The Twenty-Piece Shuffle: Why the Poor and Rich Need Each Other
Greg Paul
David C. Cook, 2008, 224 pp., $13.99, www.davidccook.com
The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok
Greg Barrett
Jossey-Bass, 2008, 315 pp., $25.95, www.josseybass.com
The hands-on work, shocking stories, thoughtful reflections and compelling call found in Greg Paul’s The Twenty-Piece Shuffle and Greg Barrett’s The Gospel of Father Joe are critical to the health and wholeness on our planet.
Paul has an extensive résumé of inner-city ministry. In Shuffle, he takes readers with him on a journey into drug-infested, desperate communities. Paul admits he has “learned so much” from his “homeless friends.” The rich and the poor chase after harmful things; both groups need to find a home. Go with Paul on a journey from isolation to intimacy, from suffering to glory.
Or, dare to enter the slums of Father Joe Maier’s holy land—the extreme poverty of Thailand—in The Gospel of Father Joe. Father Joe has given himself to the needs of children in a community ripped apart by disease and poverty. His mission is awe-inspiring, humbling. Barrett’s background in journalism combined with Father Joe’s revolutionary faith make a provocative read that is hard to put down—and so very important to pick up and pass on to others.
