Coffee with Jesus

by David Wilkie

Overview

One of Library Journal's Best Books

Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist

Midwest Publishing Association Honorable Mention

Thousands of people start each day with a shot of Coffee with Jesus, the enormously popular online comic strip. Irreverent at times, yet always insightful, this volume features classic entries and all new, exclusive material that was born out of artist David Wilkie's frustration with the polarized political climate in America.

"Originally created as a one-off, single-panel comic on my blog, utilizing old advertising clip art for the main characters and Sunday school clip art for the person of Jesus, I simply enjoyed the notion of Jesus appearing at table with these people (dressed as they were and sharing coffee with them) to refute their claims of how he might vote on any particular issue, to convince them that they cannot confuse their flag with their God—to set them straight, as it were," explains Wilkie.

But it didn't stop here. Soon the Jesus of Coffee with Jesus could be seen offering counsel to a recurring cast of characters on their personal and work lives. The characters—Carl, Lisa, Ann, Kevin and Joe—all honestly engage with Jesus about their successes and failures and wants and needs, effectively showing what conversation with God—or prayer—might look like.

Poignant, pointed, and rife with good theology, Coffee with Jesus is organized around six themes: getting to know Jesus, spiritual disciplines, relationships, culture, church, and the challenges of life. With exclusive material like twelve-panel mega-strips and "behind the strip" reflections on life, faith and art, Wilkie inventively poses answers to the perpetual Christian speculation, "What would Jesus do?"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830836628
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	11/01/2013
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

David Wilkie is the artist behind Coffee with Jesus and cofounder, with his wife, of Radio Free Babylon.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Come See a Man: Getting to Know Jesus
2. Who Sees What Is Done in Secret: Spiritual Disciplines
3. Do to Others: Relationships
4. Sown Among Thorns: Culture
5. This Against You: Church
6. The Rain Came Down: Suffering, Temptation and Comfort

Seasons Special Events

Converstions About Coffee with Jesus

About Radio Free Babylon

What People are Saying About This

David Neff

"Christianity Today, the magazine I edited for twenty-eight years, was not known for its keen sense of humor. That's why Coffee with Jesus is one of my guilty pleasures. I read its sassy Jesus as a refuge from sober Christians and to make up for the smart-aleck gene missing from my DNA."

Mark Oestreicher

"I remember when the 'What Would Jesus Do?' tsunami almost completely engulfed all of us who worked with teenagers. Suddenly, we felt compelled to provide an answer to that impossible question. Problem was: most of us didn't really have a clue what Jesus would do, really. And any honest reading of the Gospels reveals that his disciples didn't know what Jesus would do either. Coffee with Jesus steps into that same tension, responding with plucky, snarky and occasionally awkward honesty. We don't really know the full answer to 'What Would Jesus Say?' But I'd sure like it to be close to the Jesus in these panels."

Jon Acuff

"I loved this book! I never use the phrase 'LOL'—I'm sorry, that's just how I was raised. But this book honestly had me laughing out loud."

Dan Kimball

"If you don't buy this book, you will be cursed. Everything will begin to go horribly wrong. You will gain weight. You will lose your job. Your car will break down and you'll learn you need a new one. Your mutual fund will lose over 50 percent of its value. Please buy this book—for the sake of your children."

Susan Isaacs

"The day I discovered Coffee With Jesus, I felt a little less alone in Christendom. Wilkie's characters demonstrate our worst flaws, and Coffee Jesus skewers them with a wry balance of humor, solid theology and love. This might be the best evangelism tool since Mere Christianity. Perfect for a seeker or someone who's fed up with religiosity but thirsty for Jesus."

Sean Gladding

"Like the first cup of the day, Coffee with Jesus offers a much-needed jolt to our culturally captured versions of Christianity and some beloved sacred cows. Yup—including my own."

