Night with a Perfect Stranger, by David Gregory

First Nick had Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, meeting Jesus face to face.  Shortly after that, his wife had a Day with a Perfect Stranger, meeting Jesus on a flight to Tuscon and coming to share her husband's faith in their mutual friend.  After five years of living the Christian life, Nick is feeling frustrated and dry, and gets to spend a Night with a Perfect Stranger.

In Night with a Perfect Stranger: The Conversation That Changes Everything, Nick has an argument with his dad in Chicago, decides to leave early and hits the road for a late-night drive home to Cincinnati.  He doesn't plan well in the fuel department, and moments after he sputters to a stop, out of gas in the middle of the night, here comes Jesus, in the flesh, hauling a gas can.  Jesus comes along for the ride, and Nick and Jesus get to catch up and get Nick redirected in his relationship with God.

Wouldn't we all love to have some face-to-face time with Jesus?  I love the way Gregory portrays him.  He is humble, patient, and kind, as you would expect, but he also has a great sense of humor, a friendly demeanor, and a way of making strangers feel comfortable, just the sort of person you'd want by your side in every situation.

The major theme of Nick's conversations with Jesus in Night is the father love that God has for us.  Unlike Nick's experience with his earthly father, who was judgmental, demanding, and whose love was conditional, God's love comes with no strings.  Our sin cannot diminish God's love for us, any more than small stones we throw at Hoover Dam can threaten its structural integrity.  We can do nothing to make God love us more, and nothing we do makes him love us less.  Like a newborn baby, who is unable to do anything for his parent, we are powerless to effect God's love for us.  Gregory manages to convey this message without coming across as giving license for sin or diminishing the need for our response to God.

With Dinner, Day, and now Night, Gregory gives us food for thought, presenting the gospel and guidance for growth in our relationship with God in a creative, compelling, sometimes provocative, but theologically sound ways.  Any of these is worth a look for the seeker and the seasoned believer alike.

Thanks to NetGalley and Worthy Publishing for the free electronic review copy.