It is in seeing Christ through the eyes of the "real people of His day"--people who He encountered such as the woman at the well, blind Bartimaeus, the Centurion, Nicodemus, Peter, Matthew, Mary & Martha, Thomas, and Mary Magdalene--that Sherri Gragg's definitive touch with narrative fiction succeeds in bringing fresh eyes of prospective and understanding to biblical times.

Intertwined in the book's easy to read devotional format are fascinating insights into the author's passion for historical, cultural and archeological accuracies that allow her to craft stories rich in detail around the characters and settings. The book features a glossary which readers will find useful as an additional resource to further understanding the times in which Jesus walked among us.

The heart of Sherri's inspiration for this book was birthed on a 2010 journey to Israel that became a sojourn of personal healing. It was in the land where Jesus walked that a deeper spiritual revelation of of freedom in her own faith-walk came--and with it, the reality of what life must have been like for those who encountered the Savior on the dusty roads of old.

"It was through my visit to Israel that the shackles of my own life experience of being raised with a "legalistic God" began to fall away in earnest," notes the author. "What I encountered was a Messiah who was the incarnation of God HImself and who poured out His life in costly love to redeem us all. I became passionate about the concerpt of interpreting scripture through the cultural lens of the time in which it was written. Ultimately, in this book, I prayed to share the view of Jesus' teachings through the eyes of the Middle Eastern peasant of that day--praying too, that by bringing the reality of 'daily life' to the scriptural encounters we've all read of Jesus' interactions with people, He would come to life for readers in the same personal light of His love, grace, and forgiveness as He has for me."

Published in hardcover edition by Thomas Nelson Arms Open Wide is now available nationally at all major Christian and online book resources.

About the Author: Sherri Gragg is a nationally published writer who was a winner in the 2012 Writer's Digest Competirion. She discovered the beautiful Jewish roots of her Christian faith during the course of a trip to Israel and now passionately uses her gifts of writing and teaching to share the gospel of Christ through the Middle Eastern cultural lens. She and her husband, Michael, have five children and make their home in Franklin, Tennessee.

Thomas Nelson Publishers, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is a world-leading provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. The publishing group provides multiple formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, cookbooks, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with additional offices in Plano, Texas. For additional information, please resource: www.thomasnelsoncorporate.com

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