By Pastor Mark Hopper

Recently, my wife flew home from Arizona on Southwest Airlines. She had been in Phoenix for a few days visiting her family. Things went smoothly and her flight was on time. I picked her up and we headed home in heavy afternoon traffic. Suddenly she realized that she had left her book on the airplane that was going on to Oakland. She had changed seats shortly after she boarded the plane and had left the book in the seat pocket in front of her.

This was no ordinary book. The book she had been reading was the one that was just published with my name on it!  The book is titled, “Let Me Encourage You” by Pastor Mark Hopper. It is a collection of 365 articles and stories that I have written over the past ten years for this local paper. Over a decade ago, the publishers invited me to write a weekly article for their local advertising publication.  I have enjoyed the opportunity to write many different stories and articles.

A friend encouraged me to put these articles into a book.  It took a lot of time to read through hundreds of stories and decide which ones to include in the book. Many of the articles are about my own family. Other stories are about current events in our community or country.  It was fun reading these stories and articles again.

After my wife realized she had left my book on the plane, she called the airline. They gave her the local number for the Southwest baggage office at the airport. She explained she had left her book on the plane and wondered if it had been found. She emphasized that this was no ordinary book. It was a book authored by her husband!

We were pleasantly surprised to hear that they had found the book on the plane and it was safely in the lost luggage office.  We could come by and pick it up any time. What a relief. The lost book was found!  Maybe the helpful employee will read a little before we pick it up. If you would like to purchase a copy for yourself or for a friend, you can contact me at my email address (markh@efreedb.org). But you have to promise to not leave it on an airplane!  Pastor Mark Hopper  Efree Church of Diamond Bar 

This article was written by Pastor Mark Hopper of Efree Church of Diamond Bar. Sunday Services are held at 9:00 am & 10:45 am at 3255 South Diamond Bar Blvd. You can contact the church at 909.594.7604 or visit them online at Efreedb.org