Real Stories. Changing Lives.
Becoming second “summarizes all that Jesus taught, all that he lived, and all that he expects from those who claim his name. God is first and others are before ourselves.”
Becoming second is not just for the perfect believer. “It is the honest, raw, and often painful journey of broken people who have decided that life is not about them.”
The lesson of each story is the same. “Being second is the only way to find love, peace, joy, contentment, or whatever else you are looking for. It is the only way to find a life worth living. These are the stories of those who have found this to be true.”
• Rock Stars and Jesus / The Story of Brian ‘Head’ Welch
Brian ‘Head’ Welch “became one of heavy metal’s great lead guitarists.” He played with the band Korn. Head struggled with many demons, including greed, power, alcohol and drugs.
• I Saw the Sign / The Story of Daniel Montenegro
Daniel Montenegro was a normal 25-year-old man from Texas who happened to be a follower of the band Korn. He tried to overpower his depression with drugs.
• Resist the Devil / The Story of Josh Hamilton
Josh Hamilton (a player for the Texas Rangers) was the top Major League baseball draft pick in 1999. A car accident took his parents far away from him for rehabilitation and Josh could not play ball for a month. Josh became lonely and mixed in with the wrong crowd while getting tattoos. Drugs and alcohol suspended him from baseball.
• Biggest Winner / The Story of Michelle Aguilar
Michelle Aguilar (The winning contestant on the reality show The Biggest Loser) stopped speaking to her Mother when she told Michelle she was leaving her Father. The pain and betrayal manifested into eating comfort food gaining 110lbs.
• Porn Again Pastor / The Story of Nate Larkin
Nate Larkin was leading two separate lives. The notion of needing to be the perfect Pastor and the secret of Nate’s growing obsession with porn. Guilt and failure made him feel that God had abandoned him.
• Life on the Streets / The Story of Karen Green
Karen Green was molested as a young girl was made to believe it was her fault so throughout her life, she kept quiet about the continued sexual abuse. Her Aunt taught her that she always had to be with older men who could take care of her, financially. Karen was domestically abused and became a prostitute to finance her drug habit.
• That Kid in the Corner / The Story of Michael W. Smith
Michael W. Smith plays the piano and writes songs (winning a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance) with an incredible talent. Working his way up to stardom, Michael fell in with the wrong crowd. He started drinking and using drugs that spiraled Michael into a deep depression.
• My Other Father / The Story of Shannon Culpepper
Shannon Culpepper was letting emotional abusive relationships continue throughout her life, starting with her father and continuing with boyfriends.
• The Affair / The Story of Jeff and Cheryl Scruggs
Cheryl Scruggs felt emptiness in her heart. She thought if the got the attention of another man by having an affair would fill that void. That did not work. Cheryl thought staying with her husband, Jeff, was making the void. The divorce did not fill her heart.
• Through Pain of Love / The Story of Vitor Belfort
Vitor Belfort (UFC heavyweight champion and UFC light heavyweight champion) thought his career was over when he sustained a neck injury. The kidnapping and complete disappearance of his sister caused Vitor so much pain and he was losing his faith.
• Driven by Hate / The Story of Ken Hutcherson
Ken Hutcherson was a black boy growing up in the 1960s civil rights era. From a very early age, Ken was taught not to trust white people. He grew up angry. Joining the football team was a good way to hit white people. Ken started to hate black people as well. He hade so much rage and hat inside him that he became isolated because no one wanted to be around him.
• Crazy Beautiful Thing / The Story of Whispering Danny
Whispering Danny got his nickname because he had Papillomatosis, benign tumors that grew along the air passages of his throat. He required surgery every four months that left him with a soft, raspy voice. Being Jewish, Danny did not know about the God his best friend Shane talked about. Danny witnessed a true miracle.
• Skateboard Love / The Story of Brian Sumner
Brian Sumner is a Pro skateboarder (who rode for Tony Hawk’s company, Birdhouse) who came to America to live the American dream. Brian became a selfish and angry person who started fights. He did not understand why his success did not make him happy.
• Faith and War / The Story of Chris Plekenpol
Captain Chris Plekenpol extended his stay in the army for one more year. He and his troops were defending Iraqi freedom. War was testing his faith.
• If Tomorrow Never Comes / The Story of Tamara Jolee
Tamara Jolee is a hard hitting journalist who received hard hitting news. She had Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, blood cancer. There was no cure for this disease and she only had a few years left to live.
• Death and Football / The Story of Bradie James
Bradie James (a football player for the Dallas Cowboys) lost both parents in a short period of time at a young age. He did not understand why his parents where taken from him and his faith was shaken.
• Surfing with Sharks / The Story of Bethany Hamilton
Bethany Hamilton (Pro surfing competitor) was in the water one day and a shark came out and bit her left arm. Surgery proved that the arm could not be saved.
• Riding with a Mask / The Story of Laura Klock
Laura Klock never felt she was good enough. On the outside, Laura was the perfect child, but inside she felt like she was not wanted. She used alcohol and drugs to mask her low self-esteem and lack of confidence.
• Gridiron Battles / The Story of Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford (football player for the St. Louis Rams) was raised to win. If he lost a game, he questioned God.
• Booze and Batteries / The Story of Norm Miller
Norm Miller sold and set up distributorships for Interstate Batteries. Alcohol became a part of his life during meetings with clients, to relax after a hard day, to fall asleep faster until it became a problem as he faced his third DWI.
If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself!
For full synopsis and review go to http://booksbysteph.com/Bender__Doug.html
Until next time, take life one page at a time!
SZ
BOOKS BY STEPH 