Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would? »

Learn how God often does His best work in our most hopeless situations.

What do you do with a shattered dream? Or an unmet expectation? What do you do when your life isn't turning out the way you thought it would? What do you do when you have to turn to Plan B?

In Plan B pastor and author Pete Wilson uses real life stories of disappointments and hurts along with the biblical stories of men and women like David, Joseph, and Ruth to help readers come to grips with the truth that they will face situations that in themselves they are completely unable to handle but that in them God is simply trying to get them to surrender their plans so that they can receive His. He identifies our common responses to difficulties and offers hope, helping us to

• Understand what God might be up to


• See how surrender helps us to receive God's plan


• Embrace the community of believers


• Reconcile a God of love with a life of tragedy and suffering

Wilson points readers to the cross as not just the starting line but the centerpiece of our story with God and shares that it is there we turn in our Plan B and find the undeniable relationship between crisis and our hope followed by true spiritual transformation. "God wants to live inside the questions" says Wilson and then reminds us that "the cross is proof that He does not always change the circumstance but that He always has a purpose in every circumstance. He will never let go of us. He will hold us and His cross will be an anchor for us."

Praise for Plan B

"What do you do when you wake up with shattered dreams and unmet expectations? Pete Wilson's book, Plan B, offers honest encouragement and spiritual insights when life doesn't go as planned."

-Craig Groeschel, senior pastor,
LifeChurch.tv, and author of The Christian Atheist

"If your life is going according to plan, if your pain level is low and your ease meter is high, you probably don't need this book. But for the rest of us, I am glad it's around."

-John Ortberg, pastor and author, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

"Pete Wilson is a fresh voice for all today who wonder if they've missed God's best life and are relegated to gathering dust. He provides honest hope, a sound biblical base, and real answers. What also touched me as a reader was his warmth and authenticity. A great read for us all."

-Dr. John Townsend, author of Boundaries, psychologist, and business coach

"No matter what you're going through, Plan B will help you get through it. Plan B is a down-to-earth book written by a down-to-earth pastor. Authentic hope is only a book away!"

-Mark Batterson, senior pastor, National Community Church,
and author of Primal

"Pete Wilson is a young, dynamic leader with a growing church and a heart to see people reach out and find Christ in the midst of any and every circumstance. His sincerity and desire to disarm some of life's difficult twists and turns with godly perspective will help anyone struggling with life's realities and Plan B."

-Brian Houston, senior pastor, Hillsong Church

"Hope is packaged and sold in many different ways in our society, often wrapped with false promises and an unrealistic view of life. This is why Plan B is such an important book. Pete deals openly and honestly with the disappointments we experience, pointing us to a hope that endures, sustains,
and overcomes.

We all know people who have walked away from God because of Plan B experiences, not realizing that these are the moments God uses the most. Pete shows us that we don't have to deny the reality of what we face. We simply need to embrace the reality of a God who loves us and who is greater than our greatest disappointments.
After all, His Plan B for our lives is the best plan of them all."

-Jeff Henderson, pastor, Buckhead Church

"Pete Wilson is a tremendous communicator whose warmth and care for people are evident on every page of this fantastic book. Plan B is a powerful resource for the detours of our lives. I wish this book would have been available years ago when some of my Plan As crashed, but I'm so thankful for the wisdom of its pages for my Plan Bs today."

-Jud Wilhite, senior pastor, Central Christian Church, and author of Eyes Wide Open

"While reading Plan B, I cheered, wept, and rediscovered parts of my faith that I'd long given up on finding. Like a conversation with an old friend, Pete Wilson's reflections about God and life are engaging, sensitive,
and moving. As far as I'm concerned, if you're working on plan A, Plan B
is a good prerequisite."

-Matthew Paul Turner, author of Churched and Hear No Evil

"In a generation that faces ever increasing disappointment with life, this book masterfully reminds us that God is at work and turns everything around for good. As you read Plan B, you will sense the genuine love and concern from a pastor who cares. Well done, Pete."

-Chris Hodges, pastor, Church of the Highlands

"If Plan A for your life isn't working out too well, you're not alone. In this book, Pete Wilson helps you make sense of life's frustrations and disappointments. The stories in Plan B remind you once again that God,
who began a good work in you, is faithful to complete it. Pete is a passionate voice for a new generation of Christians. He is a man who lives what he writes."

-Robert Emmitt, senior pastor, Community Bible Church

"Pete Wilson tells the truth. Following Jesus is hard . . . really hard. Plan B is not another book filled with pat answers to life's most painful questions; it is a bold yet gracious exploration of how the love of God sustains when the broken dreams and shattered expectations of life threaten to overwhelm us."

-Ian Morgan Cron, speaker and author of Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim's Tale

Publishers Weekly

This new young voice in evangelical Christian circles, a pastor and church planter in Nashville, finds a distinctive way to weave Bible stories with his own and other life stories. People develop “Plan B,” Wilson argues, when life does not deliver what someone wants. It also entails a firm belief that God is there both in the failure of Plan A and in the redemption that comes in Plan B. Wilson draws on other Christian writers and thinkers as well as the Bible; the foundation for Plan B comes from such Bible texts as John 16:33, in which Jesus says, “ 'In this life you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.' ” Wilson cautions that taking only one part of this teaching—either the trouble part or the overcoming part—leads to bad theology. Good theology comes from holding these two together in tension, balancing disappointment and suffering with faith in a loving God. While the teaching is sound, the way he delivers it needs tweaking; Wilson's writing lacks the kind of humility that draws the reader in. (May)

Acknowledgments ix

1 Reality 1

2 Don't Run 12

3 The Illusion of Control 25

4 Your Jordan 38

5 Paralyzed 52

6 Whiplash 64

7 What Have You Done for Me Lately? 83

8 Darkness 99

9 Me Too 121

10 The Anchor 141

11 Power and Hope 159

12 Waiting on God 174

13 Transformation Through Tragedy 193

14 The Bow 211

For Thought and Discussion 227

Notes 239

About the Author 244