Book Info
Title: Messiah to the Messed Up: Because I’m a mess, you’re a mess, and we all need a Messiah.
Paperback: 140 pages
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas (April 29, 2014)
Genre: Creative Nonfiction, Christian
About the Author: Sue Ciullo is a self-proclaimed mess. She is a management consultant, professional speaker and passionate student of the Bible. Sue lives in an occasionally loud and sometimes messy house
Website Link: www.sueciullo.com
Book Description: Spend some time with Jesus and something profound is bound to happen to your heart. Messiah to the Messed Up interlaces rich Scripture narratives with twenty-first century stories. These threads, woven together, create an unforgettable tapestry of the life of Jesus, an image so real that you will feel His presence.
- Watch Jesus arrive, parched and sweaty, and converse with a social outcast.
- Witness Him dine with people that others shunned.
- Wonder at His mercy when He spares an adulteress from execution.
See how Jesus is every bit as present today as He was 2000 years ago.
- Watch Him love a teenaged girl who gets drunk on strawberry wine.
- Witness His grace in a homeless man who offers an extravagant gift.
- Wonder at His mercy as a veteran takes his last breath.
These stories are snippets of time with Jesus that will change your perspective on the Carpenter from Galilee.
Why is that important? Because I m a mess, you re a mess, and we need a Messiah.
Tributes
It doesn’t happen often. I have read a lot of manuscripts over the years by aspiring writers, offering what help I can for the time I have. But I seldom see the result of their revisions. In this case, I did.
My response?
This woman has become a writer!
This woman is Sue Ciullo, and you will love her. You will love her honesty and her humility—from her stories about Lulu to strawberry wine to saying goodbye to her parents. The stories about her mom will not only touch your heart but change your heart. Sue will walk you though the biblical stories, and, before you know it, you will be walking with her through her own stories and into yours. They will show you—rather than tell you—how to listen well, how to love well, how to serve well.
Most importantly, when you’re finished with the book, you will discover—the way the two disciples did on the road to Emmaus—that it wasn’t a stranger walking with you. It was Jesus.
–Ken Gire, author of “Windows of the Soul” and “Intimate Moments with the Savior”
If you have ever felt too messed up for Jesus to forgive or use you, read Messiah to the Messed Up. Author Sue Ciullo uses scripture to introduce messed up characters that God forgives and uses in mighty ways. Before you give up, pick this book up!
—Dave Ferguson, Lead Pastor – Community Christian Church
Author of Exponential, On the Verge and Discover Your Mission Now
In her book, Messiah to the Messed Up, Sue Ciullo reminds us all of us that we are, indeed messed up. We’ve messed up in the past and we will mess-up in the future.
But there is hope.
While Christians believe Jesus was and is the long promised Messiah of Israel, a careful look at the stories of his life reveal that he had a particular penchant for those messed up.
Jesus came to redeem all of us, including the messiest of us.
Sue invites the reader to take a journey with this Jesus, the Messiah to the Messed Up. She invites us to experience the stories of Jesus found in the New Testament and rediscover the hope he brought to messy people in Israel and the hope he can bring to the messed-up today.
Whether you have been studying the life of Jesus for years, or investigating his life for the first time, Messiah to the Messed Up will help you understand Jesus and his compassion for each us.
–Patrick O’Connell, Director of NewThing
If you’ve always wanted to know more about Jesus, if you’ve longed to see Him more clearly—let Sue Ciullo reintroduce Him to you. Messiah to the Messed Up delivers a long look at Jesus through the lens of love.
See His love in the way He treated a whore or an outcast of society. Get a glimpse of it as it is acted out in the nitty-gritty of modern life. The beautiful message of Messiah to the Messed Up is that Jesus wants to touch each of our messed up lives and transform them with His love.
–Sharla Fritz, Author of Divine Design and Bless These Lips
I’ve spent many years working with the Bible–from study notes to study guides to inspirational stories to devotional thoughts. Sometimes I wonder if anything new can be said, and then someone comes along with fresh eyes on the stories we know so well. Sue is one of those people.
In, Messiah to the Messed Up Sue draws us into the beloved Gospel stories by looking at them with fresh insight and good study information. Then she offers up stories from her own life, illustrating her love for her Messiah and how he has worked in her life. You’ll relate to her laughter, her joy, her grief, her repentance, her regret, and ultimately her complete and total love for her Savior. And you’ll be challenged to let that Messiah take whatever is messed up in your life and redeem it for his glory.
–Linda Taylor, M.A., editor on The Life Application Study Bible, author of Praying God’s Promises for My Child and Saints and Scoundrels of the Bible
Messiah to the Messed Up takes the stories of the Bible and relates them to real life and real time. Sue brings in her own stories to inspire us to receive the great gift of God’s grace through Jesus. Never again should we assume that we have to clean up our act to come to God. He calls us just as we are and then challenges us to be transformed. An inspiring and practical book that will change lives.
–Janet McMahon, Community Life Director, Restore Community Church
Church Planter
Beautifully written, Messiah to the Messed Up will resonate with readers of today, giving fresh new meaning and perspective to centuries-old biblical stories. A must-read for those who know they’ve made mistakes and especially for those who think they haven’t. We’ve all fallen from grace, we’ve all messed up, and we’re all in need of a Messiah.
–Connie Cameron, Speaker and Author of Stories of Faith and Courage from Prison and God’s Gentle Nudges
Co-founder, Set Free in Him Ministries
Links & More Info
Book Buying Link: www.amazon.com/dp/1941103162
Language: English
ISBN: 1941103162
Ebook ISBN-13: 978-1941103166
Blog Link: www.sueciullo.com/chatter
Facebook Link: www.facebook.com/sueciullo
Twitter Link: twitter.com/SueCiullo
Goodreads Link: www.goodreads.com/sueciullo
Pinterest Link: www.pinterest.com/sueciullo