Chris Heuertz

"Sometimes I wonder if one of Jesus' love languages is 'hang out'—you know, time together, minus the quality part. In this little collection of pithy, advice-columnesque comic strips, David Wilkie nails this little love language of Jesus. It might be going too far to call these little comic strips modern icons, but they do serve that purpose."

Tony Jones

"It's a comic strip, so it's funny, right? Yes, of course. But it's also poignant, and pointed. And rife with good theology. So read it for a laugh, but be prepared to be challenged as well. Jesus probably has something to say to you too."

Editorial Reviews

11/11/2013
Jesus freaks and coffee freaks can unite over this book-length version of the Internet comic strip. A suit-and-necktie-wearing Jesus whose visage never changes listens to, counsels, rebukes, and tweaks any of five recurring characters who articulate common Christian attitudes and questions (“Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven. Right, J-Man?”)in a four-panel strip. Satan, resembling William Powell in the 1930s Thin Man movies, also shows up for an occasional round of sparring. (“It’s such delicious fun, messing with your silly, sleepy sheep,” he tells Jesus.) The stylized art, drawn from Sunday school and advertising clip art, makes for distinctive iconography. The book is very loosely organized around six themes, from “Getting to Know Jesus” to “Suffering, Temptation and Comfort,” and cartoonist Wilkie adds some exposition. But the heart is the comic collection and its humor, at once gentle and barbed and more thought-provoking than many a sermon. Buy this for a Christmas gift, to be read over a cup of strong joe.(Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"The cheeky, online comic strip that has gained a cult audience of 40,000-plus followers in less than three years is now ready to burst upon the world as a giftable, brightly hued coffee-table book. . . . The wit is barbed, theology surprisingly relevant, and the overall effect highly addictive."

John Muraski

"The day I discovered Coffee With Jesus, I felt a little less alone in Christendom. Wilkie's characters demonstrate our worst flaws, and Coffee Jesus skewers them with a wry balance of humor, solid theology and love. This might be the best evangelism tool since Mere Christianity. Perfect for a seeker or someone who's fed up with religiosity but thirsty for Jesus."

Susan Isaacs

"David Wilkie accomplishes in a four-panel comic strip what preachers try to achieve in a 45-minute sermon—making one solid point that delivers a spiritual truth. Wilkie's popular Coffee with Jesus strip invites the reader to eavesdrop on conversations between Jesus and a diverse cast of characters as they discuss everyday topics including relationships, culture, and church. Worship leaders will gain insight into the types of questions and issues real-life people struggle with daily."

Jeff Friend

"Christianity Today, the magazine I edited for twenty-eight years, was not known for its keen sense of humor. That's why Coffee with Jesus is one of my guilty pleasures. I read its sassy Jesus as a refuge from sober Christians and to make up for the smart-aleck gene missing from my DNA."

David Neff

"Like the first cup of the day, Coffee with Jesus offers a much-needed jolt to our culturally captured versions of Christianity and some beloved sacred cows. Yup—including my own."

Sean Gladding

"If you don't buy this book, you will be cursed. Everything will begin to go horribly wrong. You will gain weight. You will lose your job. Your car will break down and you'll learn you need a new one. Your mutual fund will lose over 50 percent of its value. Please buy this book—for the sake of your children."

Dan Kimball

"Irreverent yet insightful."

Heidi Schlumpf

"Organized around six themes, the comic strips in this devotional feature a recurring cast of characters who honestly engage with Jesus about their lives, effectively showing what conversation with God—or prayer—might look like. . . . Recommend Coffee With Jesus to youth and young adults."

CBA Retailers + Resources

"I remember when the 'What Would Jesus Do?' tsunami almost completely engulfed all of us who worked with teenagers. Suddenly, we felt compelled to provide an answer to that impossible question. Problem was: most of us didn't really have a clue what Jesus would do, really. And any honest reading of the Gospels reveals that his disciples didn't know what Jesus would do either. Coffee with Jesus steps into that same tension, responding with plucky, snarky and occasionally awkward honesty. We don't really know the full answer to 'What Would Jesus Say?' But I'd sure like it to be close to the Jesus in these panels."

