Description
Beloved preacher and writer Anna Carter Florence brings winsome insight to an array of characters and stories in the Bible—some celebrated and some overlooked. From courageous Abigail to Zelophehad’s daughters, and from an alabaster jar of ointment to Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree, Florence takes readers on an enchanting tour of the Old and New Testaments with reflections that reveal ancient wisdom and spark imagination anew. In addition to group discussion guides available in the book, a book club guide is also available to download for free!
There is also a wealth of material for pastors to mine in this volume. To help leaders use this book, Florence has written a free, downloadable reading guide for preachers to suggest ways a preacher might read this book.
Product Excerpts and Related Resources
Reviews
"Enter the Bible through any of the fifty-two doors in this new abecedary by Anna Carter Florence, who will show you how much there is to gain from starting small and staying put with a few verses for a while. Whether her topic is an ax, a yak, or the queen of Sheba, she can sound as surprised as her reader to find how much is left to discover in a book we thought we already knew."—Barbara Brown Taylor, author of Always a Guest and An Altar in the World
"I can think of no other person, scholar, teacher, or preacher whom I’d want to take me on a journey through the ABCs of Scripture. Her homiletical imagination will set you free. Read her words, and you will fall in love with the incarnate Word all over again."—Luke A. Powery, Dean of the Chapel, Duke University, and Professor of Homiletics, Duke Divinity School
"In A Is for Alabaster, Anna Carter Florence does what artists have always done: shows us how the art of language, story, character, plot, poetry, and shock can hold a mirror to the face of the reader and invite responses as strange and wondrous as the art. She doesn’t present these texts as safe—they’re not—rather she praises their power." —Pádraig Ó Tuama, author of In the Shelter
"With witticism and her signature wonder, Anna Carter Florence takes us on an alphabetical journey that will ignite inspiration and imagination in all who need and want to trust the Bible’s truths."—Karoline M. Lewis, Professor and the Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary
"Whenever Anna Carter Florence and passages of Scripture are brought in close range, electricity arcs from one to the other, bringing insight and creativity. In these captivating and refreshing essays on biblical stories, she goes through the alphabet, A to Z, for the Old Testament and then again for the New Testament, and when she is finished, we are left both delighted and wishing that there were even more lette
If you want to inspire people in your community to read the Bible, gather around the stories in Anna Carter Florence’s newest treasure. If you need another shot of creativity for your own Scripture study, pick up A is for Alabaster. This might just be the water to prime the pump for preachers thirsty for new ideas. Footnotes and references will supplement exegesis and study. Don’t think of this as work. Enjoy. - The Presbyterian Outlook
"Florence has hit on a creative way to guide her readers in discovering some of the people and places mentioned in the Bible but usually overlooked. This book can provide a welcome alternative to the resources usually used for Bible study." - The Bible Today