“Gospel stories retold for today,” a tag line that certainly grabbed my attention. One, because I am a fan of Francine Rivers and Liz Curtis Higgs who have retold Bible stories with great skill. I knew this book could be either incredible or truly terrible. Especially if the Gospel got lost in the modern retelling. However, to my surprise, this book is quite amazing.

I am the prime example of the person who grew up in church and vacation Bible school, in the cinder block basement rooms of Baptist Churches. I dare say there isn’t a Bible story I haven’t heard at least 100 times.  Author Mike Mikalatos managed to retell the Gospel story in such a way that it challenged and unsettled my heart.  The First Time We Saw Him, left me hungry and desperate to go back and read these astonishing accounts in scripture with new eyes. More importantly, after reading the first few chapters, I leapt into action to assist a neighbor I had been avoiding helping for several years. I know…a shameful admission, but its true. Mikalatos retelling of the Good Samaritan was eye-opening to my own failings to reach out to those who might slow me down during my “too busy for interruptions” day.

I highly recommend this book to anyone. It is well worth the few hours it took me to consume it. Read this book! I was given a complimentary copy of this book by BakerBooks in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated and all opinions are my own.

P.S.  The First Time We Saw Him is currently on sale on Amazon, Kindle version, for $1.99!