This book presents a new kind of Bible study based on a very old premise – that context enriches content when you study the Scriptures, i.e., that we need to adopt the mindset and ethos of the times of the text if we are going to fully grasp the purpose and meaning of a passage.

Zechariah and Elizabeth: Persistent Faith in a Faithful God resets the familiar Luke 1 story of Zechariah and Elizabeth back into its original contextual setting. This enables the reader to experience the fuller story as if we were neighbors of Zechariah and Elizabeth. In so doing, it allows 21st Century westernized hearts and minds to connect with the 1st Century Middle Eastern mindset that Luke assumes we would have understood. As Paul Harvey would say, now we have “the rest of the story” making this small book eminently useful for small groups and Bible studies (including ZOOM sessions!) and personal devotions.

The book is conveniently organized into twelve chapters, each with appropriate “Reflections” and Scripture to ponder, including:

• A Priest is Born
• Great Expectations
• Waiting
• Being Misunderstood
• Unfulfilled Longings
• Dashed Dreams
• An Incredible Announcement
• Restoration
• God’s Gracious Glimpse
• A New Priest is Born
• Some Closing Thoughts
• Looking Ahead

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This engaging book is innovative – written from the perspective of a 12-year old boy learning first-century Judean shepherding from his father.

Rich in contextual content – opens up Psalm 23 in fresh and new ways and provides new insights for today’s “sheep” and shepherds. Full of “aha moments,” for example, why all green grass is not good to eat; why sheep spook when water ripples; what is a “cast down” sheep, and under what circumstances would a shepherd intentionally break a sheep’s leg.

An easy, quick read for busy people – yet with enough penetrating spiritual insights for a lifetime of pondering.

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Jesus’ parable of the “Good Samaritan” is both widely known and frequently cited. In today’s idiom we sometimes say of another who performs a good deed, “My goodness, you certainly were a good Samaritan to that person.” Many of our states have “Good Samaritan” laws to encourage people to respond in emergency situations without the fear of legal liability.

But while this parable may indeed be widely known and frequently referenced, how well is it really understood? Doug Greenwold digs into the context of the parable in five chapters that explores how Jesus radically challenges our paradigm of 1) who is my neighbor; and 2) what does it mean to be neighborly?

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This book contextually restores twelve of Luke’s most “familiar” passages, e.g., return to Nazareth, Simon, the leper, the paralytic, the calling of Levi, the demoniac, Jairus, the bleeding woman, etc., in an engaging narrative story-telling format. In doing so, paradigm challenging insights (with pastoral applications) reveal themselves from passages we thought we knew and understood. Each chapter challenges the reader with open-ended, probing, rabbinic-type questions to draw out appropriate heart, mind and soul issues for transformational reflection and journaling.

Encounters With Jesus: The Rest of Their Stories restores Jesus’ compelling encounters with people back into their Middle Eastern context. One reviewer deemed the book “rich … thought-provoking … sometimes startling … always refreshing … a whole new way of looking at Jesus.”

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Sneak a peek: Chapter 5

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As the father of a son with special needs, I’ve long been drawn to Jesus’ encounter with a paralytic in Luke 5. When previously pondering this encounter, I always did so from Jesus’ perspective. Until recently I never viewed this remarkable event from the perspective of the paralytic’s four friends. Approaching this encounter from that viewpoint gave rise to this new eight chapter book.

• Chapter 1 – The Paralytic’s Remarkable Friends
• Chapter 2 – Best Laid Ministry Plans!
• Chapter 3 – Faith, Discernment, God’s Will and the Body
• Chapter 4 – A Faith that Wrecks a Roof
• Chapter 5 – Forgiven? We Didn’t Come for That!
• Chapter 6 – Jesus, You Can’t Do That!
• Chapter 7 – Exceeding Expectations with Jesus
• Chapter 8 – Woe to You Capernaum!
• Appendix – The Case for Context
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Available in eBook and audiobook only …watch your email after purchase to receive your download link. Upon occasion, that email may land in your spam file and go unnoticed, so please be aware.