It has been a revelation to find Stephen Daughtry’s stories. Not only do they absolutely bring the gospel stories home to an Australian context, they do that very unusual thing of making you want to both cry and laugh, just in a single page. Context is everything here. We can think that we understand the stories in our Scriptures, but when we read them translated into our own context, suddenly the familiar becomes strikingly, surprisingly, shockingly, new. Daughtry is offering those of us who live in the Australian context something really special – I encourage you to read and cherish these stories. Dr Meg Warner Principal, Wollaston Theological College, Perth In HOLIDAY Stephen Daughtry invites us in to encounter Jesus anew, by retelling key moments of Jesus’ adult ministry from the perspective of ordinary people in contemporary Australia. The stories are gritty; at times I could taste the dust in my mouth and felt the pain of broken relationships. These stories are also of love and faithfulness, with gentle and true transformation in the lives of ordinary people. I appreciated the deep respect for First Nations people and ways of knowing embedded into these stories, and the keen observational eye of each narrator as they tell their story in a voice that is unmistakeably Australian. What CARAVAN provided for the Advent to Epiphany season with stories of Jesus’ birth and childhood, HOLIDAY offers for the Lent season with stories of Jesus as an adult and the ongoing impact of what an encounter with Jesus may mean. I highly recommend reading or listening to HOLIDAY in Lent and Easter as we journey with Jesus through key moments of his ministry to the cross and resurrection – and glimpse the transformation in the lives of those who encounter Christ as we hear these stories. Reverend Dr Ruth Mathieson Executive Director & Principal, St Francis College, Brisbane
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