Bring Jesus? message and ministry to life with this complete set of inspiring and thought-provoking sermons for every Sunday and major celebration in the Church year. Six notable preachers from across the denominational spectrum offer a treasure trove of creative homiletic ideas and practical, scripture-based wisdom in messages based on Gospel texts from Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary. Weaving together insightful illustrations with keen insight into contemporary life, these sermons passionately proclaim the Good News and powerfully remind us of God's limitless love. Each riveting message is certain to enlighten the mind and warm the heart.

Wherever you are in your walk with Christ, this anthology offers practical, scripture-based wisdom as well as delightfully serendipitous surprises on every page. Three outstanding preachers from diverse denominations provide a complete set of sermons for each Sunday and major celebration throughout the Christian year based on the Second Reading from Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary. Weaving together illustrations that enlighten the mind and warm the heart with fresh insight into New Testament epistle texts, these creative messages invite you to experience God's presence anew. Each biblically grounded sermon draws on a deep understanding of the human condition, reaffirming the hope that is ours through Jesus Christ and challenging you to a more intense faith relationship with the almighty.
This is an essential resource that's useful for:
- Fresh homiletical approaches to the lectionary texts
- Preaching illustrations
- A clearer understanding of scripture passages
- Adult study and discussion groups
- Personal devotions and Bible study on each Sunday's readings
"Dallas Brauninger has a way with words that makes one's heart sing and be open to learn and hear more. Gentle phrases leap out and make one think and wrestle with God and one's self."
Margaret Slater
Inclusive Ministry Coordinator, Local Church Ministries
United Church of Christ
"Gary Carver's sermons are a delight to read. True to life, often humorous, and filled with insight, they mark points at which the gospel intersects with everyday experience, call us to renewed faith, and show us what it means to live gracefully."
R. Alan Culpepper
Dean and Professor of New Testament
McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University

Packed full of stories about the human condition, this book of insightful sermons based largely on texts from Paul's letter to the Romans will be invaluable to preachers, teachers, and laypersons. Readers will serendipitously find marvelous results when one acts in faith on the "absurd" notion that God loves us unconditionally. These messages from an outstanding preacher demonstrate that when we follow the example of Paul and faithfully try to become what God created us to be, wonderful things begin to happen
"Gary Carver moves beyond those who find Paul's words to be complex and rigid. He gives to us examples in which Paul's timeless and deep theological concepts are used to address the struggles of contemporary Christians sensitively.... From teenage athletes to contacts in Alcoholics Anonymous to couples struggling with marriage and a host of other human experiences, Carver profoundly recalls experiences that illustrate Paul's insistence that one can experience a changed life in Christ." (from the Foreword)
Harold C. Warlick Jr.
Professor of Religion and Minister to the University
High Point University
"With a scholarly understanding of the Pauline writings, Gary Carver uses his masterful skills as a storyteller to bring the biblical accounts to life. His treatment of each passage is brought to a climax with probing ethical insight and deeply moving personal application. Both laypersons and preachers will benefit greatly from a reading of these prophetic sermons laced with marvelous illustrations."
Thomas H. Graves
President, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond
"To experience the preaching of Gary Carver is to find oneself in a gallery of living illustrations, all pointing to Jesus Christ. No cookie-cutter preacher, this gifted communicator is endowed both with uncommon insight into the human predicament and God's absurdly fetching grace. Read this book and discover God's spirit calling you to a more meaningful, involved following of Jesus."
Timothy L. Owings
Pastor, First Baptist Church
Augusta, Georgia
"Gary Carver has a vivid sense of the wonder God creates in everyday life, and he has a keen eye for the human condition.... His insight into the Bible and into the heart of its stories always finds the underlying story of hope, even in the most hopeless-looking of situations. His discoveries, then, make it seem quite natural and sensible to "act on the absurd.""
Dudley Rose
Director of Field Education
Harvard Divinity School
Gary L. Carver is pastor of First Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He has also served as pastor of churches in Alabama and Indiana. Carver is a graduate of Samford University (B.A.) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. and D.Min.) and has done additional graduate study at Candler School of Theology and Harvard Divinity School. He has been widely published in a variety of church and clergy publications, and is the author of "Distinctively Different" and "Out From the Ordinary" (CSS).

