Briarpatch Gospel: Fearlessly Following Jesus Into the Thorny Places

"Shayne Wheeler tackles the messier issues of life head-on because he knows its in lifes messiness that we find God, and its in the broken places where we find Gods healing. The Briarpatch Gospel reminds us that Christianity was never meant to be a religion of safety and comfort and that God calls us to carry our light into the darkest shadows where it can actually be of use. We dont have to fear the hard questions, even if we dont always know the answers."

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"I am thankful for The Briarpatch Gospel. Wheeler writes with depth and simplicity, transparency and humor in describing Gods disruptive grace. He tells his own story in a way that embraces skeptics and strugglers as he invites us into a beautifully woven narrative that compels us to keep reading until finished, while being nourished all along the way. We will use this book in our church in the years to come, and I will count it among my favorites."

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"Too often, the church has offered false sanctuary behind walls of greeting-card platitudes, pretty buildings, tidy self- help programs, and pat answers. Shayne Wheeler shows us the uncomfortable truth that Jesus is calling us to come out from behind the walls we build and join him in thebriarpatches of the world, where he delights to meet us. Do we really trust Jesus enough to follow him into the thickets of life? Will we move toward the pain, or flee from it? Is the briarpatch the place for you? Yes, if you will trust and go. Shayne offers an encouragement: You dont journey there alone. He has stumbled into the dark tangle of thorns, and he knowsits the only way to really meet Jesus and his family."

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"The Briarpatch Gospel is a conversation igniter for real people with real questions about the most tension-filled topics holding people back from true faith. I recommend it to anyone who wants to move past shallow talk and dig deep into the messiness of love and community."

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"This unusual book has thrilled me afresh with the sheer magnitude of what God has done in Christ. (And Ive been around a long time.) Shayne Wheeler is a rare combination of one with a profound understanding of the New Testament message, irrepressible storytelling, and a mischievous senseof humor; but in all he exalts the grace and love of God. He is an artist with words, with a wealth of literary resources. But what gives this work depth is that he has suffered, and so runs deep. Read this book and be transformed."

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"Shayne Wheeler writes like he preachesearthy and edgyjust enough to make the religious people nervous and the irreligious interested. This dispatch from the briarpatch is a provocative book for both, a page-turning debut filled with wisdom and encouragement."

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"As the messy edges of morality fray and the ever-stretching boundaries of our Christian consciousness expand, thereis an urgent need for clarity in conviction and theological dialogue around todays most pressing concerns. Honest, pastoral, confessional, and prophetic, Shayne Wheeler courageously brings his readers into these murky waters. The Briarpatch Gospel is fresh and timely, an important contribution to the emerging conversations of our Christian identity and what compels us to engage todays greatest human needs."

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"Shayne Wheelers narrative of how his church learned to follow Christ into areas of fear and challengethe briarpatchis just what the doctor ordered. I was personally challenged to new depths of honesty and faithfulness in ways I did not expect. Bravo for a book that deeply connects a theology of missional identity, and our unique Christ-centered calling, with the rise of the post-Christendom generation."

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"In The Briarpatch Gospel, Shayne Wheeler takes us on a journey underneath the superficiality present in much of American Christianity. Its a raw and honest invitation to face the dark, uncertain, and thorny places of our lives, along with a promise that Jesus is already therewaiting for us."

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"Following Christ can be a messy and challenging journey because we often find ourselves in prickly and confusing places with the most unlikely people. The Briarpatch Gospel provides a window into Shayne Wheelers piece of the patch, and an invitation to jump on in and join the adventure. This is not about playing it safe or seeing the purpose of life as merely being nice and doing a little good here and there. This is about taking God and Gods world seriouslyand its how I want to live."

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"Shayne Wheeler is a pastor who refuses to allow theology to get in the way of ministry. Anyone who knows Shayne knows he exemplifies the subtitle of this excellent book. He has indeed followed Jesus into the thorny places. Before you finish the first chapter, you will be inspired to do the same!"

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"Shayne Wheeler ministers not in the safe (but shrinking) enclaves of the traditional and the conservative, but instead within the progressive, secular, post-Christian culture. This book is the distillation of many encounters Shayne has had with people in his neighborhood. All readers who want to do the same kind of ministry can learn much from overhearing these conversations. And those who do such work will also find encouragement here when they are criticized by both the hostile skeptical and the hostile devout."

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