The Beloved Classic,
Now a Major Motion Picture

When Joshua moves to a small cabin on the edge of town, the local people are mystified by his presence. A quiet and simple man, Joshua appears to seek nothing for himself. He supports himself by working as a carpenter. He charges very little for his services, yet his craftsmanship is exquisite. The statue of Moses that he carves for the local synagogue prompts amazement as well as consternation.

What are the townsfolk to make of this enigmatic stranger? Some people report having seen him carry a huge cherry log on his shoulders effortlessly. Still others talk about the child in a poor part of town who was dreadfully ill but, after Joshua's visit, recovered completely.

Despite his benevolence and selfless work in the community, some remain suspicious. Finally, in an effort to address the community's doubts, the local religious leaders confront Joshua....

The bestselling Joshua series takes an invigorating, timely new turn as Girzone’s beloved hero spreads his message of love and compassion from the streets of our nation’s capital to the blood-soaked lands of the Middle East.

Joseph Girzone possesses a unique ability to make Jesus’ words and actions come to life for contemporary audiences. His fictional depictions of Jesus’ return to the present-day world—the Joshua series—have inspired millions of readers. Joshua in a Troubled World is at once a magnificent continuation of his perennially popular series and an enlightening perspective on the political paranoia and destructive acts of vengeance that fill the front pages of our daily newspapers. Arriving in Washington, D.C., Joshua walks along Pennsylvania Avenue with a cool detachment and determination that sets him apart from the bustling crowds. Under ordinary circumstances, he would no doubt be seen simply as a man wrapped in his own thoughts. But in these security-obsessed times, his Middle Eastern appearance and his spontaneous stops at various churches, temples, and mosques inevitably arouse suspicions. Taken into custody by two government agents, Joshua challenges the legal and moral justness of their actions and they reluctantly release him to continue his mission. It is the most difficult and controversial mission he has ever undertaken—a plan to unite Arab- and Jewish-Americans and to work with them to resolve the bitter wars and religious animosities in the Middle East.

Peopled with prominent figures such as Ariel Sharon, and moving from Washington to Beirut and then to Oslo while the peace accords are being hammered out, Joshua in a Troubled World explores the most explosive issues of our day and offers a realistic, compassionate assessment of the things that divide us and the beliefs that can serve as a foundation for a new, more peaceful world....

In the latest chapter of his bestselling Joshua series, Joseph Girzone offers fresh inspiration in this collection of fifty never-before-published contemporary vignettes that underscore the most important lessons of the gospel.

Joseph Girzone's novels about Joshua, the carpenter who transforms ordinary lives with words of peace and loving actions, have sold more than three million copies and captured the hearts of readers around the world. In The Parables of Joshua, perhaps his most powerful book since the original Joshua, Girzone distills the essence of Christian teaching in entertaining and inspiring "bite-sized" tales set against the background of current society.

For some today, the parables of the New Testament are quaint, old-fashioned stories, with little relevance to everyday life in the twenty-first century. As Girzone writes in his Introduction, "I have heard the most callous people comment with such great piety on the parables that I could not help but wonder if we haven't made parables pleasant-sounding fables about human situations long past, but with no present-day meaning." In order to recapture their original vitality Girzone revives the timeless messages behind the original parables by "dressing them in modern clothes," presenting them through Joshua in a conversational style that will resonate with a modern audience.


From the Hardcover edition....

Featuring a new introduction by the author, a gift edition tells the beloved story of Joshua, the simple, hardworking man who does beautiful carpentry and has an extraordinary effect on everyone he meets, transforming them with warmth and love....

This engaging prequel to Joseph Girzone’s bestselling series, which has sold more than 5 million books in the United States, describes Joshua’s early years and the first inklings of his destiny as a messenger of love in a troubled world.
Millions of readers around the world have followed the story of the gentle woodcarver and carpenter who was first introduced in 1983 in Joseph Girzone’s beloved parable, Joshua. In JOSHUA’S FAMILY, Girzone travels back in time, painting a captivating portrait of the mother and father who nurtured Joshua and of the friends and neighbors who viewed the unusually precocious child with an uneasy balance of wonder and skepticism. Joshua’s extraordinary nature and mysterious gifts come to light even as he participates in the ordinary routines of small-town life: his gentleness and loving spirit imbue his interactions with contemporaries and adults alike. As he grows from child to adolescent, Joshua gradually awakens to the knowledge that he has been placed on earth for a special reason. Leaving the comforts of family and a familiar world, he moves to the outskirts of a distant town, where he will begin to teach others how the powers of love, tolerance, and understanding can heal the divisions in the human family and bring everlasting peace to the world. This is the book so many have been waiting for, and its powerful message is a much-needed antidote to the difficulties in today’s world.

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This beautiful set of meditations illuminates the many facets of Jesus’ nature and offers a deeper understanding of His wisdom and his compassion for humanity.

In The Wisdom of His Compassion, bestselling author Joseph Girzone reflects on the character and mind of Jesus in more than forty meditations. Each meditation is based on an episode related in the Gospel and focuses on a particular aspect of Jesus’ life and its significance to contemporary Christians. Some of the meditations bring to life Jesus’ humor, others His penetrating insights into human frailties. Together they create a portrait of a warm, compassionate divinity who relates to each person as an individual.
As he recounts and interprets the lessons of the Gospel, Girzone shows that compassion for our fellow human beings is the most profound expression of God’s love and wisdom. His thoughtful, incisive meditations will help readers turn away from thoughts of retribution or punishment, and will inspire them to embrace God’s message of help and healing.

