Ir-rev-rend

Ir-rev-rend (ir REV rund) noun

1. a pastor who is somewhat critical of what is generally accepted or respected

2. a pastor who is trying to make sense of life, love, the church and other confusing things from a slightly satirical point of view; an irreverent sense of humor.

3. a "normal" guy pursuing God

Whatever you may think about the "typical" pastor, throw it out. Do they make bad decisions? Yes. Commit sin and experience severed relationships? Yes and yes. Pastor Greg Surratt is not perfect, and he unashamedly tells the stories that have strengthened his faith. He writes that the choice to follow Christ is never clean, is often scary, is usually clothed in mystery, and is always an adventure.

For some people, God appears in dark, dirty, lonely, or just plain odd places. Greg found God while huddled under a grand piano, hiding from overzealous friends and family trying to accost him during an altar call at a Pentecostal revival. So began a life of sharing stories of God's endlessly creative and often surprising work and seeing God's transforming power in unexpected ways. Despite years of vocational ministry, Greg never underestimates the power of divine/human encounters in some of teh least "churchy' places on earth.

Humorous, insightful, and challenging, IR-REV-REND is a revealing and joyous look at real-life Christian living. As Greg himself affirms, if God can use his missteps and blunders, God can use anybody's.

Greg Surratt is the founding pastor of Seacoast Church (www.seacoast.org), a trendsetting, multisite church. An Oklahoma native who grew up in Colorado, he now lives in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, with his wife, Debbie. They have four children and nine grandchildren. You can find out more about Greg on his blog at www.gregsurratt.com or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/pastorgregsurratt.