AHA

February 10, 2014
With candor and self-effacing humor, Idleman (Not a Fan), teaching pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, explores three elements that lead to spiritual revelation. Using as his framework the biblical story of the prodigal son, he points to awakening, honesty, and action as three conditions required for readers to find change that lasts longer than the time it takes to read a self-help book. He draws from personal experience as a pastor and uses scriptural examples to illustrate how missing or putting off any one of the three keeps one stuck in the “distant country” of the prodigal life. While Idleman’s writing still bears the marks of a Sunday morning message, his is a relatable and winsome approach. His observations about the story of the prodigal and the ways in which many people today short-circuit their own awakening are gracious and disarming.