I recently caught up with Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite to ask them about what’s happening at People of the Second Chance. Check out this interview, and then take the time to leave a comment and enter the contest to win Mike’s new book.

TONY: Just out of curiosity, how did you guys meet, and how did you become good friends?

MIKE: We first met at a retreat and then we ended up working together at a church in Southern California. I think we became “good” friends as we realized that we had a lot in common. Football, grace and how we approached people. We became BEST friends after years of trust, honest conversations and navigating the hard parts of life together.

TONY: For folks who may not be familiar with People of the Second Chance, what are you guys up to?

MIKE: POTSC is a community of people who aren’t afraid to give scandalous amounts of grace everyday. What we are asking people to do is rethink their misconceptions about failure, pain and forgiveness. We encourage people to bravely embrace their scars and leverage the failed parts of their story.

JUD: Leaders have become addicted to managing acceptable versions of themselves and always projecting success. That creates a false self and eventually leads to other toxic behavior. POTSC helps provide a framework, structure and tools to help us live honestly with our whole story. Both good and bad.

TONY: Looks like you all have a new book out. Tell us about Gracenomics.

MIKE: It is a little book with a huge idea. It asks the question what would happen if we unleashed scandalous amounts of grace into our lives, relationships, leadership and workplaces. I think all of us think we are great grace givers…but I guarantee you’re not as good as you think you are. Gracenomics is super practical, hard hitting, brutally transparent and a no-nonsense guide to help us release second chance living everyday.

JUD: Honestly, the book is unlike anything else out there. It will surprise you. The design, the message and how Mike presents these thought provoking concepts is totally fresh. It is an easy read but one that you won’t forget anytime soon.

TONY: Speak specifically to church leaders. How does this impact the ministry of the local church?

JUD: Well as Mike talks about in his book, we have a serious grace problem. Especially in the church. But I also believe we have an incredible opportunity to radically embrace second chance living and help redefine what Christianity is all about. At Central, the church I pastor in Las Vegas, we say it is a place where “it is OK to not be OK.” Our message is radical grace and because of this we are seeing incredible life transformation happening. POTSC is clearly defining what a message of grace, compassion and acceptance looks like. Then the next step is living that out in our leadership and our churches.

TONY: What’s next for you guys?

MIKE: Lots of good stuff is happening. Next month we are releasing some new POTSC resources for groups and staffs and we are building some online assessment tools. We’re thrilled that churches are starting to do People of the Second Chance weekend series and partnering with us on this message. I’m personally excited about the opportunity to speak on topic of “Gracenomics” for both business and faith audiences over the next few months. Finally, we are joining forces with Flannel and developing a brand new film series on grace and failure.

Here’s my Amazon link if you’re interested in picking up the Kindle version of Gracenomics. Or, if you’d prefer, you can use the coupon code “POTSC” when checking out and get 20% off anything in the POTSC store.

For five lucky readers, though, I have free Gracenomics books to give away. Just add a comment to this post to be entered in the contest. I will select the winners tomorrow (Friday, November 19) at 4:00 pm EST. If you Tweet a link to this post, I’ll give you a bonus entry.

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UPDATE: I pulled the names out of the hat, and the winners are John Alexander, TJ Reid, Lance M., Josh Hawk and Kimberly Stanley. Congratulations everyone! Enjoy the book.