Julie Coleman - Unexpected Love: Gods Heart Revealed in Jesus Conversations with Women

Praise for Unexpected Love

If you have ever struggled to believe that God sees you just as you are and loves you passionately, the beautiful truth expressed in this book will bring you comfort, hope and deep joy. Even if you have embraced that truth for years, this book will take you deeper.

SHEILA WALSH, AUTHOR OF GOD LOVES BROKEN PEOPLE

Unexpected Love is a breath of fresh air in a world of stuffy religious ideas and disgruntled worshipers. It is impossible to read this book and not get excited about the unconditional love of the Savior for womenALL women! This love letter in book form will draw readers into a closer relationship with the very God of the universe.

KATHI MACIAS, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF FORTY BOOKS,
INCLUDING THE 2011 GOLDEN SCROLLS NOVEL OF THE
YEAR AND CAROL AWARD FINALIST, RED INK. VISIT HER AT
WWW.KATHIMACIAS.COM OR WWW.BOLDFICTION.COM.

The love of Christ is so undeserved, so unexpected, yet He gives it freely. Julie Coleman has woven this unexpected love into stories that not only teach but lead us to expect what God promises fullyall His love. Well written, spoken from the heart, Unexpected Love brings you closer to the God who cares so much for you. This book has earned a spot on my nightstand, an arms reach to refreshment.

CINDY SPROLES, AUTHOR AND EXECUTIVE
EDITOR OF CHRISTIANDEVOTIONS.US

Every now and then one finds a new Christian author with a passion for the Word of God which expresses itself though wondrous insights into people and into Christ Himself, things that are fresh but ring totally true. Julie Coleman is such an author. With a careful sense of both text and context, Coleman unravels deep Scriptural mysteries with conviction and wit, using questions and answers to help modern women probe to see how Jesus related to women then and discover how He ministers to and through them now.

DR. KEN QUICK, AUTHOR OF HEALING THE HEART OF YOUR
CHURCH AND PROFESSOR AT CAPITAL BIBLE SEMINARY

Part storyteller, part teacher, and part trusted friend, Julie invites you to explore how Jesus met the women in his world with life-enriching, unexpected love. Join her, and youll encounter a Savior who is just as crazy about you.

LEIGH MCLEROY, SPEAKER AND AUTHOR OF THE BEAUTIFUL
ACHE, THE SACRED ORDINARY, AND TREASURED

Have you ever longed for significance, acceptance, or affection? Unexpected Love passionately speaks to the heart of every woman. In it Julie Coleman clearly communicates biblical accounts of Christs value, compassion, and unconditional love for women, their need for a Savior, and His ultimate sacrifice to satisfy that need. This is the book youve been waiting for.

TAMMY BENNETT, STRATEGIST, SBC OF VIRGINIA WOMENS
MINISTRY, AND AUTHOR OF 101 MAKEOVER MINUTES:
QUICK TIPS FOR LOOKING GOOD FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Julie Coleman is a fantastic storyteller! In her book, Unexpected Love, she pairs her gift for storytelling with solid Bible study to bring depth to Jesus interactions with women. My heart was delighted. My perspective was challenged. My life with God was enriched by reading and applying this book.

NA F. LUCEY-LEE, REGIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
COORDINATOR, GREAT LAKES WEST REGION, INTERVARSITY
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP; CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR, SMALL GROUP
LEADERS HANDBOOK: DEVELOPING TRANSFORMATIONAL COMMUNITIES (IVP)

Whether youve struggled to understand the difficult conversations that Jesus had with women or wrestled with comprehending the Lords voice in your own life, you must read Unexpected Love. Julie Coleman, with incredible attention and scholarship, invites the reader on a journey into first-century Judea where a patriarchal society clashes with a God on a mission to rescue the hearts of all mankind, including women.

JUSTIN HIBBARD, PASTOR OF NEW HOPE
CHAPEL, ARNOLD, MARYLAND

Julies fresh insights into familiar stories of New Testament women who encountered Jesus will deepen your own relationship with Him. This is a book I will read again and again... and purchase for friends. Im not giving my copy away!

MARLENE BAGNULL, WRITE HIS ANSWERS MINISTRIES, DIRECTOR
OF THE COLORADO WRITERS CONFERENCE AND FOUNDER AND
DIRECTOR OF THE GREATER PHILLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE

Unexpected Love is an unexpected delight! From extensive research and an inspired imagination, Julie Coleman brings to life New Testament stories of Jesus and the women with whom He interacted. Each chapter of Unexpected Love paints a captivating account, followed by probing questions, many of which I myself have wondered in the past. This fresh look at how Jesus related to the women of His day is both relevant and essential for us now. I heartily recommend Julies book to women of all ages who want a richer relationship with their Savior.

NANCY SEBASTIAN MEYER, AUTHOR OF SPIRITUALLY
SINGLE MOMS: RAISING GODLY KIDS WHEN DAD DOESNT
BELIEVE (NAVPRESS) WWW.HOPE4HEARTS.NET

Like the women recounted in the pages of this book, I am reminded that I like the person I am when I am with Jesus. And, I see anew how He longs to dream through me... and you... for His glory. What a message of hope, value, and purpose!

MARILYN N. ANDERES, NATIONAL SPEAKER AND AUTHOR OF MORE

Unexpected Love is beautifully written, scholarly researched, sensitive to the Jewish milieu in which the events occurred, and wonderfully practical. If you are looking for a text that is useful for sermon preparation, Bible study groups, or personal benefit that is biblically sound, faithful to the Jewish world in which the events took place, and helpful for your own walk with the Lord, this is a book you need to have.

GARY DERECHINSKY, MDIV, PASTOR AT BETH ARIEL
MESSIANIC CONGREGATION, CANOGA PARK, CALIFORNIA

unexpected love

2013 by Julie Zine Coleman

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from The New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked NAB are from the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. 1965, 1966. National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data