1 of 1 copy available
After following Jesus for nearly two decades, Jonathan Merritt decides to confront the emptiness of a faith that has become dry, predictable, and rote. In a moment of desperation, he cries out for God to show up and surprise him, and over the next year, God doesn't disappoint.
In Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, Jonathan shares vulnerable, never-before-shared stories of how he learned to encounter Jesus in unexpected ways. Through a 60-hour vow of silence in a desert monastery, he experiences Jesus in silence. When a friend dies of a rare disease, he sees Jesus in tragedy. Through confronting childhood sexual abuse, Jonathan discovers Jesus in honesty. In an anti-Christian-themed bar, he finds Jesus in sacrilege. And when he's almost kidnapped in Haiti by armed bandits, he experiences Jesus in the impossible.
Though Merritt finds himself in places he never dreamed of, he doesn't lose his way. Instead, these experiences force him back to the Bible, where he repeatedly offers fresh, sometimes provocative, interpretations of familiar passages. Along the way, he throws back the covers on the sleepy faith of many Christians, urging them to search for the Holy in their midst.
Pointed and poignant by turns, Jonathan helps readers open their hearts to a mysterious God and a faith that sustains, guides, and most importantly, surprises. His fearlessly honest story invites us all to discover the messy mercy and crazy grace of a sometimes startling Savior.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
April 1, 2014 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
- ISBN: 9781455580019
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781455527885
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781455527885
- File size: 664 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
March 10, 2014
Silence. Mystery. Waiting. Are these the moments and means of God’s presence? Sharing intense personal stories of distress, doubt, and divine deliberation, Merritt (A Faith of Our Own) leads readers on a search to “live with wide eyes” expecting to find a “boundless” and “better” God than they imagined. A seasoned writer, Merritt knows how to craft a recipe that brings together intimate and inspirational stories and biblical narratives for great effect. Just as he did in previous books, Merritt does more than offer pithy one-liners, which he does in spades (“I’m tempted to treat my faith community like a pair of blue jeans”), but he gives voice to a collective yearning among young evangelicals and spiritual wanderers: where is God in this mess? Merritt’s answer is provided with winsome writing and absorbing tales that reveal a God that is found in unforeseen places. While not every chapter is equally captivating, the sum total of the book is one that is worth a read for those wondering if Jesus is better than they imagined or previously experienced. Agent: Christopher Ferebee.
-