Getting Rid Of The Gorilla Endorsements

Aren’t you tired of the beast on your back? Set it free with the help of Brian Jones and his practical book on forgiveness. Everyone who has suffered a hurt they didn’t deserve will find help, healing, and restoration in this real-life resource.

— Les Parrott, Ph.D., author of 3 Seconds

“C.S. Lewis once said that a writer shouldn’t aim at being original but being honest; because each individual’s unique honesty will bring creativity as well. Brian Jones is both. He expresses the heart’s disappointment and longing with a directness that somehow always ends up leading us toward God.”

— John Ortberg, author of It All Goes Back in the Box

"Brian Jones has done it again. He's given us another stimulating and soul shaping book. Don't read this book if you're easily offended by frank talk. Don't even pick it up if you're afraid to look into the darkest corners of your soul. And stay miles away if living with bitterness, resentment, and rage is your preferred lifestyle choice. But if you long to be free, really free, Getting Rid of the Gorilla may be one of the best gifts you could give your life and future."

— Gene Appel, Lead Pastor Willow Creek Community Church South Barrington, IL

“Brian Jones captures the heart of grace and mercy in this classic book, Getting Rid of the Gorilla: Confessions on the Struggle to Forgive. His authentic examples give us the perfect model of one who was hurt much and forgave much, and that is Jesus himself! Brian helps you see how forgiveness, although difficult, is all about God and his design for our freedom and the fullness of joy.

— Dr. Gary Smalley, speaker and author of Change Your Heart…Change Your Life

Second Guessing God Endorsements

"C.S. Lewis once said that a writer shouldn't aim at being original but being honest; because each individual's unique honesty will bring creativity as well. Brian Jones is both. He expresses the heart's disappointment and longing with a directness that somehow always ends up leading us toward God."

— John Ortberg, author of
If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat

"When I've gone through times of doubt and disillusionment, the overwhelming emotion I felt was fear: What if this never gets better? How long can I hold on? Brian Jones is the person you need to hear from at those times. "Second Guessing God" combines honesty with hope. It won't give you a quick fix or easy answers, but it will help you hang on until faith and hope return. And when they do, you'll be stronger and wiser for what you've learned from this wise and encouraging book."

— Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian

"I can't predict the future, but of this I am confident: Second Guessing God will not be the last book by Brian Jones. From the first paragraph I was captured by his open and engaging style. He dares to raise the questions and faith-doubts many of us have carried silently. You will appreciate his honesty and be strengthened by his counsel."

— Gene Appel, Lead Pastor
Willow Creek Community Church South Barrington Campus

"Brian Jones writes in a way that allows us accompany him on his deep and meaningful journey toward trusting God. He takes our hand to lead us and sometimes while we're walking and thinking he slips away and we find ourselves holding the hand of God."

— Nicole Johnson, Women of Faith conference speaker and author of Fresh Brewed Life

"Brian Jones sensitively addresses the existential doubts I have heard raised in both universities and churches: Where is God in my pain, and can He really be trusted? As a seasoned traveler through this difficult terrain and now pastor to other travelers, Brian speaks with transparency and passion about such questions and of God's faithfulness and presence in the midst of them."

— Ravi Zacharias, author of Recapture the Wonder

About Me

Hi, I'm Brian Jones, the one on the left. I'm the lead guy at a really good church called Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV) that my wife and I helped start in the suburbs of Philadelphia in 2000. It's made up of some really caring and authentic people. If you live nearby you might want to check it out.

When I have some spare time I like to write. My first book, Second Guessing God: Hanging On When You Can't See His Plan, was my attempt to help people answer the question, "Why does God keep allowing really bad stuff to happen in my life?"

My second book was released in March 2008. It's called Getting Rid of the Gorilla: Confessions on the Struggle to Forgive. It's about forgiveness, why I'm not very good at it, and how an unforgiving heart can make you do some pretty hurtful things in life if you don't deal with it.

I've spent a little bit of time in school. I received my B.A. from Cincinnati Christian University and my M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. I'd like to finish a PhD at some point but that will have to wait until I put my three girls through college themselves. I figure I'll have it done in time for me and my grandchildren to walk down the aisle and get our diplomas together.

