John Stonestreet - Restoring All Things: Gods Audacious Plan to Change the World through Everyday People

2015 by John Stonestreet and WORLD News Group

Published by Baker Books

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4934-0068-3

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version , copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011

Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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

Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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

Lyrics to Dont You Want to Thank Someone are written by Andrew Peterson 2012. Used by permission.

For all those convinced all is lost for Christianity, I say, Read this book! Stonestreet and Smith aim to restore some balance to the doom and gloom narrative by pointing us to the stories that prove that God is still at work today, through people who are addressing the brokenness and taking the opportunities right in front of their noses. Inspiring!

Eric Metaxas , New York Times bestselling author of Miracles : What They Are , Why They Happen , and How They Can Change Your Life

Restoring All Things is an important and timely book. Smith and Stonestreet provide an insightful analysis of contemporary culture as well as practical steps each one of us can take to make a difference right where we are. I pray this book makes the wide and lasting impact it deserves.

Sean McDowell , professor, Biola University; speaker; coauthor of Same - Sex Marriage

In a world that seems to be going to hell in a hand basket, Warren Cole Smith and John Stonestreet provide not just encouragement but a good swift kick in the pants. If we really believe that God came in Christ not just to save our souls but to restore all things in Him, then we cannot despair. No matter how hostile the world may seem to the gospel, it is still Gods world, and the Good News applies to all of it. There is no pocket of society or human existence that lies outside of Gods loving dominion. Smith and Stonestreet show how Gods people are already advancing Gods kingdom in the here and now as well as give concrete advice on how to take part. You should read this book.

Jay W . Richards , PhD , bestselling author; professor, Catholic University of America; senior fellow, the Discovery Institute

As a detective, I find my heart resonating with the work of Warren Cole Smith and John Stonestreet. Like me, they want to make a difference in a world often filled with despair and injustice. In Restoring All Things , Smith and Stonestreet make a case for how God can use each of us to impact our world. Like good detectives, theyve interviewed and investigated the lives of many key witnesses used by God to transform their friends, families, and communities. Their examples will inspire and motivate you. If you want to make a difference, let this book be your call to action.

J . Warner Wallace , c old case homicide detective; author of Cold - Case Christianity and God s Crime Scene

When the world is new again

And the children of the King

Are ancient in their youth again

Maybe its a better thing

A better thing...

To be more than merely innocent

But to be broken then redeemed by love

Maybe this old world is bent

But its waking up

And Im waking up.

Andrew Peterson Dont You Want to Thank Someone