By Vanesa Brashier, editor@bluebonnetnews.com
Rev. Chris Contreras, pastor of New Work Family Worship Center in Liberty, says his new devotional book titled “Skunk Dogs, Weep Holes and Other Preposterous Things” might not ever make the New York Times’ best-seller list but the messages shared in the book should resonate with people.
“Never underestimate God’s desire to speak to us. He can take some of the most mundane things to send us a message, and if we are listening, we will see a God moment in it,” Contreras said.
The book, sold for $6.99 on Amazon.com, is Contreras’ first publishing effort but it won’t be his last. He is already at work on a second book tentatively titled “Find Hope.”
Similar to his sermons in church, Contreras’ book is a humorous look at some of the mundane things that happen in life, like the time a skunk sprayed the family pet, which then ran inside the Contreras’ home, rubbing up on all the furniture in a desperate effort to get rid of the scent.
“I look at that incident and see God telling us that who we are rubs off on people. If we do things that are mean, hateful and ugly, people are going to sense that from us,” he said. “On the contrary, if we are letting the sweetness and goodness of Christ in our lives, His goodness will exude from us.”
One of the stories in the book comes from his childhood.
“I was so bad at sports when I was a kid. Either I didn’t get picked for the team or the team members talked me into quitting. I was okay with that then because I really didn’t want to play anyway,” Contreras said. “But the lesson there is that regardless of who we are and what we do, God wants us on our team. He will overlook our shortcomings and mold and shape us into what He desires for us to be.”
Contreras and his wife, Melanie Jones Contreras, founded New Work Family Fellowship Center in 2010. They have two sons, Morgan and Chase.
For more information on their church, go online to https://www.facebook.com/NewWorkFamilyWorshipCenter/. The church is located at 2512 Grand Ave., Liberty.