Terrific book about ordinary angels that we pass by every day and may or may not realize their wonderful and angelic acts of kindness and mercy towards others. A ( )

This is an excellent book! I bought it on the basis of reviews at Amazon - it was recommended based on other books I had read and enjoyed.

It's basically descriptions of random people who have influenced the author's life, beginning with two introductions that outline his unhappy childhood. The various people he introduces in the book - which include a waitress, a dog, a gay friend, an Anglican minister, and his own small daughter - become metaphors for different stages in his life.

Some of these people relate to healing - or at least helping Palmer come to terms with - the many hurts in his past. Others help him see beyond the institutional evangelical right-wing religion in which he became entrapped for a while, and to see instead the reality of Jesus who loves him unconditionally.

The book has been linked with the popular 'Blue Like Jazz'. The theme is perhaps similar, and the writing style informal, although I found it less so (and thus easier to read) than Donald Miller.

I planned to read a chapter per day, and found myself often reading two or more. Sometimes moving, sometimes amusing, mostly thought-provoking. All in all, highly recommended. Anyone with the slightest interest in God would probably benefit from reading this; those currently part of regular church congregations might find themselves thinking afresh about their faith and what it means. ( )

well this book taught me things I didn't know I didn't know. so often. we live our lives based on our plans and often miss when and what God has planes for us. one major thing I took from this book is I need to be open to listening for God's voice. ( )

well this book taught me things I didn't know I didn't know. so often. we live our lives based on our plans and often miss when and what God has planes for us. one major thing I took from this book is I need to be open to listening for God's voice. ( )

A blog I stumbled across mentioned this writer who was self-publishing his latest book because it was turned down as "unorthodox" by his Christian publisher. I thought I'd take a look at his earlier book. I'm glad I did. I won't say it's been life-changing, but it shows engagingly the mismatch between Christian faith and Christian "religion", and how a genuine and positive faith can survive and thrive without the help or hindrance of institutional churches.

After an abusive childhood (mitigated by a few lifesavers such as a pet dog), Palmer moved from token Catholicism to Baptist seminary and pastoral ministry in a large evangelical church. Despite some misgivings (such as an inability to feel ecstatic when everyone else was swaying along to Christian musical pap), his progress towards the stellar heights of megachurch ministry was only abruptly halted when his wife had an affair leading to divorce. This left him selling carpets and household goods, hoping that members of his ex-congregation wouldn't show up in the till queue.

Away from the hypocritical plastic Christianity of the megachurches, and denied that ego-boosting pastoral career, he found that real Christian faith-in-action lurks among real people who listen to hip-hop, vote Democrat, don't read the Bible, and can't go to church anyway because they work Sundays. They are the people who don't say "Lord, Lord", but give a cup of water to a stranger.

I often analyze things by comparison, so I couldn't help spotting the commonalities between Jim Palmer and Adrian Plass (there are depressed Christians, and they need more than happy-clappy worship and Scripture verses; not all "high" church people are agents of Satan). His situation also mirrors that of Simon Parke (who dropped out of church ministry to work in a supermarket). Some of the issues here seem perennially to need attention drawn to them. As Sydney Carter sang a long time ago: "shut the Bible up and show me how / the Christ you talk about is living now".

MB 9-i-2012 ( )