Books

Inward Apocalypse: Uncovering a Faith for the Common Good Published by Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock), August 15, 2022.

“I wish I could still believe in God, but I can’t be a Christian anymore because of ______” Fill-in-the-blank with racism, misogyny, homophobia, toxic capitalism, and so on. I’ve had this conversation with different people almost word-for-word over and over. White American Christianity has so defined God that many people cannot separate God from the toxic theology they were taught.

But this isn’t the God I see in the Bible. The Bible shows us a God meeting people where they are and nudging them towards justice and total thriving for all: shalom. The Bible details arcs of justice and societal reform. If we understand how radical those arcs were in the context of the day, we can extend them forward into the future and figure out how to work for justice, total thriving, and societal reformation in our day.

I grew up in that first world view. Come along, and I’ll tell you the story of how I escaped, and I’ll show you a theology that I believe paints a more accurate picture: a faith for the common good where everyone thrives and no one is left out.

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Flight of Blue: Book 1 in the Keeper of the Keys Series. Published July 2012.

A cursed traffic light. A rip in the fabric of the world. A possum sorcerer injured on a quest for revenge.

Kai and Ellie embark on a journey to return the sorcerer to his home. Entangled in events that could destroy the world, Kai must choose whether to accept the role he was born to play, but isn’t sure he wants.

Song of Dusk : Novella in the Wonderstorms anthology. Published November 2013.

The world of the Windsinger and her story evolved because I wanted to write a steampunk/fantasy crossover. I wanted magic AND airships. Then this girl with dark hair and resentful eyes popped into my head, leaning against a warehouse, waiting for something. And she haunted me for months until I wrote her another character to hang out with for a bit. But they hung out there as if stuck in a tiny point of light amidst of sea of darkness, demanding a world. Here is the first part of that world. I can’t wait to reveal the rest one day.

Reginald’s Tale : Novella in the Keeper of the Keys Series. Published February 2013.

When self-important Opossum sorcerer reads A.E. Howard’s account of the events in Flight of Blue, he felt that her writing was, shall we say, human-centric? In order to balance that, and to fill in gaps he felt she left, he wrote a journal of the events and his adventure that didn’t make it into Kai and Ellie’s story.

Eventually, he was persuaded to let A.E. Howard publish his tale, after making her swear she wouldn’t change any of it.

ezekiel cover Creative Bible Lessons in Ezekiel: Zondervan (August 12, 2007)

From the Back Cover:

Most people avoid teaching from Ezekiel. Not only is it a book full of strange and (sometimes) disturbing imagery, but it also presents a vivid depiction of a God that won’t fit neatly into the categories we typically have in mind for him. It’s because of these reasons that Ezekiel is an important book to study. But don’t be afraid. Creative Bible Lessons in Ezekiel makes it a little easier to bring this bizarre and often confusing book to your students.

Following the history of the bestselling Creative Bible Lessons series, this book introduces some new elements into your teaching. Because Ezekiel is so unfamiliar to many people, there is extensive background for leaders, including research from several commentaries and other books. There’s enough information there for you to understand the passage enough to be able to teach it confidently. In addition to the background, you’ll find a combination of illustrations, activities, movie clips, and song suggestions to help bring the passage to life. Each section ends with a journaling exercise for your students to make the passage personal.

Since many adults steer clear of this imaginative book of the Bible, this resource will not only help you teach your students–you’ll learn something yourself! Help your students uncover this book, and lead them closer to the God of Ezekiel–the God who surprises us frequently and loves us completely.