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The Hitchhiker and the Blue Jeans - A Surprise Blessing [Excerpt] Posted: 05 Jan 2012 03:05 PM PST   In this excerpt from her new memoir Faith and Other Flat Tires, Andrea Palpant Dilley shares a surprising experience with a hitchhiker that she will never forget.   Learn More From Faith and Other Flat Tires: Searching for God on the Rough Road of Doubt One winter afternoon when I was twelve years old, my father picked up a hitchhiker. My two brothers were sitting with me in the back seat of our Plymouth Voyager van... The hitchhiker looked sixteen or seventeen, a tall Scandinavian wearing blue jeans with big holes in the knees. It was thirty-five degrees out. He ducked his head and climbed into the van with us, and then my dad drove on. The ensuing conversation, which I will never forget, went something like this: "These are my kids, Andrea, Ben, and Nate. My name's Sam. What's your name?" "Donovan," the hitchhiker said. "Oh, that's a good name." My father paused. "Have you ever heard of Amy Carmichael?" "Um, no..." "She was a Christian missionary to India who worked to save young girls from sex trade enslavement. The place where she worked was called Dohnavur, which is kind of close to your name, Donovan. So you have a good name, a name with Christian purpose." "Oh." In the hitchhiker's long pause that followed, I remember thinking, My father is out of his mind, preying on this young hitchhiker who wanted a ride and instead got a church sermon on Christian missionary history. I felt embarrassed in the same way I did when my dad prayed over our food in a restaurant and the waiter brought the ketchup while he was still praying. Donovan rode with us for several miles until we reached the cut-off road to our house. After pulling the van onto the shoulder to let him out, my dad turned to my older brother, who was about the same size as the hitchhiker, and said, "Ben, why don't you give Donovan your jeans. It's cold out."   Proverbial Christian wisdom says you give away the coat off your back, not the pants off your backside. In the back seat of the van, Ben took off his pants and gave them to the hitchhiker while my little brother and I looked sideways at each other. Proverbial Christian wisdom says you give away the coat off your back, not the pants off your backside. In exchange for my brother's jeans, the hitchhiker handed over his own — the jeans with big holes in the knees — and my brother wrestled them on. Then Donovan got out. He was headed farther north toward Canada. I watched from the back seat as he diminished into the distance, a tall, lean figure standing on the side of a long winter road. These years later, I remember the whole exchange as a small act of goodness. My father, the funny priest, blessed a hitchhiker not with holy water but with jeans. I can see this only in retrospect, though. Then, in my early teens, my mom and dad seemed painfully Christian and parental... [Now, I]  remember my father saying in so many words to a hitchhiker, "Your name means something. Your life means something too."   ...   Question from Zondervan Blog: Has a stranger ever surprised you with a "blue jeans" kind of blessing? - Adam Forrest, Zondervan   About Andrea Palpant Dilley Andrea Palpant Dilley grew up in Kenya as the daughter of Quaker missionaries and spent the rest of her childhood in the Pacific Northwest. Her work as a writer has appeared in Rock and Sling, Geez, and Utne Reader, as well as the anthology Jesus Girls: True Tales of Growing Up Female and Evangelical. Her work as a documentary producer has aired nationally on American Public Television. She lives with her husband and daughter in Austin, Texas. Synopsis of Faith and Other Flat Tires: A story of crisis and redemption for anyone who's ever struggled with spiritual doubt, Faith and Other Flat Tires presents the moving story of a former missionary kid whose "mean questions about God" lead her to abandon her faith and search for a way to believe again. Learn More (This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's opinions are their own, and are shared for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

The Scoop on 3 Zondervan Books in Christianity Today's 2012 Book Awards Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:10 AM PST   Christianity Today recently whittled down a list of 390 book submissions to a select few of 2012 Book Award winners & notables, books which "offer insights into the people, events, and ideas that shape evangelical life, thought, and mission." Three of their book selections are by Zondervan authors.  Below you can discover more about the award-winning authors and their books. Read the interviews to discover the authors' thoughts on topics that include: How to trade in resentment for gratitude (See the Ann Voskamp interview ) Why maps that portray the spread of Christianity usually get it all wrong (See the Irving Hexham interview) An uncommon-yet-crucial conviction about God's Word (See the Michael Horton interview) The three Christianity Today 2012 Book Award honorees from Zondervan: 1. Spirituality, Award of Merit One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully, Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp (@annvoskamp) "Christ Himself  instituted the act of thanksgiving as central to what it means to be a Christ-follower — to take and give thanks, and to do so in remembrance of Him... Gratitude truly is the gravity of the Christ-centered life." -From Voskamp's interview with author Jason C. Dukes. Read Excerpt  Learn More 2. Missions / Global Affairs, Award of Merit Understanding World Religions: An Interdisciplinary Approach by Irving Hexham (@irvinghexham) "We are now living in a new era which is far more like the situation faced by the first Christians than anything the majority of Christians have seen for around a thousand years [since]... In this situation it is essential for Christians to understand other religious traditions, their histories, and beliefs." -From Hexham's interview on the LifeWay blog. Read Excerpt  Learn more 3. Theology / Ethics Award Winner The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way by Michael Horton (Follow @whitehorseinn) "Theology fuels mission. And I believe that Reformed theology — not just the "five points," but its broader confession — is the richest, deepest, and most faithful account of the whole teaching of Scripture. Of course, that case has to be made and not just asserted; hence, the size of the book!*" -From Horton's interview with The Gospel Coalition. Read Excerpt   Learn More *In case you're wondering, The Christian Faith is 1,056 pages long and weighs five times as much as your average hardcover. It weighs just over four pounds. Those are three of Christianity Today's recent favorite books.   What are yours?   - Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team   (This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives; the writer's opinions are his own, and are only intended for information purposes. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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