When I saw the cover of Vince Antonucci’s God for the Rest of Us for the first time, I was drawn in by the mere concept of the book. Unbelievable love. Unlimited hope. Uncommon grace. Yes, please! Yet, it continues to be true: you can’t judge a book by its cover. God for the Rest of Us is a book that goes much deeper and gets much messier than many Christians are comfortable with; that’s all the more reason to keep reading!
(I received a complementary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. for review purposes.
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A brief look at the Table of Contents let me know very quickly that God for the Rest of Us would be new ground for me. While I come with plenty of shortcomings and sin of my own, my southern, suburban upbringing has often shielded me from life in other parts of our country and the world.
Even though my role as a pastor’s wife has introduced me to lots of people with tough stories , I sometimes forget that the “Rest of Us” referenced exists outside of movies and media. Life is beyond messy for some people. It’s more than I can even comprehend.
God for the Rest of Us: the scandalous, the unthinkables, the unwanted
In God for the Rest of Us, Las Vegas pastor Vince Antonucci spotlights God’s love for the segment of society that many Christians overlook: the sinners — repentant and not-so repentant. Think about it: addicts, prostitutes, atheists, pimps, aren’t typically the types of people that are welcomed with open arms to join us in our padded pews.
For some reason, we forget that these are the very people Jesus himself embraced and, consequently, transformed. In fact, we forget that we too are sinners in need of saving grace every single day.
Some may have forgotten about God’s unfathomable grace, but God for the Rest of Us reminds us that His love and grace is still changing lives. Through his personal experiences, the stories from people he’s met through his ministry, and biblical insight that ties it all together, Antonucci shares how he’s seen God’s love, hope, and grace in action.
Where do you find yourself
in the Rest of Us?
Maybe you don’t struggle with believing that God’s grace covers you. Maybe you don’t exactly relate to the prostitutes, addicts, pimps, atheists, or the tattooed mentioned in these pages. Maybe you’re like me and your exposure to Las Vegas is limited to a news story or an occasional documentary. Maybe you’re thinking that this book isn’t for you after all.
Not so fast. Chances are you’re a part of the Rest of Us, too. In God for the Rest of Us, we’re reminded that God is also for the doubters, the worriers, the forgotten, the broken, and even those who have been hurt by the Church.
Bottom line: If you’re feeling like there’s no room for you in the Christian faith, God for the Rest of Us is for you. You’ll find reminder after reminder that God is for you:
It’s not about your very imperfect life; it’s about God’s perfect love. When people say yes to God, His grace wins out over their sin every single time.”
God for the Rest of Us is also a book for all Christ-followers. Even if you don’t necessarily relate to all of the outcasts of our society, you’ll find yourself somewhere in these pages. After all, we’re all in need on God’s unbelievable love, unlimited hope, and uncommon grace because we’ve failed the masses of people who needed us the most.
We need reminders that there’s more to the Christian life than suits versus t-shirts, KJV versus NIV, and traditional versus relaxed. We need reminders that there are people out there struggling with unfathomable pain and mess after mess while we fight our little church wars over things that don’t matter in the end. God for the Rest of Us is actually for all of us.
Where to purchase
God for the Rest of Us
You can purchase God for the Rest of Us on Amazon through the image below or by visiting your favorite bookseller.
While you’re at it, be sure to stop by Tyndale House Publishers to learn more about this book and all of their wonderful offerings. You can connect with them through social media as well: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube.