The God Who Surprises: Opening Our Eyes to His Presence in All of Life and Scripture

Prison minister Brestin (He Calls You Beautiful) asks believers to take a new look at Jesus’s origins in this impassioned Bible study. Designing a 13-week course of study, Brestin focuses on trying to locate Christ (or his foreshadowing) within the Old Testament—treating each section of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets with creative interpretations intended to reveal the presence of Christ. While Brestin shares personal stories of raising five children, working with interfaith groups, and her husband’s cancer diagnosis, she always brings her message back to scripture, reading between the lines of her life’s encounters to find divine involvement. In fleshing out familiar narratives—such as Genesis, and the stories of Isaac and Ishmael—she attempts to show that “every prophet, priest, slain lamb, and suffering servant [in the Old Testament] is a foreshadowing of Jesus.” Brestin’s opening “Get-Acquainted” scriptural primer, icebreaker group exercises, and well-formed questions will make this a perfect resource for Bible study groups. Any Christian interested in a close reading of the Old Testament will relish Brestin’s intricate study. (July)