The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life's Storms [With Earbuds]

Kirk Franklin s life was hardly built on a firm foundation. His father abandoned the family. His mother also abandoned Kirk, and constantly told him he was an unwanted child. He was adopted by his sixty-four-year-old Aunt Gertrude at the age of four. His sister became a crack addict. He never saw a black man who was faithful in marriage. Without a blueprint, he struggled mightily yet managed to triumph even more mightily, dedicating his life to helping others find hope during hardship. With The Blueprint, he provides an inspiring blend of God and grit to deliver real-world words of wisdom on provocative topics including: The true definition of manhood Deadbeat dads, divorce, and other sources of despair in family life Why faith that only takes place in a church is dead The consequences of sex and the responsibilities of parenthood His own identity as a son, father, husband, singer, and African American What it means to be a Christian moderate with swag in the twenty-first century

Kirk Franklin is the top gospel artist in Nielsen Soundscan history, selling more than twelve million albums and more than twenty #1 gospel hits. The host of his own BET talent search program, Sunday Best, he is the winner of seven Grammy awards, six NAACP awards, and many other honors. Also the author of the memoir, Church Boy: My Music and My Life, he lives in Texas with his wife, Tammy, and their four children.