Author Richard Gist has again pulled from his personal archive a never-before-shared manuscript. Following the release of his well-received, With a Yes and a Yippee, he now offers a charming children's tale entitled, Ayshus on the Inside. Crawford, a melancholy, young crayfish is accidentally pulled from the safety of his beloved Crawdad Creek and thrust into the dangers of the Upper World. There, the frightened youngster meets a cheerful and helpful butterfly named Alicia. This unusual relationship leads him to discover what really is important in life, while also revealing to him his own unique worth, beauty, and inner strength (ayshusness). And, dramatically, the meaning of true friendship.

Ever felt bitten by a fundamentalist? Or had your biblical understanding discounted by a conservative? Or the validity of your beliefs questioned by a zealous evangelical? If you have, then you will find Faith without Fear absolutely therapeutic, with its fresh, honest, and unique approach to both Scripture and the faith. After the publication of his award-winning You Don’t Understand the Bible Because You are Christian (2014), Richard Gist has reemerged to subtly combat religious theologies that are constructed on a fear of God, those “you must be born again or you will be left out of heaven” approaches to life and Divinity. The antidote: trusting the loving purposes of God and reading Scripture “straight up,” that is, rationally, historically, and through sound scholarship. And having fun doing it. Mr. Gist is a United Methodist clergy person who has spent a twenty-three year retirement researching and writing on biblical subjects. He shares his findings honestly, sometimes fervently, and often humorously to vividly open up biblical stories in readable and engaging terms. Again and again the reader will respond, “I never thought of it that way before.” He does, however, proceed with the expectation that his audience has both an interest in Scripture and a modest acquaintance with its content. The book asks probing questions, but following Old Testament writing techniques, does not provide answers. Everyone has to think for themselves. Mr. Gist explores some stories through the question, cui bono? Who profits from telling the story this way? Have you ever done that before in your Bible studies? It leads to new places. The author sometimes strays beyond Scripture to share personal stories, offer spiritual insights, and to present a smattering of philosophy. The Table of Contents provides a few hints of what you will find in the book. Undergirding everything is the author’s absolute trust in the unconditional love of God. As the title of the book suggests, fear should not be a part of our relationship with the Divine. “God never forgives because God never condemns.”

By the early second century the Christian Church was predominantly Gentile, having separated from its Jewish roots and base. It lost most all understanding of Jewish culture. Very few in the church could read Hebrew, and as significantly, its Scriptures were in Greek, which contributed to its growing ignorance of the intricacies of Jewish word play. They could not and did not retain the richness, the interconnectedness, and the brilliance of the Hebrew writing, and thereby misinterpreted much of what they cherished. Today, many, if not most, Christians also lack the basic knowhow needed to adequately appreciate our Jewish-written Scriptures. This little 150 page book will not heal what ails us, but in a light, sometimes fun, other times serious way, it will help, and that is needed. It may even erase a few of the lines that separate our two great communities–Jewish and Christian–and remind us of our shared humanity and Faith. Creative, insightful, humorous, sensitive, challenging, thought provoking . . . . What other words are used to describe this book and its author? See pages iv and v.

No one is an expert at directing another’s spiritual journey, nor should anyone try. Each person is unique, and free to walk their own path, seeking their own answers, designing their own conversations with God. And yet, in a world of infinite possibilities, many people are stuck in one place by the answers they have adopted. Answers effectively bring thinking to a halt. Answers result in unquestioningly living each new day like an old day. Answers throw obstacles onto the spiritual path. Unfortunately, religion is and always has been the source of many answers by which people live. While Creation abounds in unending variety, with no two clouds, no two sunsets, no two snowflakes, and certainly, no two human beings exactly alike, religion tends to corral us into dull sameness: same beliefs, same moral instructions; same biblical interpretations. Even though religion’s intentions are good, it works contrary to the exuberant, open-ended energies of both God and the Creation. Religion feels safest when everyone thinks alike. It rests comfortably on firm answers. The spiritual journey necessarily goes beyond these limitations. This book encourages bypassing religion’s set answers, while offering no firm answers itself. Nothing threatening will be found on its pages; it is safe reading; always, the reader remains in charge. The author says, relax, rest in God, and trust your own mind and the Holy Spirit to broaden and refresh your thinking. Both are ready to take you for an exhilarating ride. The process in the book is uncomplicated, maybe even simplistic. Most chapters merely expand the boundaries of well-known biblical passages to demonstrate there is always, always more to consider, and you get to decide what makes most sense to you. Exclusive answers do not exist, but your own will emerge. You are on your own journey. Enjoy.

Ever felt bitten by a fundamentalist? Or had your biblical understanding discounted by a conservative? Or the validity of your beliefs questioned by a zealous evangelical? If you have, then you will find Faith without Fear absolutely therapeutic, with its fresh, honest, and unique approach to both Scripture and the faith. After the publication of his award-winning You Don't Understand the Bible Because You are Christian (2014), Richard Gist has reemerged to subtly combat religious theologies that are constructed on a fear of God, those "you must be born again or you will be left out of heaven" approaches to life and Divinity. The antidote: trusting the loving purposes of God and reading Scripture "straight up," that is, rationally, historically, and through sound scholarship. And having fun doing it. Mr. Gist is a United Methodist clergy person who has spent a twenty-three year retirement researching and writing on biblical subjects. He shares his findings honestly, sometimes fervently, and often humorously to vividly open up biblical stories in readable and engaging terms. Again and again the reader will respond, "I never thought of it that way before." He does, however, proceed with the expectation that his audience has both an interest in Scripture and a modest acquaintance with its content. The book asks probing questions, but following Old Testament writing techniques, does not provide answers. Everyone has to think for themselves. Mr. Gist explores some stories through the question, cui bono? Who profits from telling the story this way? Have you ever done that before in your Bible studies? It leads to new places. The author sometimes strays beyond Scripture to share personal stories, offer spiritual insights, and to present a smattering of philosophy. The Table of Contents provides a few hints of what you will find in the book. Undergirding everything is the author's absolute trust in the unconditional love of God. As the title of the book suggests, fear should not be a part of our relationship with the Divine. "God never forgives because God never condemns."...

With a Yes and a Yippee explores both the inner and outer worlds of a boy growing up in a small, insulated, Mid-western town during one of America's most trying and tear stained periods. People were inching themselves out of the Great Depression, and inexorably edging towards the precipice of a planet at war. Yet, inexplicably, for those too young and innocent to recognize a world struggling to hold itself together, life was good, even blessed. The book takes the reader by skips and jumps from the author's miraculous conception (they all are) to the day, at the age of seventeen, he left home to enter the United States Air Force.

Author Richard Gist has again pulled from his personal archive a never-before-shared manuscript. Following the release of his well-received, With a Yes and a Yippee, he now offers a charming children's tale entitled, Ayshus on the Inside. Crawford, a melancholy, young crayfish is accidentally pulled from the safety of his beloved Crawdad Creek and thrust into the dangers of the Upper World. There, the frightened youngster meets a cheerful and helpful butterfly named Alicia. This unusual relationship leads him to discover what really is important in life, while also revealing to him his own unique worth, beauty, and inner strength (ayshusness). And, dramatically, the meaning of true friendship.