on campus at the University of South Dakota, I got an idea. I decided to email a bunch of questions about the gospel to a group of guys who I really trusted and admired, and then share their thoughts with my disciples on campus. That way, the five dudes I worked with at USD would really be discipled by nine godly men instead of just me. This seemed like a good scenario.
Here is the list I compiled:
The responses I received from my group of friends were incredible. In fact, they were so thought-provoking and encouraging that I wanted to share them with more people than just a group of college dudes in Vermillion, South Dakota. So, after adding some thoughts from other pastors, authors, and theologians (along with some of my own rambling, nonsensical commentary) I had the makings of a decent book.
I tentatively titled it The Late Awakening , and centered the writing around my own fresh experience of the gospel as more than just a ticket to heaven but "the power of God" to impact every area of life.
I finished the manuscript in the Fall of 2009, pitched it to a handful of publishing houses, got rejected by most and ignored by the rest, and decided to let the book sit, just taking up space on my hard drive. I would revise it about once a year, but never expected it to be read by anyone more than a few friends.
Fast forward a few more years. Rick James (publishing visionary that he is) decided that all CruPress books should be available on Kindle, Nook, and iBooks. While he was surveying his inventory, he must have stumbled upon my old manuscript in his Inbox and decided to make it into an eBook. This is the publishing equivalent of making a movie and sending it straight to DVD.
Why do I tell this story? Well, obviously I want you to read my book . But more importantly, I want to continue a trend toward gospel-based ministry and living. I want people's relationships, goals, schedules, plans, dreams, and priorities to be primarily influenced by the gospel.
So, if you're sleepwalking through life, unaware of the gospel's potential to influence and impact every area of your life, consider this your wake-up call .
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