The following year, when I participated at Book Expo, I noticed Pastor Dan there
for the initial release of his book Praise as a Weapon. I walked up to him at the
publisher’s booth and, surprisingly, he remembered me! Knowing that the launch
of a book requires more than what a publisher gives in this day and age, I brought
over Pam Nelson, a publicist and agent, who worked for Levy Home Entertainment.
Not so surprising, he knew her too, as she had arranged for Merry Dee, a television
news anchor, to have a book signing at Lighthouse a year or two earlier. He smiled
graciously, thanked me for the “reintroduction,” and spoke with Pam for a few
minutes about a plan for his book.
Later, I found even more reason to admire him when I learned that his church is debt
free. That is a pretty big feat, especially since their new building was finished last
year—and that, too, is debt free. Pastor Dan insisted on building the new church in
increments as they were able to raise the funds, as opposed to incurring debt to have
it built. That was extremely impressive. He has a great, supportive team in place
where there is something for everyone at church no matter what age. The work is
highly evident in the children’s church; the special programs and theatrical plays
that are put on by adults; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing with the
choir and band for the yearly Christmas Cantata; the New Year’s Eve “Smackdown”
of fun, games, and great music to bring the year in with joy and laughter.
This is not your traditional kind of church. Neither is the pastor, who always has a
forward approach to keeping the members in mind.
“This book is so much more than I expected, as I
thought it would consist of praising God through
prayer and song, but that didn’t begin to touch
the surface of this wonderful book. In Praise Is
My Weapon, the author moves into a deeper
revelation of praise explaining that according to
scripture we are commanded to offer praise, he
explains the different forms it can take and how
to come before the Lord with praise in our hearts
and on our lips. I know that I often have fallen
short of offering praise to God for who He is and
I will use this book to help me in my prayer life.”
--Jackie McNutt, Amazon.com