Best-selling author asks who (or what) do you worship?
“You shall have no other gods before me.” The response to those eight simple words influences every aspect of a person’s life. Idolatry isn’t simply a sin; it’s what is fundamentally wrong with the human heart. Everyday lives are full of examples of the constant need to grab at almost anything to try and fill the deep, built-in longings for worth, significance, acceptance, love and beauty.
In Empty Promises: The Truth About You, Your Desires, and the Lies You’re Believing (Thomas Nelson, ISBN# 9780849946516, $15.99, April 2012) by Pete Wilson, readers are reminded that it is easy for hearts to wander away from Jesus and toward other people or things, thinking they’ll give what only He can give. These empty promises leave people wanting more even when leading wonderful lives.
Wilson walks readers through the common “idyllic” pitfalls of achievement, addiction to approval, attraction of wealth, perils of power, idolatry of religion, obsession of beauty and chasing of a dream. The core of Wilson’s message is urging readers to learn how to replace and not just relinquish these idols by turning focus and worship toward God – the only thing that will set peopl
e absolutely free from the endless pursuit of everything else.
“The truth is, all the money, talent, attractiveness, and popularity in the world will not protect anyone from the stupidity of sin. And none of those things will fulfill the burning desire for more that drives people to fall for false promises,” says Wilson. “If left unmonitored they can lead us right into empty promise, but they are ultimately there to lead us to Christ, the only person who can actually fulfill them.”
Pete Wilson is the founding and senior pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee, a committed church community that he and his wife, Brandi, planted in 2003. Over the course of 9 years, Cross Point has grown to reach more than 5,000 people each weekend through its five campuses located around the Nashville area, and online. As one of the fastest growing churches in America, Pete’s ministry–an outreach focused on helping people become devoted to Christ, irrevocably committed to each other, and relentlessly dedicated to reaching those outside of God’s family with the Gospel–has made Pete a frequent speaker at national and international church conferences. Pete gained national attention in 2010 when Thomas Nelson published his best-selling book, Plan B, a title that has been printed in five languages and launched Putting Plan B into Action, a 6-week DVD curriculum that serves as a study companion to the book. Empty Promises, Pete’s much-anticipated second book, releases in spring 2012. Pete earned his Bachelors degree in Communications from Kentucky Western University an attended seminary at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. Pete is also an avid blogger (www.withoutwax.tv); he enjoys the outdoors, fly fishing, and Titans football.
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