Melissa Florer-Bixler - Fire by Night: Finding God in the Pages of the Old Testament

In her fantastic debut, Mennonite pastor Florer-Bixler guides readers through a slow, participatory reading of the Old Testament.... Florer-Bixler proves herself a challenging teacher and inspiring preacher. Her impressive exploration of Old Testament themes will be a blessing for Christians seeking intellectually grounded spiritual guidance.

Publishers Weekly starred review

Fire by Night encapsulates Melissa Florer-Bixlers delight of Scripture, ancient literature, and God. I found myself challenged as a theologian, inspired as a pastor, and in tears as a person of faith trying to make sense of it all. What makes Fire by Night such an important book is that it speaks to todays issues without being prescriptive, while beckoning each of us to take the risk of simply being Gods beloved.

Theresa S. Thames, associate dean of religious life and the chapel at Princeton University

Melissa Florer-Bixlers words cut deep, deep, still deeper and yet too cleanly for anyone to misunderstand. Fire by Night rescues the Old Testament from antiseptic Christian pieties and places it squarely in the mess of human life. Her language is ripe but limned smooth and spare as bone. This is the work of a Holy Ghost preacher, words burning on the page.

Timothy B. Tyson, author of Blood Done Sign My Name

Read this book for revelations of God, visions of God refracted through people and stories from the Old Testament and Melissa Florer-Bixlers life. These pages are full of grace and wonderimages of Gods love for us and the world.

Isaac S. Villegas, pastor of Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship

Fire by Night is a beautifully written, kind invitation to see the God of the Old Testament through both modern and past stories of oppressed peoples who know God as Deliverer. This book is a true gem, giving language to the space between God and usa relationship of community and presence.

Kaitlin Curtice, Potawatomi author and speaker

Too often, I have read the Old Testament through furrowed brow; those ancient stories and the God they depict feel impossibly remote. But Melissa Florer-Bixlers quietly powerful book erased that distance, and I am now reading Scripture with a reawakened sense of gratitude and awe.

Christie Purifoy, author of Roots and Sky

What awaits you in these pages, deeply grounded in pastoral ministry, are not just encounters with Old Testament stories but contemporary stories of children, neighbors, birds, bread, friendship, and more.... Melissa Florer-Bixler is courageous enough to engage the strange world of the Old Testament with patience and to wrestle with it to come out with a blessing for today.

Luke Powery, dean of Duke University Chapel, from foreword

Melissa Florer-Bixlers Fire by Night is an invitation to sit with the tension and unravel the hope present in the Old Testament. With thorough analysis, testimony, and revelation, Fire by Night delivers a powerful approach to Scripture. A slow and rooted invitation into Gods presence is what makes this book a companion piece for a deeper study of the Old Testament.

Carolina Hinojosa-Cisneros, Tejana poet, writer, and speaker

Fire by Night illuminates how the Old Testament is a beautiful gift for contemporary readers, despite how its ancient contents are often stereotyped as merely an embarrassing problem. Melissa Florer-Bixler is a trustworthy guide through the Hebrew Scriptures as she gracefully brings together the wisdom of biblical scholarship along with the practical concerns for faithfulness in our everyday life.

Drew G. I. Hart, author of Trouble Ive Seen

This is a bold exploration of Scripture by a persistent and learned reader. Florer-Bixler does not give up on what the Bible actually says even when it frustrates her. Her essays are full of deep pastoral wisdom and exegetical insight. She is teaching us to read the Old Testament for our lives.

Ellen F. Davis, professor of Bible and practical theology at Duke Divinity School