Well folks, it’s here, my book is finally available! It’s both exciting and scary. Exciting because my labour of the last couple years has finally taken shape. Scary because people are reading my words and reviews are coming in. I tell you, it’s weird being on the other side of a book review!
As I wrote the book I was working full-time as an Assistant Pastor, I was studying part-time at seminary and then I decided to write a book. Sound crazy? Well, at times, it felt like it!
But I wrote the book for a number of reasons which were, and still are, very important to me.
1. As Christians we need to know our Old Testament better
The Old Testament (OT) makes up about 75% of our Bibles and yet how often have you heard a Christian say something along the lines of “I find the God of the OT hard to connect with. Jesus I get, but OT God not so much”. On the road to Emmaus Jesus doesn’t talk to the discouraged and disheartened disciples about how great He is, Jesus takes them back to the OT to show how it finds its fulfilment in Him. The whole OT points forward to Jesus, so for us to get a better picture of who Jesus is, what He has done and why that matters, we need to know our OT!
2. I hadn’t found something that would both inform and challenge
There are plenty of books out there in the Christian literature world, and many of them are good. But particularly on the road to Emmaus and the Bible study there, I hadn’t found something that fitted what I believe my book is. I wrote my book deliberately the way it is because I wanted a book that would both inform a new Christian (or any believer who hasn’t spent a huge amount of time in the OT) and that would challenge a non-believer. I tried to write the book with those two goals in mind, so hopefully each chapter has enough for a believer to stretch and inform their minds and hearts but also a challenge for the non-Christian to follow Jesus. That naturally meant that there is a limit to the depth I could go into and also on the certain parts of the OT I chose.
3. I wanted something that would work for all types of people
The minute you pick up my book you’ll realise that the chapters are short and that there are lots of them. Why? I wanted to keep the chapters short and to the points for a number of reasons
- Not everyone is a reader. For some people reading is a struggle so long chapters that you need to keep continued focus isn’t always easy.
- Not everyone has time. Whether it’s because they’re commuting to work, running after the kids or busy with exam prep and essay writing, time isn’t always a thing many of us have in abundance. Therefore, I wanted to write something that someone could pick up and read a chapter of two quickly on the fly.
- Not everyone has had an introduction to the OT. My book isn’t an in-depth exposition of the OT and how it points to Jesus. There are other books out there that do that tremendously well. Instead, my book is an introduction to some of the key moments, promises and passages that find their fulfilment in Jesus.
There’s obviously more that could be said on each chapter, but I deliberately kept them short.
There’s plenty more that could be said about my book and I may talk about it as time goes on, but for now I’d encourage you to buy a copy here. I’d love to hear what you think of it and would love to see some more reviews someone across my desk. Writing the book was a blessing to me, I hope it will also be a blessing to you and point you to Jesus.
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