Brian Hardin - Sneezing Jesus: How God Redeems Our Humanity

This book is sweet, savory, spicy, and spiky all at the same timea gentle masterpiece on the Jesus story that is breathtaking in its fresh insights and original voice.

LEONARD SWEET

Author, From Tablet to Table; professor; founder, preachthestory.com

Sneezing Jesus is inviting, compelling, revealing, instructive, hopeful, and inspiring. Brians insights and arresting storytelling gave me fresh passion to worship Jesus and to participate in bringing His Kingdom to all those around me. What can I say, really, except that I love this book? I was changed in ways I long to be changed.

STASI ELDREDGE

Bestselling author, Captivating and Becoming Myself

Brian takes some well-worn and well-traveled Scripture and brings refreshing insights to it. Being truly human as a Christ follower means a much greater awareness of who really is within us. Allowing Him to infuse every moment with the consciousness of His presence changes us and those around us. This book is refreshing, stimulating, and challenging in our journey with Jesus and fellow believers.

REV. DR. HARRY L. THOMAS JR.

Cofounder, Creation Festivals

We tell our children, You can be anything you want to be. But what if we told them, Be like Jesus and you will be everything God made you to be? Sneezing Jesus is an intriguing study of Jesus life that reveals our purpose as believers.

DR. JOHN HULL

Lead pastor, Eastside Baptist Church, Marietta, GA; contributor, 100 Huntley Street

Want to refresh your faith? Sneezing Jesus will cause you to gaze upon Jesus and see things you have never noticed before. This delightful portrait of our wonderful Savior is a joy to read. Sneezing Jesus caused me to fall deeper in love with Jesus.

TOM DOYLE

Author, Standing in the Fire and Killing Christians

It was so good for my heart to walk the human road that Jesus walked and absorb the intention of His humanity. A simple, beautiful portrayal of our intended relationship with the Divine.

ROBERT BEESON

Founder, Essential Records, iShine, and Solo Parent Society; former SVP, Sony/Provident; author, GoingSolo

Few writers can put skin on God, making Him real and approachable. Brian is a master at allowing his reader to touch Jesus while at the same time instilling in them a deep reverence and awe for the creator of the universe. Sneezing Jesus is a must-read!

ADAM STADTMILLER

Pastor, La Jolla Christian Fellowship; author of Praying for Your Elephant

Sneezing Jesus opens our hearts and minds to the simple, powerful fact that Jesus has been there, done that. This book will leave you wanting more, believing for more, and expecting more in your life with Jesus. Ill never look at sneezing the same again.

MARK RAMPULLA

Lead pastor, Southview Church, Spring Hill, TN

Sneezing Jesus will inspire Christians, whether leaders or church members, to walk intimately with our Lord. Discover how Jesus will redeem our individual humanityflaws and all!

HARRY R. JACKSON JR.

Senior pastor, Hope Christian Church, Beltsville, MD; bishop, International Communion of Evangelical Churches

Trying to capture the humanity of Jesus while keeping clearly in view his divinity is no small feat, but Sneezing Jesus accomplishes that with rare clarity. Brian helps us grasp Jesus humanity in a way that is both inspiring and vividly human.

DR. RAY MITSCH

Chair, Department of Psychology, Colorado Christian University

When heaven and earth meet, the boundary lines are indistinguishable. The collaboration between the divine and human are seamless in Jesusand what our normal is supposed to be. I encourage you to grab this book.

DARREN TYLER

Conduit Mission founding president and lead pastor of Conduit Church

NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators, an international Christian organization and leader in personal spiritual development. NavPress is committed to helping people grow spiritually and enjoy lives of meaning and hope through personal and group resources that are biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical.

For a free catalog go to www.NavPress.com.

Sneezing Jesus: How God Redeems Our Humanity

Copyright 2017 by Brian Hardin. All rights reserved.

A NavPress resource published in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

NAVPRESS and the NAVPRESS logo are registered trademarks of NavPress, The Navigators, Colorado Springs, CO. TYNDALE is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Absence of in connection with marks of NavPress or other parties does not indicate an absence of registration of those marks.

The Team:

Don Pape, Publisher

Caitlyn Carlson, Acquisitions Editor

David Zimmerman, Copyeditor

Jennifer Phelps, Designer

Cover photograph of halo copyright bernardojbp/Depositphotos. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are the authors paraphrase.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

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

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

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Tyndale House Publishers at , or call 1-800-323-9400.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-63146-740-0

Build: 2017-07-11 16:41:21

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PROLOGUE

On flesh and words

IF YOU WERE ASKED to describe Jesus using only one word, what would it be? Does such a word even exist?

Would it be Savior? God? Shepherd? Companion? Rabbi?

Healer? Leader? Prophet? Carpenter? Son? Lamb? Teacher?

Wise? Innocent? Obedient?

Honest?

Or maybe real. After all, Jesus was deeply tangible. He had a way of describing reality that was masterful and unsettling at the same time. Even today His words call Wisdom from the fringes and give her permission to dance in the sun. And Jesus consistently told people that how they perceived reality was not actually how things really were. He called out the plot behind the story and spoke to what was really going on behind the overlay of culture and fear. He spoke the language of the heart.