Timothy D. Willard - Home Behind the Sun: Connect with God in the Brilliance of the Everyday

Praise for Home Behind the Sun

Home Behind the Sun is so elegant and moving that it nearly took my breath away. The prose glimmers and rattles and nearly every page forced me to wrestle with important questions about joy, whimsy, imagination, and purpose. Home Behind the Sun is a poetic portrait of Gods glory that is as brave as it is beautiful. As you read, breathe deeply.

JONATHAN MERRITT, AUTHOR OF JESUS IS BETTER THAN YOU IMAGINED

Im convicted by the precise reflections and tempered provocations my dear friends, Jason Locy and Timothy Willard, deliver in Home Behind theSun. Put this book on your coffee table and read one chapter each weekend. You will see what I mean. A brilliant expos of what really matters in life, just when it seemed we were about to forget.

GABE LYONS, FOUNDER OF Q AND AUTHOR OF THE NEXT CHRISTIANS

In Home Behind the Sun, Jason Locy and Timothy Willard show us how to let the brilliance of Gods presence shine through every nook and cranny of our lives. This book is a cool drink of water on a hot day for busy leaders who dont stop enough to consider Gods glory; I highly recommend it.

JOSHUA DUBOIS, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE PRESIDENTS DEVOTIONAL; FORMER DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE

Jason and Tim write with such convicted honesty, youll pause midsentence to reflect. They stir our imaginations toward a brilliant life, with a gracious exposure to the blind spots in each of us.

REBEKAH LYONS, AUTHOR OF FREEFALL TOFLY

Home Behind the Sun is a beautiful, intelligent, weighty collection. I loved it, and I cant wait to share it with people who, like me, like nothing better than to lose themselves in graceful language and find themselves in resounding themes.

SHAUNA NIEQUIST, AUTHOR OF BREAD & WINE

Few authors possess the gift of transporting readers into otherworldly regions, far away from the din and clamor this planet offers. In Home Behindthe Sun, Tim and Jason serve as your tour guides, weaving their words, to lead you down unexplored pathways. Through your journeys, youll discover a rich and robust Faiththe answer to your homesickness youve felt from the very beginning.

KARY OBERBRUNNER, AUTHOR OF DAY JOBTODREAM JOB AND CEO OF IGNITING SOULS AND REDEEM THE DAY

To a crazy busy, on-the-go generation, my friends Tim and Jason offer upside-down advice: stop, reflect, wait on God. With masterful storytelling, the authors call us to see where our identity truly lies. Home Behind the Sun reminds us we are part of a greater story than we ever dreamed or imagined.

PETER GREER, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HOPE INTERNATIONAL AND AUTHOR OF THE SPIRITUAL DANGER OFDOING GOOD

Home Behind the Sun is an act of obedience to Gods call to tell of his wonderful acts. Its a shout of worship, Thank you Lord! It reminds me of Davids words of thanksgiving and charge to us all to sing praises to God, to speak of all his wonders. Authors Timothy and Jason have helped convince me that more than ever I am to live as a happy living doer of the Word of God and not an exploitative hearer only.

ANDREW PALAU, INTERNATIONAL EVANGELIST AND AUTHOR OF THE SECRET LIFEOF AFOOL

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Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION. 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 978-1-4002-0566-0

ISBN: 978-1-4002-0567-7 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

14 15 16 17 18 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

For our daughters

Contents

We all walk the long road.

PEARL JAM

When we let a mutual friend read the first draft of this book, he made an interesting comment: I love how you guys are reframing the whole imago Dei discussion. I often feel like the image of God gets narrowed into social justice compartments. If Im not active in some cause, then Im not fulfilling the gospel. Isnt it gospel living to raise my four boys and to make a living, supporting my wife and family?

His comments caused us to shape the book into what you see now. Were passionate about God, and were passionate about his world and what we can do as his followers in this world. But the gospel of Christ extends into every facet of this life. This is how we stumbled onto the concept of the brilliance of Gods glory.

At first we discussed Gods glory in terms of beauty. We had myriad discussions about the places in life where we saw beauty: in deformity, in innocence, in forgiveness, in physicality, in our work, in our relationships. It was an invisible type of beauty. And always we saw it contrasted with shadowsthe afflictions of life.

But then we thought on beautys source, and found ourselves wandering into Gods brilliance. Gods brilliance overwhelms the shadows of life. His brilliance fills us, through the Holy Spirit. And its for Gods brilliance, his glory, that we live and breathe and have our being. This simple but beautiful truth overwhelmed us.

When we sense Gods brilliance in this life, we sense his glory, we sense him. Its why you feel strangely at home when you run into goodness and beauty, like when a friend sacrifices time in his or her day to help you, or when you find yourself exhilarated when you accomplish something great in your work or study.

But shadows remain. Daily we war with our own hearts, pushing down the hurt, pain, disillusionment, disappointment, bitterness, and betrayal. Gods brilliance, however, compels us through the shadows. We long for it.

We all want something more in this life. Though in our wanting we often fall prey to the wanting. Its the difference between our longings moving us toward a beautiful and heavenly destination, and our longings ensnaring us, trapping us in the teeth of our own lusts, as C. S. Lewis put it.