Michael Fechner Jr. - Lessons on the Way to Heaven: What My Father Taught Me

Having known for nearly twenty years the man about whom this book is written, I was privy to many of the lessons he learned on the way to heaven. Mike was indeed a force of unusual character; however, this storytold by his son Michael Jr.is a powerful encouragement to those of us who may doubt our place or feel inadequate when it comes to advancing Gods kingdom. While Mike was no doubt called and gifted, this story is about the greatness of the God who called and gifted him. It is ultimately the story of Gods redemptive work in the world, which he has chosen to accomplish through flawed and weak creatures. Mike would be contemptuous of any other perspective.

S. MICHAEL CRAVEN, president of H.I.S. BridgeBuilders

Reading Lessons on the Way to Heaven reintroduced me to a man who impacted my life in a profound way. Mike Fechner didnt preach a sermon; he lived it 24/7. As I read, I found myself recommitting to the unselfish principles that guided his life. These pages keep alive a legacy of surrender and authenticity. Caution: Know that this book will interfere with comfortable living and challenge you to live your life differently.

DAN DEAN, lead singer of Phillips, Craig, and Dean

Authentically challenging! This is an important book for Christians living in the opulence of Western church culture. Michael Fechner Jr. does a masterful job sharing the life of one of this generations heroes of the faith.

DAN TRIPPIE, pastor of Restoration Church, Buffalo, New York

Lessons on the Way to Heaven is a monument to courage and humility, rooted in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Mike Fechners is a capacious mind and heart, and I was deeply touched and guided by the many graces of God that recur again and again in this lovely and tender book. Its eloquence and aspiration make it a joy to read.

TIM GOEGLEIN, vice president of external relations and senior advisor to the president, Focus on the Family

Mike Fechner was a personal friend whom I dearly loved and had the greatest respect for. His story is a remarkable witness to the power of the gospel to shatter our preconceived notions and tear down walls of our own making that are the result of a fallen and broken world. This is a wonderful book I couldnt put down. Pick it up and start readingand you will see what I mean.

DANIEL L. AKIN, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina

The Mike Fechner who comes alive in this book was an ocular demonstration of a disciple of Jesus seeking to transform persons and families throughout our global community. I witnessed the brotherhood that existed between my husband, E. K. Bailey, a black man, and Mike Fechner, a white man. Our family was recipients of his love when my husband suffered with three bouts of cancer. How honorable for a son to embrace his fathers lessons, as his father emulated his heavenly Father. Mikes passion, purpose, and perseverance exude from each chapter. Read it! Discuss it! Live it! We as believers are on our way to our heavenly home!

SHEILA BAILEY, speaker, revivalist, teacher, and president of Sheila B. Ministries

In 1998, Mike Fechner led my wife and me to Christ and then discipled us for three years. He did not just talk the talk; he walked the walk of Jesus great commandment to love God and love others. This book will challenge you to reject cultural Christianity and should be read by any Christian who is serious about walking as Jesus walked. I want my whole congregation to read it.

BILL BORINSTEIN, senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel North, Phoenix, Arizona

My favorite stories in history are about people like Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper and George Muellerpeople who risked everything for Christ and for the sake of the poor. Michael Fechner Jr. has done us an immense favor by sharing a story for anyone who longs for the true greatness described by Jesus: Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all. Mikes commitment to Jesus, to his family, to his church, to his pastor, and to the poor astonished me. I knew him as a prophet who was as quick to laugh as he was to weep and pray. He was often radiant and always relentless. The poor of Dallas and elsewhere loved him. His family honored him. He enriched the kingdom of God. Oh, how I miss him. His life still challenges mine. His story should change you.

DR. BOB BAKKE, teaching pastor at Hillside Church, Bloomington, Minnesota

Mike Fechner lived with his feet firmly planted in the soil of human experience and struggle, yet his heart was captured with the radiant beams of heavens glory. He loved God and served people with a bright smile and infectious laughter. This book tells his story and offers a challenge to all who dare journey here to write a story with their lives that is greater than themselves. Michael Fechner Jr. learned some painful yet life-enriching lessons from a father who took great risks to live gospel truth in daily life. This book urges us not only live for today but also to love and serve with eternity in view.

DR. DAVID H. MCKINLEY, pastor-teacher, Warren Baptist Church, Augusta, Georgia

I knew Mike Fechner well and loved him deeply. If ever there was the real deal, it was Mike. Michael Jr. has captured the essence of who his dad was and his life message in a way that can only be described as powerful and inspired. This is not just the story of a good man facing death but ultimately the story of a gracious Lord who walked with him. You will read it and weep, but you will also read it and reap!

O. S. HAWKINS, author of The Joshua Code, The Jesus Code, and The James Code

Never have I been around a man who loved Jesus and people more than Mike Fechner. His life was an example of what it means to be totally surrendered to the will of God. His heart for the least and his desire to live by faith challenged and inspired all who knew him. Lessons on the Way to Heaven gives an inside glimpse of the grace of God in Mikes life that made him to be a kingdom bridge builder.

JARRETT STEPHENS, teaching pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas

Usually we read biographies about people we never had the privilege to know. With Lessons on the Way to Heaven, its different. I saw these lessons lived out, talked out, prayed outand they impacted me deeply. I read this book in one sitting because I felt as though Mike was talking to me and challenging me to be more like Jesus once again. The lessons Mike learned and shared so openly are the lessons we all need to learn.

JEFF YOUNG, minister of spiritual development, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas

Michael Fechner was an amazing man who was 100 percent sold out to bringing restoration to urban Dallas. He inspired and challenged anyone he came into contact with. Im so glad I had the opportunity to know him and even more grateful that his vision and principles have been captured in this book so others can be inspired too. Be ready to have your assumptions about urban ministry challenged and turned upside down. Lessons on the Way to Heaven is a much-needed road map for churches that want to see their cities transformed.

KEVIN EZELL, president of North American Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention

This book is more than a son sharing and honoring his fathers story. Michael Fechner Jr. challenges all of us to live with purpose, to have an eternal focus, and to keep an eye on the next generationa persons legacy. Michael picks up where his father left offpointing people to Jesus Christ, our hope and glory.

LARRY TAYLOR, PhD, Head of School at Prestonwood Christian Academy, Plano, Texas

ZONDERVAN

Lessons on the Way to Heaven

Copyright 2016 by Michael Fechner Jr.

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