Astonishing Grace
to the Chief of All Fools

Astonishing Grace to the Chief of All Fools - Preface

  • This audio is a preface to Michael's story of finding faith and the challenges he faced. It details a prophetic message he received, the subsequent collapse of his business, and the incredible journey of redemption and ministry that followed.

Astonishing Grace to the Chief of All Fools - Author's Notes

  • Michael explains why his work is offered for free to avoid being a stumbling block for his readers. He then distinguishes between counterfeit external grace and the true internal grace that produces holiness, repentance, and a transformed heart in a follower of Christ.

Astonishing Grace to the Chief of All Fools - Introduction

  • In this introduction to his testimony, Michael contrasts his "carnal Christian years" of self-effort with his "spiritual Christian years" built by God's sovereign power. He presents his story, filled with suffering and mathematically precise miracles, as a real-life lesson on God's ways, intended to build up believers and expose evil.

Ch. 1 From “Myselfianity” to Christianity

  • Michael describes his "carnal Christian years" as a period of powerless, self-willed living where he unknowingly made money his god in a misguided pursuit of freedom. He explains that this time of failure and bondage was God's plan to ultimately break his self-sufficiency and bring him to a place of true spiritual abundance.

Ch. 2 Maybe Marriage Will Stop the Chaos

  • Michael recounts the tumultuous history of his relationship with his wife, from a dramatic reunion to the web of lies, unforgiveness, and chaos that defined their early years together. Ultimately, this chapter reveals the depths of his "carnal Christian" life, exploring the destructive consequences of making foolish choices driven by the flesh and a misguided pursuit of freedom.

Ch. 3 The Battle for Control in the Marriage

  • In this chapter of his testimony, Michael delves into the constant "battle for control" in his marriage, describing the oppressive and chaotic dynamic fueled by his wife's anger and his own flawed responses. He frames this painful period as a necessary part of God's plan to break his stubborn self-will and bring him into a state of complete surrender.

Ch. 4 MLM, Motivational Speaking, Jail & A Car Accident

  • Michael details his time in network marketing and motivational speaking, where the pursuit of wealth and success led him down a path of hypocrisy. This chapter culminates in two dramatic events, a stint in jail and a near-fatal car accident, which he views as God's severe but necessary interventions to bring him back to the truth.

Ch. 5 More Money is The Answer for Everything

  • Michael details his time in network marketing and motivational speaking, where the pursuit of wealth and success led him down a path of hypocrisy. This chapter culminates in two dramatic events, a stint in jail and a near-fatal car accident, which he views as God's severe but necessary interventions to bring him back to the truth.


Ch. 6 A Good Idea, but NOT at God Idea

  • Author Michael Chriswell shares a deeply personal and cautionary tale about the perils of ambition mixed with spiritual immaturity. He recounts the tumultuous journey of opening a Christian health club, a venture born from good intentions but ultimately leading to financial ruin, legal battles, and profound personal crisis.

Ch. 7 The Dream Becomes a Nightmare

  • Michael Chriswell recounts how the dream of opening a Lord's Gym franchise became a nightmare of legal battles, financial ruin, and the immense stress following the 9/11 attacks. Criswell shares the deeply personal story of becoming a new father amidst the chaos and how a season of profound failure ultimately revealed God's grace in the most unexpected ways.

Ch. 8 The Single Worst Day of My Entire Life

  • In a powerful chapter Michael recounts the single worst day of his life, detailing the sudden and complete collapse of his Christian gym ministry. This devastating failure spirals into public humiliation, financial ruin, and a profound crisis of faith, forcing him to confront his own pride and question everything he thought he knew about God's will.


Ch. 9 God, Why Won't You Give Me Clear Direction?

  • In this chapter Michael Chriswell describes a period of intense desperation and confusion following the collapse of his business, fervently pleading with God for clear direction in his life. Amidst a series of frustrating job failures and mounting personal pressure, he receives a profound and unexpected answer from God, revealing that the ultimate goal is not about finding the perfect plan but about relentlessly pursuing the Plan Giver.

Ch. 10 Sanctuary with God

  • In this chapter Michael Chriswell takes listeners on a journey to the Bahamas, a sanctuary sought in the wake of a devastating business failure to hear from God. As he walks the beach and pours out his heart, he receives what he feels is a personal word from God, shifting his focus from simply succeeding to pursuing a deeper relationship with the divine.

Ch. 11 A Time for Testing

  • In this chapter, Michael discusses the importance of waiting for God's clear direction, rather than acting on personal ambition. He also shares a personal story of how he learned to seek sanctuary in God during a period of intense crisis, which ultimately led to a life-changing divine appointment.

Ch. 12 "No GOD, I Can Do it All By Myself"

  • In this chapter, Michael Chriswell, recounts a period of intense personal and professional turmoil following the collapse of his business. He candidly shares his struggle with feelings of failure, financial ruin, and marital strain, detailing the emotional rollercoaster that led him to question his life's purpose and even contemplate suicide.

Ch. 13 A Growing Business & A Sex Starved Marriage

  • In this deeply personal chapter, Michael navigates the extreme highs and lows of building a new business while enduring a "sex-starved marriage" filled with bitterness and rejection. Amidst crippling financial stress and emotional turmoil, small miracles and the birth of his children become glimmers of hope.

