GodStories: Explorations in the Gospel of God

This book is a gem! As a pastor who preaches weekly, I reference this book more than any other Christian book for helpful illustrations and for help to take complex ideas and make them simple. Wilson is brilliant and does a tremendous job showing us how the whole Bible is a beautiful story pointing to Jesus!

A great refreshing book. You can read one chapter a day for 5-10 minutes and be encouraged by GodStories of the Gospel

Got this book after reading a review about it. Was so glad I did. Went right back to Amazon and ordered 4 more for friends and family. Hard to stop reading. Riveting, easy to understand.

"Sometimes our gospel is just too small. If we're not careful, we can take a story about Jesus rescuing creation, and reduce it into a story about me." -Andrew Wilson`God*Stories: Explorations in the Gospel of God` by Andrew Wilson is a book for the new believer with a mind to discover the many beautiful biblical accounts in an exceptional way. It is also a book for the seasoned believer and provides a fresh, innovative view.It's a series of reflections on God as revealed in the bible from beginning to end. It's reflecting on these accounts with current illustrations and references displaying reverence and an awe for the mighty works of our glorious God.Andrew Wilson writes God's gospel, His `Good News', offering them in as 5 act play, which are:* Creation and Fall* Israel and History* Poets and Prophets* Jesus and Rescue* Restoration and Hope"It's an epic love story that starts with betrayal and ends with a wedding, but it's also a thriller where the hero fights to save the world against impossible odds. It's massive. It's a sweeping drama of GodStories from start to finish." -Andrew WilsonBiblical events are described using current relevant topics and several different Bible versions (ESV, NASB, KJV, NKJV, and the NIV) creating a very easy to read, conversational style.Another point I found interesting was his description of his purpose for writing this book is his reference to the `story beneath the story' relating it to popular movies providing a connection to the reader using examples from the entertainment industry, popular social media, and ideas on culture.Intermittently listed are sections called `Coffee Breaks'. These sections include a wealth of additional areas to study, read, learn, listen and view other resources.In these `Coffee Break' sections, the reader will find recommended reading from great minds (Hudson Taylor, George Whitfield, Elisabeth Elliot, Roy Hattersley, John Piper, and Max Turner); Prayers; Poems; Dramas that can viewed on [...]; Hymns; and references to the powerful preachers from the past.I found this a wonderful read. I recommend it highly as a personal resource or a gift to a new or seasoned believer.Reviewed by Keiki HendrixVessel Project Book Reviewer[...]

This book was not what I expected. I expected to have the gospel told in short stories. It is not that type of book, rather it is a book of short chapters that take a passage and apply it to our lives making us look at our stories in different ways and especially in ways that God looks at them. It was really neat once I got into it and I found the last two-thirds much better than the first third. Every three or four chapters there was a break which encouraged the reader to stop and study something more carefully or to pause and pray or to review a passage written by a scholar and see how it pertained to the reader's spiritual life. It was refreshing to look at many spiritual thoughts in a different manner holding them up for new appraisals renewing my perspective on parts of the gospel that I had assumed meant one thing only to see another nugget deep inside. This is an excellent book to use as a short thought provoking read when one wants to think on spiritual matters but not get involved in a long drawn out dissertation.

An extremely well-written and thoughtful book, Andrew Wilson's God*Stories puts the historical bible into an understandable, comprehensive narrative. Wilson's goal in this book is to bring an end to Western ignorance (yes!) by shedding light on lesser-known bibles stories for the purpose of uncovering the overall narrative of God's word. He illustrates the bible as it is: a cohesive, fluid book that is focused on the glory of God through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Wilson writes, "The first and biggest reason we must read these stories is because the glory of God is at stake."God*Stories is a truly unique book. Each "chapter" is 2-3 pages long and chunks of the book are divided by Acts (i.e. "Act One: Creation and Fall"). His book is broad yet specific at the same time: each Act (Creation, Israel, Prophets, Jesus, and Restoration) is full of specific examples of God's nature and His predestined plan. It's very expository. The chapter lengths also lends itself to become a semi-devotional book if the reader chose to go through it that way. There are many sections that Wilson calls "Coffee Breaks," where he provides thoughtful encouragements or examples that help the reader think realistically about passages or ideas that were discussed previously. The content is simple and clear, and Wilson's explanations are supplemented with contemporary examples, which help.If you know me, you know that I have a personal attachment to church and biblical history. Indeed, in my own life, understanding the historical context of the bible has helped me unlock greater truths that are often hidden underneath the surface. Understanding the background of biblical texts gives believers a new appreciation for the gravity of what different characters in the bible (especially Jesus) were doing during their time. This book also created in me an appreciation for the Old Testament books and the stories that are weaved throughout them (mainly because I struggle with understanding OT books). The chapter lengths really grabbed my attention and kept me on my toes in anticipation; I felt like each chapter taught me something new and wonderful about God and his sovereign plan played out through the bible. One of the most valuable things about the book was Wilson's ability to connect correlating passages to show how Jesus was undoubtedly a fulfillment of the Jewish prophecies (see Isaiah 52-53!). It was amazing to see how intricate God's word truly is!I would recommend this book to anyone looking to be brought deeper in their understanding of the bible and its cohesiveness. This book is especially valuable for those who are secretly afraid to even attempt to understand the Old Testament books (which includes most people). Wilson makes connections that truly bring you to a greater worship of God and he helps you apply these truths to your life. This book makes it clear that the focus of the bible is not on us, wretched sinners, but rather on God through his son, Jesus Christ. The bible is an amazing narrative of God's sovereign plan and we, as believers, need to make an effort to understand it all. Wilson puts it best when he writes, "The good news that shines through all the GodStories will bring us closer into worship, push us further into mission, and draw us closer into community--facedown, flat out, all in."

I have been working my way through the Bible this year and this book has provided excellent supplementary reading, linking lots of different sections of scripture and giving great insight into how the Old Testament points to Jesus. The chapters are short so you easily keep momentum - I am very impressed and would recommend it to all Christians. I might suggest it as a group study book too.

Fantastic book. Many bite size chapters ideal for home group study. I love the emphasis on threads and themes that recur throughout the bible which creates a tapestry of inter-connected ideas.

Great read. I’m sure I will be going to this book time and time again over the years

so far this book has been a good read

Excellent and succinct. Especially his 'address' on micro-creation is exceptional and cleare. All good stuff!