Nobody Left Out

We all want a world where God shields us from suffering. But Jesus' final day on earth is a reminder that God is in the suffering with us. When we walk the broken road with Jesus, light glimmers in darkness, and hope peeks out from despair. Every Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. But the empty tomb is not a story of instant hope. It's the end of a long journey marked by suffering. The painful road Jesus traveled on the day of his death is known as the "Way of Sorrows." It begins with Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and ends with his body placed in the tomb. In between, the drama of Jesus' arrest and crucifixion plays out for all to see. Nobody Left Out: Jesus & the Way of Sorrows is a journey with Jesus through these final 18 hours of his life. It uses the Scriptural Stations of the Cross-a devotional exercise practiced across many Christian traditions-as a guide. As you travel with Jesus and stop at fifteen scenes along the road, you'll:Enter the drama and experience the story from the perspective of each character.Find comfort in knowing that Jesus understands suffering and is with you in your pain. Reflect on questions to help you see Jesus in new ways.See that even in personal times of sorrow, you can dare to have hope because of how the story ends. Whether you've been following Jesus your whole life or have never cracked open a Bible, Nobody Left Out: Jesus & the Way of Sorrows will show you that Jesus is with you in the hard times… He traveled down the sorrowful road because he doesn't want anyone left out!

When Jesus Walked This Earth, He Spent Time With the Messes...A lonely thief.An unwelcome dinner guest.A death-row criminal facing his final hours on earth.What do all of these people have in common?They all faced the messiness of life. Some made the mess themselves. Some were thrown headfirst into a mess through no fault of their own.Then something changed. It wasn't that they suddenly became unmessy. But they each came face to face with Jesus, and he invited them to be part of God's story. He didn't leave them out.This 40-day devotional looks at eight encounters Jesus had with messy, broken people. In short, daily readings, you'll explore each story and see how Jesus met each person in their mess.The eight stories we'll be walking through together are:Jesus Meets The Lonely ThiefJesus Meets The Know-It-AllJesus Meets The Unwelcome Dinner GuestJesus Meets The Woman Who Was ExploitedJesus Meets The Sick Woman & The Dead GirlJesus Meets The Blind Man With Perfect VisionJesus Sees The Invisible WidowJesus Meets The Honest CriminalWhether you've been following Jesus your whole life or have never cracked open a Bible, Nobody Left Out: Jesus Meets the Messes will remind you that God's love is big enough for everyone….He doesn't want anyone left out! About the Author:Michael Murray is just a messy, broken guy trying to follow Jesus one step at a time. He was born with cerebral palsy, a disability that affects motor skills. Living life with CP has given Michael a unique perspective on God's grace and mercy. He created the Nobody Left Out book series to share the good news that every single person matters to Jesus.Michael and his wife Diana live in Orlando, FL, with their son Emmett and dog Ruby. He is a big fan of sweet tea, musicals, and writing about himself in the third person.

The Book of Jonah Is More Than a Fish Tale…Jonah is one of the most famous stories in the Bible. Your classic "guy meets fish" story.Guy meets fish. Fish swallows guy. Fish spits guy out on God's command.It's easy to view Jonah as a nice little Bible story with a clear moral: Obey God or get eaten by a whale. (Or big fish.)But it's so much more than that!Jonah flips everything we'd expect from a Bible story upside down. It uses humor and irony to share a profound message of grace.In the book of Jonah…A man of God looks like a fool, and pagans come out smelling like roses.Ships have personalities, prophets throw tantrums, and worms teach lessons.God has compassion for our enemies and asks us to do the same.We discover how much God loves us in the middle of our mess.Nobody Left Out: Waves of Grace is a 40-day devotional through Jonah's story. In short, daily readings, we'll join Jonah on his adventure and see ourselves in each mess he creates.We'll follow Jonah as he runs from God and gets caught in a storm.We'll sink to the bottom of the ocean with him and wait for God's rescue.We'll walk with him begrudgingly into Nineveh-a city Jonah despises-and consider what (or who) it represents for us.And through it all, we'll get an up-close look at the waves of grace God has for us all.Whether you grew up with the story of Jonah or have never cracked open a Bible, Nobody Left Out: Waves of Grace will show you the depths of God's love for messy, broken people....He doesn't want anyone left out!About the Author:Michael Murray is just a messy, broken guy trying to follow Jesus one step at a time. He was born with cerebral palsy, a disability that affects motor skills. Living life with CP has given Michael a unique perspective on God's grace and mercy. He created the Nobody Left Out book series to share the good news that every single person matters to Jesus.Michael and his wife Diana live in Orlando, FL, with their son Emmett and dog Ruby. He is a big fan of sweet tea, musicals, and writing about himself in the third person.