He Loved Them: Discovering Jesus' Heart for Seekers, Sinners, Doubters, and the Discouraged (and Other People Like Us)
Just who exactly did Jesus love? Author Jessica Thompson intimately engages the gospel narratives and helps the reader explore who and how Jesus loves. What does Jesus have to say to the Doubter or the Denier? How does he address the Discouraged, the Fearful, or the Outcast? Have you ever felt Forgotten or Faint-hearted? Ever needed Spiritual or Physical healing? He Loved Them shows the interactions of Jesus with real people who have real needs, struggles, and pain. As we contemplate Jesus' heart and actions toward the lost and brokenhearted characters in the Bible, we begin to know more fully how God feels toward us—we experience how Jesus comes alongside and loves us in our own doubt, fears, and need for healing. Thompson begins this journey with the humanity of Jesus. She explores Jesus' relationship with the Father and with creation. She looks in depth at how He Loved Them and joins the biblical stories to how he loves you!
Publisher: Moody
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9780802424389
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Jessica Thompson is an author of several books including Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Christ and frequent conference speaker. She is part of the podcast Front Porch with the Fitzes, and is the director of church life at RISEN Church in San Diego, California.
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"How we approach human beings portrayed in the Bible matters. Whenever we speak on biblical narratives, it is a retelling of another image bearer's story who is not here to fill in the details. It is easy to snatch a hot take from their stories without dipping a toe into their real human experience—the emotional, mental, social, cultural, and systemic nuances of it all. In He Loved Them, Jessica invites us to immerse ourselves into the humanity displayed in the gospel narratives—the complex, soil-soaked, screaming hot mess of life. She magnifies for us the posture of Christ's unashamed love for needy humans while spurring us on to love and action as Christ Himself displays—with tenderness, patience, and generosity. Anyone who feels inadequate or unseen in the trials of life will find solace in these pages. Anyone who struggles to see themselves in the gospel narratives will find their perspective broadened. Like your favorite gift-bearing auntie, Jessica guides readers through hard stories with wit and expertly placed superhero references, all the while wrapping the reader in kindness that leads to conviction, compassion, and comfort." JENNIFER JI-HYE KO, Author of A Lamenter's Pathway to Joy