David A. Busic - Perfectly Imperfect: Character Sketches from the Old Testament

David Busics reputation as a gifted preacher is well established. He has now taken those gifts and applied them to the printed page. Two strong themes emerge as one reads these character sketches. First, one sees the biblical characters through the lens of their humanity perfectly imperfect people. Rather than somehow diminishing the narratives, this viewpoint enhances the vibrancy and relevance of those stories for everyday twenty-first-century life. Second, one clearly sees the hand of God at work in each story in a fresh way. These portraits become a multifaceted mirror in which we see ourselves and, in doing so, find encouragement and added understanding of Gods call upon our lives. Here is an engaging book for the new Christian as well as for those of us who have read these stories repeatedly.

John C. Bowling
President
Olivet Nazarene University

According to St. Augustine, the best preaching should teach, delight, and persuade. That is exactly what David Busic offers in his new book. He teaches us much about the great heroes of our faith, especially about their flawed humanity. Busic then persuades us that, despite those flaws, God is pleased to use people like this (like us!) to save [all] those who believe (1 Cor. 1:21). And finally, throughout the book, Busic delights us with his turns of phrase, his wit and humor, but, most of all, with his profound insight into the deep and heart-wrenching truths of Scripture. You will be changed by reading this book, and you wont read the Old Testament the same.

Brent A. Strawn
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Candler School of Theology, Emory University

In Perfectly Imperfect, David Busic provides readers with reflective, creative, and practical presentations of familiar narratives and characters of the Old Testament, as well as some of the lesser-known ones. Busics outstanding gift of communicating orally is matched by the manner in which he communicates through this text. Basing his conversational-styled presentation on solidly grounded biblical interpretation, Busic brings the narratives to life. Stories that we have heard for years take on fresh, transforming, and applicable meaning. The author masterfully fleshes out intricate literary and historical details of the texts in insightful, simple-to-understand ways. Emerging naturally from the text, the applications for day-to-day life are well grounded and practical. This book is a gift to the church and to persons of all ages, laity and clergy alike. It vividly demonstrates that even the most familiar stories of Scripture are filled with fresh and applicable meaning.

Tim Green
Dean, Millard Reed School of Theology and Christian Ministry
Chaplain of the University
Professor, Old Testament Theology and Literature
Trevecca Nazarene University

Are you a tough audience? Just when I thought Id heard it all, David Busic rises to the challenge of bringing fresh insights to familiar passages. Ancient texts are enlivened via humor, storytelling, and practical applications. This is transformational biblical teaching of the highest order.

Craig Detweiler
Director, Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture
Associate Professor of Communication
Pepperdine University

Copyright 2013 by David A. Busic

2013 eISBN 978-0-8341-3040-1

Printed in the
United States of America

Cover Design: J.R. Caines
Interior Design: Sharon Page

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher. If you have received this publication from any source other than an online bookstore, you've received a pirated copy. Please contact us at the Nazarene Publishing House and notify us of the situation.

All Scripture quotations not otherwise designated are from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version.

Permission to quote from the following copyrighted versions of the Bible is acknowledged with appreciation:

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version (ISV). Copyright 19962013 by The ISV Foundation. All rights reserved internationally.

The New American Standard Bible (NASB), copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995.

The New King James Version (NKJV). Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.

The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Message (TM). Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Busic, David A., 1964

Perfectly imperfect : character sketches from the Old Testament / David A. Busic.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-8341-3017-3 (pbk.)

1. Men of the Bible. 2. CharacterBiblical teaching. I. Title.

BS574.5.B87 2013

221.9'2dc23

2013011728

Dedicated to Christina, the love of my life, who still makes every day worth coming home to

CONTENTS

More than twenty years ago I arrived at my first charge as lead pastor to discover, among other things, that I had inherited a youth pastor. Just a little younger than I, he rightly asked, Do you know what to do? I told him the truth: No, do you? Confessing our mutual inadequacy, we made a decision that I think fairly changed both of our lives. We decided to learn together not only what it means to shepherd a congregation but especially how to preach the Scriptures in a way that enables a fresh vision of life in the kingdom of God to be born in a people. That was a rich time for me. I learned much from my slightly younger brother that has shaped my ministry ever since.

Those days forged a friendship with David Busic that I have enjoyed these two decades and counting. Our assignments in ministry have often and happily brought us together, including the privilege of coediting Preachers Magazine for several years. In my judgment there is no one in the Church of the Nazarene who more embodies the knowledge, wisdom, character, and right practices of a good pastor than does David Busic.

These reflections in Perfectly Imperfect are a case in point. Part of what can be discerned here for clergy and laity alike is how to do careful study of the Scriptures and then to combine that study with creative and imaginative speech so that we are brought to life-giving encounters with God through the work of the Spirit. This is partly about the skill of a good preacher, but even more than that, we see here the real and personal devotion of one who is a serious follower of Jesus Christ. And we see here the heart of a pastor who loved his people faithfully and loved them well by telling them the truth, bad as the news may be, yet he also clearly and joyfully announced the gospel.