I was first introduced to Joseph in my childhood. He burst onto the flannel graph board of my Sunday school classroom, his infamous coat of many colors flapping in the Palestinian breeze. For decades now he has intrigued me, encouraged me, and challenged me.

His story has been enough to capture my imagination as a child and enough to sustain my faith as an adult. If you have not taken the time to get to know Joseph, then let me introduce you to him and his family.

What will you find in the story of my friend Joseph? A great deal, to say the least, for his adventures are enough to fill several lifetimes. Jealousy, deception, injustice, forgiveness, redemption--all of this jumps from the pages as Joseph’s life takes more twists and turns than a modern-day roller coaster.

We read about his dysfunctional family and feel the corkscrew turns of deceit and rivalry. In the conspiracy of his brothers against him, the G-force seems almost crushing. We experience with him a crippling, sudden stop when he is alone and abandoned in a Middle Eastern prison. Then the speed in which he rises to the seat of world power takes the air from our lungs. Through it all, and sometimes in spite of it, God faithfully brings Joseph’s life to its intended destiny.

I hope Joseph will bring to you what he has brought to me: Reflection. Inspiration. Spiritual transformation. Encouragement to see the larger
picture.

Most of all, I seek for you, the reader, identification with the story of God. That is, I seek for you to see, hear, and feel yourself in these often overlooked pages of the Old Testament, and then to translate Joseph’s experiences into reality; that is, to create points of reference and personal conversion.

You will find much in the story of Joseph, but the most important and surprising thing you will find is yourself. Maybe you will discover a clue to what God is doing in your life.

I offer a word of warning as we begin: This is not a “how-to” book. You will find no keys for successful living or catchy alliterated principles to revolutionize your life. There are no miraculous prayers or step-by-step solutions to solve your most pressing problems. In fact, there is more paradox and mystery in Joseph’s story than I am sometimes comfortable with.

Still, the journey of his life is a beautiful, sometimes tragic narrative that continues to form and speak to us today. It speaks especially to those of us who are

• trying to make sense of what is going on in our lives.
• wondering what God is doing in some faraway heaven.
• feeling that the chaos of life has little or no meaning.

If any of this describes you--like this baffling though marvelous story of Joseph--then this book was written with you in mind.

A word of thanks: This book is based largely on a series of talks I first delivered in autumn 2002 at Blackwood Springs Baptist Church in Calhoun, Georgia. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Jane Ellen Fite, who preserved those talks and returned them to me at the most opportune time.

May the encouragement I have received from the life and story of Joseph be yours as well.

Home | Books | Curriculum | Freebies | Contact Us