#SacredPace #NetGalley
Successful Christian businessman Terry Looper has written a part-memoir, part-how-to book full of practical advice for the man or woman who wants to follow God’s leading in business, and in life.

Looper became a millionaire in his 20s, and had eclipsed all his financial goals in his 30s, but it came at a great cost. He found himself so utterly depleted – physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally - one morning he couldn’t get out of bed. His health and relationships with others were a mess. Although he was about to be ordained as an elder in his church, Looper admitted to himself that money and approval had really been his gods.

This low point in Looper’s life became the genesis of his new way of living and doing business, something he developed into a 4-step process he calls the Sacred Pace. The crux of Looper’s system is what he calls “going neutral”. This means divesting yourself of interest in the matter at hand, as you lay it before God. If your heart cannot impartially say, “I want what You want, God,” then you are not neutral.

The meaning and importance of scripture increased for Looper, as did stopping to discern peace. If there was no peace he could not proceed. Looper demonstrates this principle with examples from his business and life. This book is helpful for those exploring the logistics of following God's leading.

While Looper's background and story are compelling, this book isn't. Yes, his four steps are simple. Yes, they will help you live a more Christ-centered life. But the book is not well-written and his explanations, seemingly repeated often, are vague.

I liked the first part of the book where the author used his life story as the background for finding his four steps. After that it became a tough slog. I kept feeling as if someone told him a book for adults needed to be a certain number of pages long and he added quotations and repeated himself to fill the space.

Recently I read Lou Holz's three steps for life. It was a third the length, clear and something where I could take action right away. Looper would have been well-served if his book had been that length.

This book is a memoir by Terry Looper, not a book on discernment. The author is a very wealthy businessman, and he tells his story of how he made his fortune. It's not a bad story of how the author became wealthy in the energy business in Texas, but it's not at all what I expected from the description of the book.