John Bishop - God Distorted: How Your Earthly Father Affects Your Perception of God and Why It Matters

John Bishop tears away those misconceptions, distorted views, and protective walls we have in the way of a dynamic relationship with God. By highlighting how significantly the relationship with our earthly father distorts our view of our heavenly Father, God Distorted leads readers on a path of healing and better understanding of God the Father.

M ARK B ATTERSON , New York Times best-selling author of The Circle Maker

John Bishop writes from his personal life and his years as a pastor to describe the incredible importance of accepting our Fathers love into the deep places of our lives. So many of our challenges come back to how we view God, and John clears the way for us to see God in all of his power, love, and fame. This is a powerful book and a great resource.

J UD W ILHITE , author of Pursued and senior pastor of Central Christian Church, Las Vegas

A. W. Tozer asserted, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. God Distorted helps us discover and replace the warped perceptions with Gods perfections. Writing with great vulnerability out of his personal journey, John guides us to letting go the daddy damaged idols so we can experience the joy that comes with knowing the heavenly Father with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Working through the book will renew love of the Father, joy in Jesus, and peace through the Spirit.

G ERRY B RESHEARS , professor of theology, Western Seminary, Portland

John Bishop has written a book that will bring healing, encouragement, and restoration to anyone whos wrestled to reconcile their earthly father with our heavenly Father. This is a book that will breathe hope and life into your world.

M ARGARET F EINBERG (www.margaretfeinberg.com), author of Wonderstruck and Scouting the Divine

God Distorted provides insight to a hurting generation. John is very transparent in this book, and if we had more Christian leaders this transparent talking about some of these things, we would have a better church, community, and nation. We must acknowledge, accept, and work on these problems we carry within us. We must allow God to change us, and then we can help change others. I was with Pastor John Bishop and spoke at his church on Fathers Day, and following the service we had a very quick lunchthe reason being that he needed to rush off so he could spend time with his son. That was Johns priority, and it made a strong impression on me.

N ICKY C RUZ , evangelist and author

The message of God Distorted is simple but profound: No matter how good or bad your earthly father was, you havent truly found home until youre in the arms of your heavenly Father. John Bishops message is one of hope, healing, and restoration.

J IM D ALY , president, Focus on the Family and author of ReFocus: Living a Life that Reflects Gods Heart

John Bishop is passionate about helping us let go of our distorted image of God and embrace Him as our perfect Father. Johns transparency about his experience as a son, a father, and a pastor will encourage you as you seek to replace broken paradigms with biblical faith.

S TEVEN F URTICK , lead pastor, Elevation Church, Charlotte, and author of the New York Times bestseller Greater

God Distorted challenges your view of God. John Bishop helps you see God for who He is, not who you imagined Him to be.

K ERRY S HOOK , founding pastor of Woodlands Church, Houston, and coauthor of the national bestsellers One Month to Live and Love at Last Sight

Everyone has a view of God, a perception of who He is and what He wants in our lives. Some see Him as a loving creator; others may see Him as a detached deity. In God Distorted, John Bishop helps readers peel back the layers of their past and discover the foundation of their perception of Godtheir experience with their earthly father. And through open, honest, and powerful examples, John helps readers discover what it takes to overcome the distortions and instead gain a clear image of God.

E D Y OUNG , pastor, Fellowship Church, Dallas/Fort Worth, and author of Outrageous, Contagious Joy

G OD D ISTORTED
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (Gods Word) are taken from Gods Word, a copyrighted work of Gods Word to the Nations Bible Society. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by Gods Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (HCSB) are taken from The Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked ( KJV ) are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked ( MSG ) are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NASB ) are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Use by permission. (www.Lockman.org). Scripture quotations marked ( NIV ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Italics in Scripture quotations reflect the authors added emphasis.

Details in some anecdotes and stories have been changed to protect the identities of the persons involved.

Copyright 2013 by John L. Bishop

Cover design by Mark D. Ford

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

M ULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bishop, John L.
God distorted : how your earthly father affects your perception of God and why it matters / John L. Bishop.First Edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
eISBN: 978-1-60142-486-0
1. God (Christianity)Fatherhood. I. Title.
BT153.F3B39 2013
231.1dc23

2012049986

v3.1

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

J OHN 1:12, NIV

To David, my father. I wish I could know you, and I wish you could know me. We would have had so many memories, but on February 17, 1967, that all changed when you died. I forgive you, and I am sorry for all of the anger. What we missed out on, I have tried to give to my kids. My biggest hope is that you are in heaven and that we can catch up someday. Through all of the pain, I have discovered Gods promises and presence. He promised to be the Father to the fatherless and has been to me