Ch. 14 Holding a Tiger By the Tail

  • In this chapter, Michael’s business takes off, leading to a meeting with his hero Zig Ziglar, but his personal life simultaneously descends into chaos. Faced with a sex-starved marriage and the impossible stress of new business ventures, he finds himself just trying to hold a tiger by the tail.

Ch. 15 Determined to Save Myself

  • Michael’s dream of running a Christian gym franchise becomes a nightmare as he battles a dishonest contractor, mounting debts, and the overwhelming stress of new fatherhood. From a near-fatal mistake involving his infant son to the final, crushing news of his business's demise, this chapter details a period of profound personal and professional failure.

Ch. 16 - Wrestling With God's Call

  • Reeling from the catastrophic failure of his business, Michael finds himself desperately pleading with God for clear direction, only to be met with a challenging silence. A 'sanctuary' trip to the Bahamas becomes a spiritual turning point, where a profound realization shifts his focus from demanding answers to simply pursuing the Answer Giver, learning that God's will is found not in human striving but in quiet surrender.


Ch. 17 Warfare, Prophecy & Temptation in the Rainforest

  • Crushed by the spectacular collapse of his gym business, staggering debt, and a marriage crumbling under bitterness, Michael finds himself a prisoner of his own failures, crying out to God for answers. A solitary journey to the Bahamas becomes a spiritual battleground, where God reveals that the goal isn't just success but complete surrender, teaching him to stop chasing outcomes and start wrestling for a relationship with the Answer Giver.

Ch. 18 Total Brokenness Leading to Absolute Surrender

  • Michael shares a raw and painful account of his marriage reaching a breaking point, marked by intense anger and mutual accusations. Amidst the turmoil, he details a desperate prayer that leads to a moment of total brokenness and absolute surrender to God.

Ch. 19 - The Beginning of the End

  • Michael takes a dark and dramatic turn as a New Year's Eve argument culminates in his wife calling the police, leading to a moment of profound betrayal and humiliation. This event marks the start of his wilderness experience, a painful period where God's sovereign plan begins to unfold in the most unexpected and excruciating ways.

Ch. 20 - Trusting God in the Wilderness

  • Michael is plunged into a season of intense trial following his divorce, finding himself stripped of his family, home, and finances. Drawing parallels to the deep sufferings of historical figures like John Bunyan and Madame Guyon, he begins the painful process of learning to depend solely on God. This chapter marks the transition from his "carnal" past to his spiritual Christian years, using his extensive audio journals to chronicle how God used this period of brokenness to teach him the true meaning of faith and surrender.


Ch. 21 - Getting AHEAD of God's Promise for a Spouse

  • Michael finds himself in a vulnerable post-divorce wilderness, desperately seeking supernatural signs about the new wife God has promised him. This vulnerability leads to a series of uncanny encounters with two different women, each appearing to be a divine sign, creating a powerful test of his ability to wait on God's timing versus seizing a tempting counterfeit.

Ch. 22 - Trusting God for the Unreasonable

  • Michael’s life spirals into a season of intense stripping as he loses his business, battles mysterious physical ailments, and is ultimately forced to move away from his children. In the midst of this painful exile, God begins to reveal Himself in extraordinary ways, communicating through supernatural signs and prophetic encounters that teach Michael the difficult but essential lesson of surrendering his own understanding and trusting in a plan far greater than he could imagine.

Ch. 23 - What Kind of Work Do You Want Me to Do God?

  • Michael finds himself wrestling with his career and finances in the aftermath of his divorce, a period marked by intense spiritual warfare and a series of cryptic signs. This chapter details his struggle to discern God's will amidst overwhelming personal and professional chaos, using raw journal entries to reveal how he ultimately found clarity through a supernatural encounter that reshaped his understanding of ministry and the true nature of his calling.

Ch. 24 - God's Preparation for Ministry

  • Michael delves into his three-and-a-half-year journey of deep spiritual immersion following his divorce. The chapter documents his intense period of Bible study, prayer, and surprising supernatural experiences, including God using numbers as scriptural references to guide him.

Ch. 25 - Satan's Many Strategies of Opposition

  • Michael Chriswell recounts a period of immense spiritual warfare. He details the escalating harassment from his ex-wife and father-in-law following their divorce, while also sharing profound instances of divine intervention and guidance.

Ch. 26 - A Helicopter Ride, A Champion Surfer, A Dating Website, and an EXORCISM

  • Michael Chriswell's post-divorce wilderness is a season of complete brokenness marked by financial collapse, relational loss, and the shocking ordeal of his own parents kidnapping his children. Through it all, he documents how he learned to see these devastating events, along with a series of supernatural signs and divine encounters, as God's intense and direct preparation for a life devoted to ministry.

Ch. 27 - When God Scared the SIN Out of Me

  • Plunging into the aftermath of his divorce, Michael details his most personal and humiliating spiritual battle, a season where he was repeatedly overcome by temptation and the sin of sexual immorality. He shares the terrifying and dramatic account of how God directly intervened to "scare the sin right out of him," revealing the dangerous consequences of compromise and teaching him an unforgettable lesson on the need for self-control and the true power of God's grace.