Vince Antonucci - God for the Rest of Us: Experience Unbelievable Love, Unlimited Hope, and Uncommon Grace

O NE OF MY NEPHEWS was telling me about his recent experience at a car dealership. He was planning on taking advantage of a year-end special. He had a buddy drop him off at the dealership, confident he would be driving home in his new truck. He took a test drive and worked with a salesperson to find the right color with the right options. He was then asked to fill out a loan application. As he began answering the different questions, he started to get a little nervous. The dealership checked his credit, and since he didnt have any, he didnt qualify for the loan. He called his mom and asked her to come pick him up.

As my nephew gets older hell learn to be skeptical of such offers. The year-end special was a great deal, but only for certain people. You have to meet the right criteria. You have to have a certain amount of resources. It was a great deal for some people, but not for all people.

A few years ago I went to the home of an older couple who were interested in becoming a part of the church where I pastor. Neither of them had grown up in church, and they had only attended services where I preach a few times. They had a few questions about the church, and then with complete sincerity and spirit of humility, the wife asked, Is there an application I need to fill out be a member of your church? Before I had a chance to respond, her husband jumped in and asked a question with a little more cynicism: What I want to know is, how much does it cost? They assumed there was an application process and a price tag for being a part the church.

I quickly explained to them that they didnt have to pass a test, and that being a Christian and a part of the church was free. I talked to them about the love of God and his gift of grace through Jesus Christ. But they were both skeptical. It seemed too good to be true, and they were convinced that there was some fine print they werent being told about.

As a pastor, I regularly talk to people who dont think their application for Gods love and grace will be approved. It may be a great deal for some people, but not for them. They know their own histories. They have ideas about their value and worth, and they feel certain that they wont qualify. I suppose, if Im being honest, these arent just stories that people share with me; there have been times when thats been my story as well. I know my own sins and failures. I know the debt I have accumulated, and there are some days when I have a hard time believing God loves me.

I love this book because it convinces me that Gods love is greater and deeper than I dared imagine. It challenges me to share that extravagant love with others. There is no shortage of books out there that share ideas and commentary about Gods love. This book doesnt just tell me about Gods love; it shows me what Gods love looks like when its lived out in real life.

I have known Vince Antonucci for well over a decade, and I love getting to spend time with him, because he always has the most incredible stories of how Gods love is impacting the people he pastors in Las Vegas. In these pages, you will read real-life stories from the people Vince and his church minister to stories that will have you laughing and crying, that will lead you to realize no one is beyond Gods grace, that will make you fall in love with God for the first time, or all over again.

Kyle Idleman

author of Not a Fan and The End of Me