When I've got some free weekends or evenings, which aren't many, I occasionally get invited to speak for other churches and conferences. I really enjoy doing this. I've met some great people and developed some wonderful friendships this way.

I guess if you were to ask me what really makes me tick I would have to say it's showing people how the Bible and the great Christian teachers of the past help make life work.

Finally, the best thing going on in my life is my family. I've been married to my wife Lisa now for 19 years. I met her in fifth grade church camp. Now we have three girls of our own.

Non-Religious Devotional Thoughts

Each week I send out an e-newsletter I call Non-Religious Devotional Thoughts. My goal with each one is to challenge both Christians and the spiritually undecided to move forward in their spiritual journeys by connecting the Bible to the stuff we all face everyday.

So sign up and try reading them for a few weeks. If they bore you to tears, you can unsubscribe at any time. But if they give you a spiritual kick in the middle of the week, pass them along to your family and friends.

FYI – Your email address will never be sold to Viagra spammers and that dead guy’s wife in Nigeria who needs someone to funnel $15,000,000 to people here in the U.S. (unless, of course, they offer me a lot of money).

To sign up for Brian’s weekly e-newsletter, Non-Religious Devotional Thoughts, please enter your email address below.

Books

Order This Book: Buy Now Order The Study Guide Read Endorsements

Getting Rid Of The Gorilla
by Brian Jones

Living with an unforgiving heart is like living with a gorilla.

The beast follows you everywhere. He squeezes marriages. He stinks up friendships. He growls at family gatherings and beats his chest at church.

An unforgiving heart ruins relationships, affecting everyone and everything you touch. Maybe you've tried and failed to forgive someone who's hurt you. Maybe you aren't sure you even want to try.

In these confessions from Brian's own struggle, find hope and strength for finally getting rid of the gorilla in your life.

Order This Book: Buy Now Order The Study Guide Read Endorsements

Second Guessing God
by Brian Jones

You're not alone when you ask, "Where's God?"

Do you ever wonder why God allows bad things to happen? Brian provides a refreshingly honest look at suffering and doubt and the divine purposes for life's difficulties in his book, Second Guessing God.

Second Guessing God provides readers a compelling guide for navigating disappointment and doubt, recovering joy, and rediscovering the "warmth of God's presence and the conviction that he really does have a plan for our lives." To do so, it closely examines:

• Where's God? when life is full of struggle


• What's God Doing? in the midst of our pain


• Hanging On to God's promises to be with us

Here's a clip of me plugging Second Guessing God a while ago.

I'd Love To Hear From You!

To contact me please email me at brian@moviechurch.com.

Brian Jones
Christ's Church of the Valley
1560 Yeager Rd.
Royersford, PA 19468


CCV'ers Seeking Pastoral Counseling:
Our Coordinator of Pastoral Care, Steve Lybrand, handles all requests for one-on-one counseling with our pastoral staff. You can contact him directly at pastoralcare@moviechurch.com. Situations requiring care beyond the expertise of our pastoral staff are always referred to a Christian counseling agency called Life Counseling Services. With offices located throughout the Philly metro area, their skilled staff can help guide you through almost any situation.

Speaking

This is the only picture I have where I'm looking off into space, presumably thinking about some incredibly profound thought I can share with a potential audience. Motivational speaker guru websites always have these kinds of pictures. If you want me to speak for your group it might help for you to imagine me shaven, without greasy hair, and not chewing on the side of my mouth.

I'll occasionally get a chance to sneak away and speak to another church, conference, organization or retreat. When I have time I love doing this. I've met some of the most amazing people in just about every place you can imagine -- megachurches, small country churches, mom's groups, support groups, urban churches, emerging churches, etc. Amazingly, I have even met nice people at churches filled with Dallas Cowboy fans -- if you can believe that.

If you think you might want me to speak to your church, you can get in touch with me at brian@moviechurch.com.

FYI -- The bad news is I only have a handful of free weekends a year. The good news is there are lots of people better than me out there.