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There are countless paths to follow when seeking spiritual guidance, but thousands of years of religion and theology cannot replace the premier example that Jesus himself set. In A Portrait of Jesus, bestselling writer Joseph Girzone recaptures the truth of Jesus that is presented in the Gospels and gives a compelling vision of the person Jesus' contemporaries must have known. In his most powerful work yet, Girzone seeks to personify Christ in the minds of readers by asking some simple questions: "What did people see in Jesus as he walked down the street? How did he approach others and what would these people take away from meeting him? What do his actions tell us about how we can live our lives today?" It is Girzone's empowering and loving understanding of the heart of Christianity that will make A Portrait of Jesus a groundbreaking classic in the tradition of his bestselling books, Joshua and Never Alone.


From the Hardcover edition....

In THE WISDOM OF HIS COMPASSION, bestselling author Joseph Girzone reflects on the character and mind of Jesus through a series of meditations. Each meditation is based on an episode related in the Gospel and focuses on a particular aspect of Jesus’ life and its significance to contemporary Christians. Some of the meditations bring to life Jesus’ humor, others his penetrating insights into human frailties. Together they create a portrait of a warm, compassionate divinity who relates to each person as an individual.

As he recounts and interprets the lessons of the Gospel, Girzone shows that compassion for our fellow human beings is the most profound expression of God’s love and wisdom. His thoughtful, incisive meditations will help listeners turn away from thoughts of retribution or punishment, and will inspire them to embrace God’s message of help and healing.
...

This engaging prequel to Joseph Girzone’s bestselling series, which has sold more than 5 million books in the United States, describes Joshua’s early years and the first inklings of his destiny as a messenger of love in a troubled world.
Millions of readers around the world have followed the story of the gentle woodcarver and carpenter who was first introduced in 1983 in Joseph Girzone’s beloved parable, Joshua. In JOSHUA’S FAMILY, Girzone travels back in time, painting a captivating portrait of the mother and father who nurtured Joshua and of the friends and neighbors who viewed the unusually precocious child with an uneasy balance of wonder and skepticism. Joshua’s extraordinary nature and mysterious gifts come to light even as he participates in the ordinary routines of small-town life: his gentleness and loving spirit imbue his interactions with contemporaries and adults alike. As he grows from child to adolescent, Joshua gradually awakens to the knowledge that he has been placed on earth for a special reason. Leaving the comforts of family and a familiar world, he moves to the outskirts of a distant town, where he will begin to teach others how the powers of love, tolerance, and understanding can heal the divisions in the human family and bring everlasting peace to the world. This is the book so many have been waiting for, and its powerful message is a much-needed antidote to the difficulties in today’s world....

Drawing on a lifetime of study and reflection, the author of the Joshua series presents his long-awaited, revelatory, and deeply personal work on Jesus.

In his immensely popular Joshua novels, Joseph Girzone depicted Jesus in the modern-day world, using compelling fiction to elucidate Jesus’ message and teachings. Now Girzone provides a powerful new perspective on Jesus. Based on scripture and written in Girzone’s lively, non-doctrinal style, it brings the theology that animates his fiction into vibrant focus.

Girzone combines the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, personal anecdotes, tales from the Bible, and stories he has gathered from people around the world to create an uncommon and profoundly inspiring portrait. He writes with candor and grace about the revelations that shape his beliefs and the mysteries that continue to intrigue him.

The definitive statement of Girzone’s views on Jesus’ mission on earth and its meaning for today’s readers, Jesus is Girzone’s magnum opus....

The author of the bestselling Joshua series and other popular inspirational books chronicles his own spiritual journey and describes with stunning honesty the difficult decisions he made along the way.
Joseph Girzone has attracted a tremendous following with his series of novels that imagine Jesus living in the contemporary world. His nonfiction writings and talks on spirituality have affected audiences around the world. Girzone’s ability to capture the meaning of faith in simple, direct language is more apparent than ever in this moving book about his personal journey through a dark night of the soul.
In My Struggle with Faith, Girzone recounts the long, complicated, and often painful process he went though as he sought to find peace with his beliefs. He writes about hard decisions that set him on unexpected paths and about the immense feelings of loneliness he experienced in making those choices. In thoughtful and thought-provoking reflections he brings to life the years of searching and the deep, critical thinking that gave him the courage to embrace his beliefs, opening a world of excitement and adventure for him.
In writing about what his beliefs have meant to him and about the intimate relationship with God that has sustained and guided him, Girzone illuminates the universal human struggle to find meaning in life. My Struggle with Faith offers readers insights, inspiration, and encouragement to follow their beliefs and create a more meaningful spiritual life....

In THE WISDOM OF HIS COMPASSION, bestselling author Joseph Girzone reflects on the character and mind of Jesus through a series of meditations. Each meditation is based on an episode related in the Gospel and focuses on a particular aspect of Jesus’ life and its significance to contemporary Christians. Some of the meditations bring to life Jesus’ humor, others his penetrating insights into human frailties. Together they create a portrait of a warm, compassionate divinity who relates to each person as an individual.

As he recounts and interprets the lessons of the Gospel, Girzone shows that compassion for our fellow human beings is the most profound expression of God’s love and wisdom. His thoughtful, incisive meditations will help listeners turn away from thoughts of retribution or punishment, and will inspire them to embrace God’s message of help and healing.
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