"Be like me "While many parents and leaders are understandably hesitant to utter such words, they are vitally needed today in a world where positive role models are often few and far between. Yet in these Cycle A epistle texts, the Apostle Paul is not bashful about challenging Christians to follow his example and live distinctively different lives -- lives that reflect the image of the risen Christ. Gary Carver shares that vision, and these outstanding messages lay out for readers the belief that we can grow every day to be more like Jesus.
"Gary Carver preaches at a way station on an ancient pilgrim road, offering comfort and hope to the weary traveler.... In these compelling sermons, Gary preaches to the mixed band of pilgrims jostling our way along toward the goal of spiritual discovery, and he speaks to our fears and doubts, our longings and our need, and most of all to our hunger to be closer to one whose presence forms the end of our restless trek.... Read these wonderful sermons and enjoy them. But, more important, read these sermons and take courage as you move faithfully along the pilgrim way." (from the Foreword)
Thomas G. Long
Bandy Professor of Preaching
Candler School of Theology, Emory University
"Someone has said that preaching is presenting the gospel through human personality. In this collection of well-crafted lectionary sermons, Gary Carver has ably presented the gospel -- his personality is evident in the richness of examples and illustrations."
June McEwen
Chair, Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs
Washington DC
"Distinctively Different is a very contemporary collection of spirited and spiritual reflections. In a quiet dialogue with Gary Carver, you are invited to revive your theological commitments, reflect on difficult questions, and renew your faith perspective. Share these motivational and innovative thoughts with your Bible study or your prayer group."
Claudia Highbaugh
Chaplain
Harvard Divinity School
"Preaching effectively to the same people week after week is one of the great challenges in Christian ministry. Gary Carver shows how it is done: biblical exposition, effective illustration, and relevant application. The power of these messages is that intellectual integrity is matched with passion."
Daniel Vestal
Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Atlanta, Georgia
"You simply must read Gary Carver's book If you want to meet Paul in the street and not just in the sanctuary, read this book. If you want to see that Paul's insights are more contemporary than this morning's newspaper, read this book. If you want your spirit refreshed and your soul uplifted, read this book. Give yourself a break today, read this book "
Buckner Fanning
Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church
San Antonio, Texas
Gary L. Carver is pastor of First Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He has also served as pastor of churches in Alabama and Indiana. Carver is a graduate of Samford University (B.A.) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. and D.Min.), and has done additional graduate study at Candler School of Theology and Harvard Divinity School. He has been widely published in a variety of church and clergy publications, and is the author of "Acting on the Absurd" and "Out From the Ordinary" (CSS).

Packed with personal stories of warmth and family, these sermons show how God takes a frightened group of disciples and sends them out to be the most constructive force for good in the history of the world. They demonstrate that God can move ordinary people to extraordinary heights, and that our success is more dependent upon our availability to God than on our own ability.
"Just try to read only one of these lively, pithy sermons in everyday language You cannot. I tried. They are like potato chips. You want to nibble on another and another. But unlike chips they contain the requisite vitamins and proteins of the Christian life. Gary Carver's words can provide a daily dose of what we all need. I recommend this book highly, even if you don't feel hungry."
Harvey Cox
Thomas Professor of Divinity
Harvard Divinity School
"This collection of sermons steadfastly invokes the responsibility of ordinary Christians to work for justice and spread love throughout a world dying for lack of both. This is a message that is badly needed today, and Gary deserves our high praise for articulating it with such care and conviction."
R. Marie Griffith
Associate Professor
Princeton Theological Seminary
"This excellent book, Out From The Ordinary, is certainly not an ordinary book. It is well written and laden with pithy insights into life and faith. You will be challenged as you read to step out of the ordinary and experience the fullness of God's grace and love."
Millard Fuller
Founder, Habitat for Humanity International
"Jesus, the Master Storyteller, has a sterling student in Gary Carver. Stories of truth, in the words of Carver, are like the gentle caresses of a parent lovingly stroking the soul of a beloved child. Great storytellers, in the tradition of Jesus, are rare. Gary Carver is one, and deserves to be pondered as well as perused. His stories make me want to preach."
Dan Yeary, Pastor
North Phoenix Baptist Church
Gary L. Carver is pastor of First Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He has also served as pastor of churches in Alabama and Indiana. In addition to his Doctor of Ministry degree, he has done graduate study at Candler School of Theology and Harvard Divinity School. He has been widely published in a variety of church and clergy publications.