Harry C. Griffith

Definitely food for thought. This book encourages us to build from asking what would Jesus do (WWJD) to being the hands and feet of Jesus in today's world. The challenge is given in the form of a story.

A pastor receives a letter from what he thought was a very involved and connected church member. The letter comes a day after the man committed suicide and states that loneliness was the reason. This starts the pastor wondering how the man could have been lonely if he was part of the church.

I can see how it is possible to be part of something but yet not feel connected to it or to feel included in it.

The pastor challenges his congregation in a sermon meant to motivate them, but some take it as scolding or blaming them for what happened. This group includes the head of the church board.

The pastor and his teen son have communication issues--mostly because the pastor keeps putting off talking to his son. A school shooting brings home to him that he can't keep assuming he will have a tomorrow to clear this up. The pastor also agrees to do a service for the school shooter because of the challenge he recently issued to his congregation.

The school shooter dies but many want to blame the mother for her son's actions. The church board head's wife was a victim in the shooting also--something the man thinks is directly related to the challenge the pastor issued (despite several telling him that his wife would have done the same thing with or without the challenge).

In the end, the two men need to come together to save the mother from a lynch mob.… (meer)

I remember the "What Would Jesus Do" movement that slowly receded into the background of our society. But Harry Griffith brings the challenging theme back with a modern day twist in his book "In His Place." Meet pastor Steve Long of Incarnation Church who has just learned one of his parishners has died. The parishner's death, particularly the letter that arrives the day after his death, causes pastor Long to stop and ponder what could he have done differently. On top of this, pastor Long has a teenage son at home who is anything but cordial. The reader is right there with pastor Long as he struggles internally with his emotions and thoughts and as he pours out these thoughts and fruastrations to his atheist friend. As the week continues, Steve Long is faced with many decisions about how he will respond to God's calling as well as the members of his church as they rethink what it means to be a practicing Christian. I was moved by this story, even though it is fictional, to reexamine my own life, thoughts and actions. Is there more I can do? We can not become comfortable and apathetic to the world around us. This is a must read for everyone in the Church and outside the Church body. It is water-fountain-topic worthy! I received this complimentary copy book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.… (meer)