What do you do when your dreams have been shattered, your hopes crushed, and the plans that you’ve drawn out for your life are in shambles? How do you live, when “Plan A” is gone, and all you are left with is “Plan B”?  What do you do when God hasn’t shown up when and how you thought He would? These are the sorts of tough questions that Pete Wilson tackles in his new book “Plan B”.

In “Plan B”, Wilson intertwines biblical illustrations with the real-life stories from his own life and the lives of others, weaving tales of faith, hope and grace in the face of adversity.  It is refreshing to see a book bring balance to an area to which some others have presented shallow, yet enticing promises of unquestionable prosperity. This book does not offer the shiny, happy fantasy world of some of the other Christian best sellers.  It offers no simple formula for an assured success. Instead, it is a much-needed reality check.

In introducing the stories of several familiar Bible characters, Wilson does not only show you the blessings that they received, or the successes they experienced, but displays the adversity that they went through to get them. He also relates stories not just from his own life, but from average ordinary people from all walks of life, and how they reacted in their “Plan B” situations. This book makes it clear that adversity is a part of life, without regard to how good or bad a person you might be. These examples demonstrate that in “Plan B” situations, not only can you survive, you can thrive.  Though the end result might not be what you expected, it can be exactly what you needed.

Although Wilson offers no easy answers, the hopeful message of this book is that God is as present in “Plan B”, as he was in “Plan A”.

Wilson’s writing in this book is simple and straightforward, and his approach to the subject is very practical. As such, this book should be easy reading for most anyone; no seminary degree or extreme interest in theological studies required.

My rating: Five out of Five

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger (BookSneeze) program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Diamond Rio burst on to the music scene about the same time I started to really get interested in music (especially country music), and quickly became one of my favorite country groups. Like many others, I was impressed with their masterful musicianship and tight vocal harmonies. Having been a fan, the opportunity to read their story intrigued me.

Beautiful Mess begins in the midst of a crisis that could spell the end for the band, in spite of its many years of success.  The book then turns to the past to follow the early formation of the group, from a show band at Opryland USA to one of the first groups signed to Arista Records. Each individual band member gets his own mini-biography that follows their stories from childhood until they became a member of the band. Then the book delves into the band’s early success, its near destruction, and successful recovery that includes a foray into Christian music.

This book was a difficult read for me, mostly due to the shear volume of information it contains. Considering this, the book may only appeal to a limited group of people: Fans of Diamond Rio, fans of music documentaries, and those who love biographies. If a reader does not fit into one or more of those categories, they might find this book unappealing.

The book is chock full of interesting information, however, like the band’s original name and how they came to be called Diamond Rio, what instrument Jimmy Olander (lead guitarist) mastered as a child, and how he developed his unique lead guitar sound. Another interesting topic the book covers is the band’s charity work, and how they’ve used their success to help others.

Overall, the story of Diamond Rio is that of individual and corporate struggles to achieve their goals, and reflects the benefits of determination and hard work in reaching those goals. It also demonstrates an example of facing weaknesses, first by admitting that they exist, and then working to overcome them.

My Rating: Three out of Five.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”