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THINGS NOT SEEN: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Trusting God's Promises
JON BLOOM with Foreword by Ann Voskamp
God is doing far more than we can see in our pain.
We plead for God’s deliverance from our pain and wonder why he keeps letting it go on. We are not alone. A cloud of witnesses surrounds us and they help us understand. In these 35 creative retellings of Bible stories, Jon Bloom explores the hope and joy that Abraham, Moses, Naomi, John the Baptist, and others experienced in the painful process of discovering that God’s promises really are more trustworthy than our perceptions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword by Ann Voskamp
A Word to the Reader
Gratitude
1 Your Sin Is No Match for God’s Grace- Joseph’s Brothers and Grace
2 “He Must Increase, but I Must Decrease”- John the Baptist and Humility
3 “I Will Not Let You Go unless You Bless Me”- Jacob and Wrestling with God
4 Be Generous with Your Master’s Money- Simon the Zealot, Matthew, and Generosity
5 Hard, Heartbreaking, Hopeful Spiritual Leadership- Moses and Leadership
6 You Obey the One You Fear- King Saul and Fear of Man
7 Whom Are You Really Serving?- Martha, Mary, and Serving
8 Jesus Comes When You Least Expect- The Woman at the Well and Persevering Prayer
9 What God Is Building through All the Inefficiencies of Life- Nehemiah and Adversity
10 Don’t Feel Qualified for Your Calling?- Moses and Inadequacy
11 Failure Doesn’t Have to Be the Last Word- Demas, Mark, and Failure
12 God Is Merciful Not to Tell Us Everything- The Disciples and Trust
13 Jesus Is Turning Your Shame into a Showcase of His Grace- The Hemorrhaging Woman and Shame
14 God’s Mercy in Making Us Face the Impossible- Abraham, Sarah, and Faith
15 God Will Never, Never Break His Promise- Abraham, Isaac, and God’s Faithfulness
16 Watch Your Mouth- Peter and Being Slow to Speak
17 How Jesus Exposes Our Idol of Self-Glory- The Jewish Leaders and Reputation
18 The Impoverishing Power of Financial Prosperity- The Rich Young Man and Wealth
19 The Powerful Glory of Yielding Power- Jonathan and Power
20 When It Seems Like God Did You Wrong- Naomi and Tragedy
21 When a Sword Pierces Your Soul- Mary and Grief
22 The Weakness of the World’s Strongest Man- Samson and Unfaithful Faith
23 What Dead Abel Speaks to Us- Abel, Cain, and Faith
24 The Folly of What Noah Preached- Noah and Gospel Boldness
25 Why God Gives Us More Than We Can Handle- Gideon and the Impossible
26 Imitate, Don’t Idolize, Your Leaders- Barak and Misplaced Faith
27 When Fear Attacks- Joshua and Courage
28 God Makes Our Misery the Servant of His Mercy- Naaman, the Servant Girl, and Sovereign Mercy
29 Escaping the Suicidal Slavery of Selfish Ambition- The Disciples and Selfish Ambition
30 When Wasting Your Life Is Worship- Judas, Mary, and Worship
31 Judas Carried the Moneybag?- Judas and the Love of Money
32 If You Want to Be Happy, You Must Deny Yourself- The Disciples and Self-Denial
33 Jesus Wants You to Be You- Peter and Calling
34 The Treasure Makes All the Difference- The Man Who Found the Treasure and the Resurrection
35 Don’t Give Up- All of Us and Endurance
General Index 213
Scripture Index 215
ENDORSEMENTS
“Vivid, nourishing sketches of Bible characters learning to live with their sometimes startling Lord.” - J. I. PACKER
“Bloom shows you with powerful clarity how to weave gospel-priorities through all your work and all your moments." -Ann Voskamp, New York Times best-selling author, The Broken Way and One Thousand Gifts
“Jon Bloom has an extraordinary gift for mining rare gems hidden in familiar Bible stories and characters. His insights are imaginative, biblical, and practical. Jon prompts readers to see with new eyes, examine their hearts, and face life’s challenges with renewed perspective and joy. I enthusiastically recommend Things Not Seen!” -Randy Alcorn, author, Heaven; If God Is Good; and Hand in Hand
“I trust a writer who not only sees deeply into the treasures of Scripture, but takes what he sees into his soul, and with it serves his family, church, and friends. Jon Bloom is one of those writers. And one of my treasures is to be one of those friends. We welcome you into this circle of joy.” -John Piper, Founder and Teacher, desiringGod.org; Chancellor, Bethlehem College & Seminary; author, Desiring God
“Jon Bloom unpacks the deepest truths about God in a way that every human can receive. You don’t want to miss anything he writes—this book is no exception. Prepare for your faith to expand.” -Jennie Allen, New York Times best-selling author, Get Out of Your Head; Founder, IF: Gathering
“The Bible is full of stories not just so we have something to read to our children at night, but to help us understand what it is like to walk with God in a broken world. Jon Boom revives the age-old tradition of using biblically informed fictional additions to creatively retell the Bible’s most familiar stories. He also intersperses pastoral insights as a skilled soul physician. This book will stir and encourage your faith.” -Adrian Warnock, author, Hope Reborn and Raised with Christ
JON BLOOM (BA, Bethel University) is the cofounder and president of desiringGod.org, where he contributes regularly. He is also the author of several books. Bloom and his wife, Pam, live in Minneapolis with their five children.
CWN822
A NEW TITLE CARRIED BY SOLID GROUND
 SGCB Price: $10.95 (list price $17.00)
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