Seeing Jesus Series

When he meets a strangely dressed man on the bus, he stops worrying about his grandmother, who’s in the hospital, and starts questioning his own mental health. Apparently no one else can see the strange guy. Which must mean he’s not really there. Except there he is always hanging around, all day long. And for days in a row.

Gladys Hight lives alone in a cozy little house in southeastern Wisconsin. Occasionally, her family has heard her speaking with Harry, her husband, who died four years ago. Her daughter, Patty, the type-A opposite of Gladys, worries about her mother’s sanity. At 78, even Gladys has her doubts.

What could be better than marrying your soulmate, with whom you can share the rest of your life? Sharing Jesus with that person.

This fourth book in the Seeing Jesus series introduces Karl Meyer, whose retirement becomes a lonely prospect when his wife leaves him and his dog dies. Such losses might test one’s sanity. That’s what Karl assumed was happening when he began to hear noises, and then voices, in his old house. Though dizzying at times, what follows fills Karl’s home with beloved companions and hope for the future.

Trudy Jensen has been caring for other people for over twenty years, their broken hearts, broken lives and broken relationships. Now she’s thinking about her own relationships, particularly with men. Should she try online dating? What if one of her counselling clients found her online? Even as she stalls over these questions she meets an intriguing man.

Philly Thompson once met Jesus on a city bus. After that extraordinary visit, Philly’s life didn’t go back to being ordinary. The intervening years, however, have been more tragic than magic. In that time, he lost loved ones, lost another job, and lost much of his faith. Jesus didn’t promise him a story filled with magic. But he did offer himself, a continued connection with Jesus, his dearest friend. That friend is talking to Philly again, and inviting him back into conversation and back into helping people in need.

In 2003 Tildy Hawkins is wondering if she can trust her friend A.J. with all her secrets. Can she tell A.J. that she lives with her grandma because her mother is in drug rehab? Can she tell her that her irresponsible dad abandoned her? Can she explain what it feels like to be neither white nor black? And can she tell A.J. that she’s tempted to try cutting herself? All that is too much to tell, too much to trust to another eleven-year-old.

Paul Bailey is a daytime TV actor in Hollywood. His faith has been on hold for a few years as he focuses on his career. And he hasn’t been following all the rules church people generally expect. He’s still reeling from his father leaving when he was a kid, his brother overdosing and his sister succumbing to a mysterious illness. His faith was always too fragile to help him fully recover from any of that. Paul goes home to comfort his mother after his sister’s death. His mom is all he has left. To please her, he takes the starring role in her church’s annual passion play.

Bethany Hight has followed her heart toward a dream of her own and away from her mother’s ambitions for her. Instead of bright lights on shiny stages, Bethany aspires to teach music to children. She will have to pursue her own dream without the support of her mother, which includes working in a diner.

Alone again and working another meaningless job, Johnny Bailey gets an invitation to his son’s wedding. The last time he talked to his son was to see if he could borrow money from him again. Maybe he’ll pay him back before attending the wedding. Maybe. Bad luck. That’s what it is. The theme of Johnny’s life. The antidote for that bad luck was usually drinking or some kind of drug, legal or otherwise. But he’s been clean for almost a year. He goes to the meetings. Yet he is clearly losing his mind. Because in his apartment is a man … or not really a man … not just a man.