A pastor’s journey through the thorny places

THREE STARS

REVIEW: The Briarpatch Gospel: Fearlessly Following Jesus into the Thorny Places By Shayne Wheeler

This is Shayne’s first book and most likely not his last.  The book is about his journey as a pastor and how he reached out in his community and got into the briarpatch with those around him—homeless, homosexuals, those hurting and needing help—to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Shayne’s trek into the briarpatch did not happen without scratches along the way, but he believes it was worth it.  Through his tale of how he reached out across the borders to others, he encourages other Christians to do the same.  He writes: “We want to ‘lead people to Jesus,’ yet we never leave the confines of our privatized Christian subculture and go into the places where the vast majority of our neighbors live and play.”  This statement summarizes the book for me; and I say “Amen!”

This was a straightforward book that showed life through eyes of a dedicated pastor and ways he has touched others for Jesus.  Reading this book will hopefully give fellow Christians ideas on how they can do the same.

*Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for an unbiased review.