Category: Book Selections

“My name is Manny, and God assigned me, in a manner of speaking, to mentor Jack, the alcoholic in this story who overcomes an addiction. When I first met Jack in a church, he had just prayed this prayer.”

“My name is Jack, and I’m an alcoholic. My life has been a struggle – an off-again/on-again drinking problem and making promises to my wife and others that I always end up breaking. I want to stop drinking, but I can’t seem to stay sober long term. It’s a dangerous world I live in. If only there were some safe place I could find.”

I started writing FINDING THE SAFEST PLACE ON EARTH in January 2023

THE SAFEST PLACE YOU CAN BE “Visualize it, Jack. God is watching you watch­ing the Mississippi River and wondering when you’ll immerse yourself in His life and experience His peace. He’s a patient God who’s inviting you to lean back on Jesus’ breast, like the Apostle John did at the Last Supper. That’s the safest […]

WHERE ARE YOU SITTING? “There was a book written years back called God is My Co-Pilot. That’s a terrible concept. If God is your co-pilot, you’re sitting in the wrong seat. You need to let God be your pilot. He’s the one who flies the air­plane. “That’s the meaning of our discussion. You’ve been living […]

THE MELODY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT You are the song in me today,With all I think and all I say,With all events that come my way. Your melody my spirit plays;I’ll tune within and humbly praiseYour presence in me all my days. It’s not what I achieve for You;I’ll strive no more in all I […]

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE? I was asked a version of this question yesterday. This is an excerpt from FINDING THE SAFEST PLACE ON EARTH that Manny explained to Jack when he asked that question. “In Paradise, Adam and Eve had a tight relationship with God and all things were very good. […]

“If I’m seeing this right, Manny, you’re saying I’ve been putting myself first and Jesus second. What I need to do instead is put Jesus first and me below Him. Is that what you mean by my standing in the wrong place?” “That’s exactly what I mean, Jack. You’ve been treating Jesus like a puppy […]

“Jack, listen closely. Praying for God’s will to be done doesn’t mean asking Him to follow you and giving Him directions for what you think He should do. It means you seek out His will and follow Him to be His hands extended to others. “You’ve asked God to come into your world and help […]

“That’s the way it needs to be with you, Jack. If you think you’re in charge of your life and all you need is for Jesus to help you every now and again, like a person you’ve hired part-time for the job, then you’ll fail over and over. In the end, you’ll be a hopeless […]