Sep
23
2009
Surprised By Grace
My next book, Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels, is available now for pre-order. Here is the publishers description:
God’s compassion and pardon are utterly shocking in their lavish abundance—that’s a lesson God himself pounded into the epic life-story of one man who kept resisting in whatever way he could. Surprised by Grace retells that man’s true story—in a gripping presentation that will open readers’ eyes wider than ever to God’s relentless, purposeful, and inexhaustible grace.
The man’s name isn’t new to anyone. It’s Jonah, the famous Old Testament prophet. This fresh unfolding of his story seeks to recapture the staggering effect it had on those who first encountered it so many centuries ago—the same shock effect that’s desperately needed today among those who think they know God’s heart far better than they really do.
In a powerful journey through unforgettable events and imagery, Surprised by Grace reveals how relentlessly God pursues rebels (a category that ultimately includes everyone), though he has every right and plenty of reasons to give up on us all.
9 Comments
YAY! This sounds amazing. I’m very excited about your new book, Tullian. I think this is a concept that I really really need to understand better and experience more. I can’t wait to read!! On a completely different note, how is your dad?
Greetings Tullian,
I am praying for you.
I started praying for you when I read of your call to Coral Ridge as I suspected it might be a bumpy road. I myself answered a new call to be the Senior Pastor at Grace Presbyterian Church in Plano, TX (it’s a PCUSA church). Our circumstances are not the same, this church is much smaller (about 500 in attendance) and they were ready for a new pastor.
Anyway, the Lord led me to the articles about your recent challenges. I have been praying and I am glad the Lord has brought you through.
Be at peace, I have no advice for you. Just encouragement. No need to respond.
Bryan Stamper
Grace Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)
http://www.gracepc.org
http://www.gracepcfamily.org
Tullian,
Speaking of books. we really need an “Unfashionable” for young adults (teens). How parents and grandparents struggle with our kids to ground them so that when they go out into the world ,especially off to college, they will not fall away when they are challenged. One reads studies on the percent of young people that ,according to the press, “give up their faith” ( we know that once saved always saved) but it sure would be great to have one of creative CRPC youth workers write a parallel , come along the side of Unfashionable as Tommy Boland has written “the unfashionable man” . If there is one segment of our church community that struggles with the fashionable identity issue, it is our teens. Haven’t we all!!!
Looking forward to reading this book.
We’ve been in two ministries that were difficult to say the least, they voted, we stayed. God does and has honored those decisions, made with His help of course. We now minister in a church that is God-centered and we all submit to the authority of His precious Word. We’re not presbyterian, and when I say ‘we now minister’ I mean my husband is the pastor and I am his “helper”. We did look into the Orthodox Presbyterian a long time ago, but God led us elsewhere because of a couple of issues. Anyway, God bless, praying for your dad too.
Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels. What an apt title for my own life! I’ve been a rebel for a long time even after I was saved, having terribly backslidden into sin and former lusts. But truly, what amazes me to this day is how unimaginably deep God’s grace is. It is a grace that certainly doesn’t turn a blind eye to sin, much less sanction it (cheap grace being preached from many pulpits today). But, it is a grace that loves me too much to leave me in my sins and my lusts.
I’ve so often wondered how on earth God was bearing with me still when I myself couldn’t bear myself, the hardness of my heart. I prayed to God so many times to simply end my life so that I could be relieved of the heart-ache and pain my own sin was causing me.
But, PRAISE GOD! I was pursued relentlessly and subdued by His everlasting love. Truly,
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a WRETCH like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see. Truly LORD, I LOVE YOU!!!
Pastor,
I never stopped calling you pastor, keep cranking out those books and we’ll keep reading em.
by the way yo’ll at CRPC made moody radio fl, and there’s no such thing as bad publicity is there?
One day in glory we will all laugh about it.
Paul
What about the cover choice….? (important stuff)
I continue to read ‘Unfashionable’ & am learning what it means to be a Christian & also what path a church must take to follow in Jesus’ footsteps’. I’ve been a Christian & member of CRPC since ’95 & Praise God every day for the gift I have been given. Am excited to read your new book, which I know will be sold in church bookstore–how convenient is that!
You’ve touched my heart, I pray for you, your family & dad daily.
Look forward to the new book, Tullian, and the title sounds great! I loved “Unfashionable” and hope you deliver many more books in that same gracious and insightful spirit.
Matt