The Briarpatch Gospel: Fearlessly Following Jesus into the Thorny Places

Hasn?t Jesus called us into the thorns and thistles with Him to love what we find there? What if we had the courage to follow him into the briarpatch and discover life as we were always meant to live it? In The Briarpatch Gospel, dynamic young pastor Shayne Wheeler presents a radical message of grace, one that won?t allow you to remain comfortable merely sitting in a church pew. He shares his own heartbreaking personal journey through the briarpatch, and his church?s remarkable experience of creating a community in which people walk through life?s issues?even the darkest, most painful problems and questions?together. Unafraid. Like Jesus did.Think about it: What is your (or your church?s) briarpatch?the area where you?re afraid to go, or feel unequipped to address? Is it sharing what you really think on controversial issues? Becoming friends with someone who?s different from you? Confronting and overcoming your own pain, doubts, or fears? Bold and challenging, The Briarpatch Gospel provides a new vernacular for Christians to have open, honest conversations about what loving each other in Christ?s name might look like in the briarpatches of their own communities. From the Back Cover Do you have the courage to follow Jesus into the thicket of his healing grace?Jesus does some of his best work amid the bristles and barbs of life. He meets people in their briarpatches. He loves and guides them as they travel through the thorny thickets. He binds up their scrapes, scratches, and stinging wounds. And he invites you to join him in his healing journey through the sharp brambles. Welcome to The Briarpatch Gospel. It?s all about creating a community in which people walk honestly through life?s issues?even the darkest, most painful problems and questions?together. Unafraid. Like Jesus did. Sounding a radical message of grace, Shayne Wheeler encourages followers of Jesus to examine what loving each other in Jesus? name might look like in the briarpatches of their own communities. Candidly sharing his own journey into a vast and unpredictable thicket of questions, fears, untidy relationships, and heartbreaking stories, he challenges you to discover your own (or your church?s) briarpatch?the area where you feel afraid or unequipped to go. Because Jesus is waiting for you in the midst of life?s thorns . . . and all you need to do is venture in and meet him there.