Having gotten that out of the way, let me also say that I read your book. It delivers exactly what you suggest in your section above on why you wrote it.

I found it useful and somewhat encouraging as a window into the mind of a solidly middle class guy who happens to lead a megachurch. I appreciate that you apparently take your job much more seriously than you take yourself.

You do in your book what you do in your sermons: tell stories as a backdrop for explaining how to live life practically, but without apology for the timeless and perfect truth of God’s word. Ir-rev-rend revealed your heart in a way that I needed to hear, and I applaud that vulnerability.

Other than the two or three typographical errors you might correct for a second printing, only two things of your book didn’t seem natural: the blog-like typesetting, and the title.

The typesetting smacked too much of Rob Bell’s Love Wins. Like Bell’s book, the typesetting raises suspicions that you either didn’t have enough to say but needed to cover a certain number of printed pages to justify the $20 admission fee, or the publisher didn’t trust the attention span or intelligence of your target readers to read one paragraph after another, over and over, with only traditional indentations to clue them in. Personally, I thought your copy was better than either suggestion.

It’s ok to have a small book if that’s what it really is. The Little Prince, The Prayer Of Jabez, The One Minute Manager, and The Elements of Style come to mind. Having to read your book in this typesetting style, though, was distracting.

Also, the title tries a little too hard to be clever, and just doesn’t completely work. I would say you’re candid in the book, but not really irreverent. And I’ve never thought of you as a reverend, but rather as a teacher. “Reverend” is a little high-church for you or Seacoast, don’t you think?It’s just the word-ish “Ir-rev-rend” that bothers me, really. The rest of the title is fine.

I know these things sound picky, and they might not all be your doing. But they’re the first things that hit me when I saw the book. And first things matter. On the other hand, if sales turn out to have paid you more than $10/hour, forget I exist. I know it would be easy.

Thanks for listening, and especially, thanks for sharing.

This book is FANTASTIC! I purchased two copies. I read it in one day and have passed it on to my husband to read. The other copy is being read by my daughter who will pass it on to her Aunt. Recommend this book to everyone. It is interesting, easy ready and will grow YOU in your faith and love of God!