Lessons from the Carpenter: An Apprentice Learns from Jesus - Hardcover

Brewer, H. Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1400071208 ISBN 13: 9781400071203

Publisher: WaterBrook, 2006

Synopsis

Before Jesus was a teacher and a healer–before his life changed the world–he was a carpenter. Woodworking was his occupation for most of his time on earth, and the years he spent in Joseph’s shop clearly shaped his message and ministry.
Now, by gaining an understanding of first-century carpentry, you can revolutionize your faith through the discovery of surprising insights into Christ’s life.
The ministry of Jesus was spiritual carpentry. He rebuilt broken people and constructed a new world. His workmanship still amazes all who put themselves in his hands, and his principles for constructing a solid life are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago.
In Lessons from the Carpenter, you can sit as an apprentice at the feet of this amazing master carpenter. And learn firsthand how he builds and rebuilds beautiful lives meant to last forever.

About this title

About the Author

H. Michael Brewer has been a Presbyterian pastor for over twenty-five years and is an adjunct professor in religious studies at Northern Kentucky University. A professional writer for more than two decades, he is the author of Who Needs a Superhero? and Gotta Have God. He and his wife, Janet, are the parents of two daughters.

Reviews

Brewer (Who Needs a Superhero?) is a Presbyterian pastor, but he grew up working on houses with his dad, a carpenter. In this slim book, Brewer teases out Christian lessons from carpentry. Jesus, Brewer reasons, was a carpenter, so carpentry must tell us something about discipleship. One can't do heavy carpentry alone—it requires teamwork and community, just like faith. As a good carpenter takes pride in his work, so God adores each of us, his creations. Perhaps the most insightful discussion is Brewer's explanation of what the Bible means when it says that we dwell in Christ and he in us. That expression is a tad confusing at first blush—how can something dwell in the thing that dwells in it? Well, says Brewer, a dovetail joint, in which the carpenter "notches the ends of two boards and fits the notches together like interlacing fingers," does just that. Only occasionally does it feel like Brewer's stretching—as with his claim that just as a master carpenter will pay whatever it takes to get his job done right, so Christ was willing to pay a very high price to redeem us. Overall, though, this metaphorical musing is surprisingly substantive. (Feb. 21)
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Edition details

• Publisher: WaterBrook
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1400071208
• ISBN 13: 9781400071203
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144