Author: Bill and Ki Wahl
Located in: Fort Gratiot, MI
Submitted: July 14, 2021
Tell us a little about yourself. We serve as lead pastors of The River Church on the beautiful shores of Lake Huron in Ft Gratiot, MI. We love to teach and share Biblical truths that equip believers to live on the narrow road. Our heart's desire is to help people gain a Kingdom perspective, enabling them to change how they think and react to the world around them.
What was your motivation behind this project? The Lord led us into a season of eliminating complaining and criticism from our vocabulary and intentionally expressing thankfulness. This season was the preparation and equipping to successfully navigating one of the most difficult trials of our lives. We found this Truth made such an incredible difference in our lives as it cultivated joy during crisis, that we wanted to share with everyone what the Lord taught us on this journey.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? By reading this book, engaging in the 7-Day Challenge and applying the principles contained within, your life will be better because you'll gain an new perspective and cultivate joy. There's nothing more liberating than being free from complaining and criticism!
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? Our lives were radically changed as we learned to eliminate complaining and criticism and become thankful in all things. We grew in thankfulness and the fruit of that was abundant joy. And because our thoughts and words were different, we were able to see God's work in our lives and His provision more clearly.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Robert Morris and Dr. Caroline Leaf have been great influences in our life regarding this topic. Robert Morris' book The Power of Words and his teachings on this greatly impacted our lives. Dr. Caroline Leaf's teaching on toxic words and thoughts, along with her books Who Switched off My Brain and Switch on Your Brain gave us tremendous insight in how our words impact our physical brain and future choices.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: This book is a bountiful resource for personal growth, small groups or Bible study groups as it is full of Scripture. It's also a tremendous tool for cultivating a church culture of gratitude and joy. As pastors, we took several small groups and our entire congregation through the 7-Day Challenge. We can testify to the incredible difference it has made in our lives personally and within the lives of those in our church.
