Brings a new perspective to selected Old Testament stories by exploring them from a unique starting point or from a different person's viewpoint. Chapter titles: The Second Sin; The Importance of Naming Joseph; Because My Mother Told Me; Moses' Midlife Crisis; Patron Saint of the Minority Report; Tragic Son, Tragic Father; Honey in the Lion; Beauty and the Beast; A Refugee at the King's Table; In Defense of Job's Wife; Jonah's Christmas Story; God Is Better Than His Plans. 12 Sessions with a leader's guide.

Using an approach similar to that in his book Parables from the Back Side, popular author J. Ellsworth Kalas brings a new perspective to selected Old Testament stories by approaching them from the “back side”—through a unique starting point, a creative retelling, a new “lens,” or the eyes of a minor or unsympathetic character. Chapter titles and Scripture: “The Second Sin” (Genesis 3:1-13); “The Importance of Naming Joseph” (Genesis 30:22-24); “Because My Mother Told Me” (Exodus 2:1-10); “Moses’ Midlife Crisis” (Exodus 2:11-22); “Patron Saint of the Minority Report” (Numbers 13:1-3, 25-33); “Tragic Son, Tragic Father” (Judges 11:1-6, 30-35); “Honey in the Lion” (Judges 14:5-14); “Beauty and the Beast” (1 Samuel 25:2-42); “A Refugee at the King’s Table” (2 Samuel 9:1-13); “In Defense of Job’s Wife” (Job 2:1-10); “Jonah’s Christmas Story” (Jonah 3:1-6, 10; Matthew 12:38-42); “God Is Better Than His Plans” (Ruth 1:1-5; 4:13-17). Includes 12 Sessions with a study guide.

Using an approach similar to his other "Back Side" books, J. Ellsworth Kalas opens up new possibilities of insight into selected New Testament stories by entering them through the "back side" -- through a unique starting point, a creative retelling, a new "lens", or the eyes of a minor or unsympathetic character. Includes 12 stories and a study guide.

Includes Meet J. Ellsworth Kalas and 12 weekly sessions (10 minutes each) that examine the chapters of the book Parables from the back side: Bible stories with a twist.

When we think of a detective story, we often think of murder mysteries. But the Bible contains some different kinds of detective stories. How is it, for instance, that some of the key personalities in the Bible story slip into the story almost unnoticed—like Judah, for example, an ancestor of King David and Jesus Christ. How did the symbolism of blood in Communion get started? When Cain was warned that the ground would no longer yield for him because he had killed his brother—did that set a precedent for connecting moral behavior with environmental harshness? These themes and many others are investigated in this study, accompanied by a discussion guide.

Corrects the misconception that the God of the Old Testament is one of wrath and judgment by discussing such topics as "Grace in the Morning," "Gracious Commandments," and "Grace and God's Love for the Future," as found in the books of Genesis, Deuteronomy, and Ruth. Original.

In this study, Kalas opens up new possibilities of insight into the familiar Ten Commandments by restating them in the positive and showing how they were intended to make life richer and more fulfilling. Kalas uses contemporary illustrations and personal experience to show how these timeless laws give us an appetite for divine excellence. Includes study guide, 10 sessions.