Jesus In The Mist

Fourteen darkly comic and artfully crafted Deep South tales in the spirit of O'Connor

"Mister, most stories about people are sad. The ones about animals sometimes turn out all right, but not them about people," muses a character in master storyteller Paul Ruffin's yarn of obsession and quest "In Search of the Tightrope Walker." Raging against this fated sadness—and often against a deadening and inescapable status quo—the characters in Ruffin's newest collection, Jesus in the Mist, populate an imaginative vision of the hardscrabble Deep South where history, culture, and expectations are set firmly against them. Like Flannery O'Connor before him, Ruffin views the South as dark with humor and rife with violence. He writes of places and times where religion, race, class, sex, abuse, poverty, mythology, and morbidity coalesce to expose humanity at its basest and its most redeeming. Peppered with the vivid dialogue, colorful descriptions, and idiosyncratic comedy that define Ruffin's work, this volume is divided into two sections: the first group of stories addresses complexities of relationships between men and women, and the second recounts episodes of initiation in which characters grapple with divided loyalties. Collectively these stories paint a panoramic view of Southern culture as dynamic characters take a stab at their destinies—and sometimes at each other. Whether they are facing the visage of Christ in a motel bathroom mirror, blasting a murder of crows with military-grade artillery, outrunning a mythical beast through moonlit woods, or taking an armed stance against integration at a gas station water fountain, many of Ruffin's characters are zealots on the edge of reason. Here confidence men, thugs, and rednecks push their agendas on unsuspecting audiences. But there are those as well who search for a lost childhood love, exorcise a sexual predator from the home, return to a discarded life, and spare a man's life when no one would be the wiser. These individuals long for restoration, redemption, and righteousness. Both populations come together in Ruffin's South, where madness and faith hold equal sway and no amount of sadness can keep yearned-for possibilities from still being perceived as attainable.

Beyond the Mist is more than a book. It is the cry of a church leader, the prayer of a pastor, and the motto of an evangelist. For More than 30 years, Tim Hill has led many into a river experience with God. Spiritual lethargy is his enemy and it comes through in this book. We have the choice of existing in a mist of mediocrity or flourishing in a river of revival. The choice is clear. A "beyond the mist" experience translates into a more intimate walk with God and results in a powerfully effective ministry.

This book shows the weakness of a young black man. How he related to women and how he treated and was treated by women. It will show the transformation of an out-of-control young black man into a God-fearing, loving black man. You will see yourself and laugh as you read Passing Through, the journey of a black mans life. A must read for 2006.

Move over Augustine! Look out Aquinas! This is the first exegetical work on day one of Genesis to agree with all Scripture. With the profound simplicity of a layman yet the penetrating density of a mystic, this text is a fountain of Scriptural revelation to guide both heart and mind. Unparalleled, "The Revelation of Angelic Creation" for the first time draws back the veil on "what" Wisdom is and its composite origin (the first hypostasis); the angelic creation: how it came to be and its composite nature; the "when," "how," and "why" of the angelic rebellion and fall, along with the restructuring of the unseen cosmos in the aftermath of said rebellion. Also, for good measure, the two-yes two!-gardens of Eden will be exposed. This work will set new theological precedence in all these areas and much more. Scriptural discourse is now forever altered. That which was spoken in the darkness of pre-creation, finally, is brought to light. Joe is the run-of-the-mill regular kind of guy who friends and acquaintances have called a prophet. Born and raised in southern California, his employment background consists of Production Control, Sales, Painting Contracting and a stint as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor. His hobbies include Bonsai, Koi, and stained-glass. Marital Status: still pursuing Sophia (Wisdom).

The T&T Clark Handbook of Jesus and Film introduces postgraduate readers to the critical field of Jesus and/on film. The bulk of biblical films feature Jesus, as protagonist, in cameo, or as a looming background presence or pattern. The handbook assesses the field in light of the work of important biblical film critics including chapters from the leading voices in the field and showcasing the diversity of work done by scholars in the field. Movies discussed include The Passion of the Christ, The King of Kings, Jesus of Nazareth, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Son of Man, and Mary Magdalene. The chapters range across two broad areas: 1) Jesus films, understood broadly as filmed passion plays, other relocations of Jesus, historical Jesus treatments, and Jesus adjacent cinema (privileging invented characters or “minor” gospel characters); and 2) other cinematic Jesuses, including followers who imitate Jesus devotionally or aesthetically, (Christian) Christ figures, antichrists, yet other messiahs, and competing Jesuses in a pluralist world. As one leaves the confines of Christian theology, the question of what a film or interpreter is doing with Jesus or Christ becomes something to be determined, not necessarily something traditional.

This books is about Jesus, His words and His deeds as told and recorded by those who knew Him.