An ordinary family lives in a small community outside ancient Jerusalem. They dont expect what takes place inside the massive walls of the city to have much impact on them or their daily lives. The patriarch of the household is concerned with supporting his family, especially after soldiers destroy work he had completed for wealthy customers, threatening his income and reputation. His wife concentrates on running their home and raising their family. The older children are restless, only concerned with their future. The younger children seem oblivious to all that goes on around them. Caught between worrying about a coming baby and surviving the present, none of them expect that a new kind of life awaits them.

Danger threatens this community and its inhabitants. From the lively rabbi who embraces the rumblings of new teachings to the old women who reject any change around them, everyone in the village faces challenges to their traditions, lives, and beliefs. An unstoppable momentum beyond their control strengthens, and resistance to change forms the beginnings of a new faithbut faith in what? Something amazing has happened, and none of their lives will ever be the same again.

A Man Named Jesus offers a powerful glimpse into what it would have been like to live during the time that Jesus lived, died, and was resurrectedthe beginning of Christianity.

All proceeds from book sales will be donated to the Backpack Ministry at Bethany United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas, providing weekend meals to elementary school students on assistance programs who otherwise would go hungry. For more information, contact www.bethany-umc.org.