Foreword

Life is difficult for everybody. There are hard jobs, hard marriages, and hard family dynamics. But some people compound their problems by ignoring basic principles that can help them get where they want to go in life.

Where along the way did we forget that discipline is our friend? It’s not always going to feel like an ally, but later when you have to rely on a skill you’ve honed by discipline, you learn that it served you well.

The seven simple choices that Pastor Bob Merritt talks about in When Life’s Not Working won’t make life less difficult, but they may just lead to accomplishment, freedom, and ease. Not easy but ease in navigating through life’s daily challenges.

Some people really do get from here to there with their lives, marriages, friendships, and jobs intact.

The principles found within When Life’s Not Working are grounded within the fabric of how God set the world in motion and how he intended for us to live within it.

They also flow out of the life of one of the most adventurous and respected church leaders in the country.

I’ve known Bob for many years. He is in the top 1 percent of the finest pastors on the planet. He is a man whose mission has always been to see lives transformed by the power of Christ. Even after leading a church from 350 to 13,000, his heart still aches for people who are far from God. When people from Willow are transferred to Minneapolis, we send them Bob’s way.

You have someone in your life who needs this book—a son, daughter, parent, or friend. When Life’s Not Working contains the simple everyday choices that will lead to lifelong freedom and achievement, even for those of us who have made a mess of things along the way. It’s never too late to try life God’s way, so why not start now.

Bill Hybels
senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church;
chairman of the board, Willow Creek Association