Mark Oestreicher

"We have much to be thankful for in Wilkie's creative work here, and the ways in which it ever so gently prods us toward a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow him in our times."

Chris Smith

"It's a comic strip, so it's funny, right? Yes, of course. But it's also poignant, and pointed. And rife with good theology. So read it for a laugh, but be prepared to be challenged as well. Jesus probably has something to say to you too."

Tony Jones

"Sometimes I wonder if one of Jesus' love languages is 'hang out'—you know, time together, minus the quality part. In this little collection of pithy, advice-columnesque comic strips, David Wilkie nails this little love language of Jesus. It might be going too far to call these little comic strips modern icons, but they do serve that purpose."

Chris Heuertz

"I loved this book! I never use the phrase 'LOL'—I'm sorry, that's just how I was raised. But this book honestly had me laughing out loud."

Jon Acuff

"Irreverent yet insightful."

--Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter, December 9, 2013

"Like the first cup of the day, Coffee with Jesus offers a much-needed jolt to our culturally captured versions of Christianity and some beloved sacred cows. Yup--including my own."

--Sean Gladding, author of The Story of God, the Story of Us and Ten

"The cheeky, online comic strip that has gained a cult audience of 40,000-plus followers in less than three years is now ready to burst upon the world as a giftable, brightly hued coffee-table book. . . . The wit is barbed, theology surprisingly relevant, and the overall effect highly addictive."

--John Muraski, Religion News Service, December 2013

"The day I discovered Coffee With Jesus, I felt a little less alone in Christendom. Wilkie's characters demonstrate our worst flaws, and Coffee Jesus skewers them with a wry balance of humor, solid theology and love. This might be the best evangelism tool since Mere Christianity. Perfect for a seeker or someone who's fed up with religiosity but thirsty for Jesus."

--Susan Isaacs, author of Angry Conversations with God

"This collection of strip cartoons, originally seen online, uses the simplest means--clip art--to the richest ends: disarmingly funny reflections on human failings and faith, featuring stock characters in conversation with an amusing and amused Jesus. Revelatory."

--Library Journal's Best Books 2013, December 2013

"We can all wish that the author is right and that Jesus was as funny as this; Wilkie's book deserves a place on the shelf of every pastor."

--Library Journal, November 15, 2013

"We have much to be thankful for in Wilkie's creative work here, and the ways in which it ever so gently prods us toward a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow him in our times."

--Chris Smith, Englewood Review of Books, Advent 2013

"Christianity Today, the magazine I edited for twenty-eight years, was not known for its keen sense of humor. That's why Coffee with Jesus is one of my guilty pleasures. I read its sassy Jesus as a refuge from sober Christians and to make up for the smart-aleck gene missing from my DNA."

--David Neff, former editor in chief, Christianity Today

"David Wilkie accomplishes in a four-panel comic strip what preachers try to achieve in a 45-minute sermon--making one solid point that delivers a spiritual truth. Wilkie's popular Coffee with Jesus strip invites the reader to eavesdrop on conversations between Jesus and a diverse cast of characters as they discuss everyday topics including relationships, culture, and church. Worship leaders will gain insight into the types of questions and issues real-life people struggle with daily."

--Jeff Friend, Worship Leader Magazine, January/February 2014

"I remember when the 'What Would Jesus Do?' tsunami almost completely engulfed all of us who worked with teenagers. Suddenly, we felt compelled to provide an answer to that impossible question. Problem was: most of us didn't really have a clue what Jesus would do, really. And any honest reading of the Gospels reveals that his disciples didn't know what Jesus would do either. Coffee with Jesus steps into that same tension, responding with plucky, snarky and occasionally awkward honesty. We don't really know the full answer to 'What Would Jesus Say?' But I'd sure like it to be close to the Jesus in these panels."

--Mark Oestreicher, partner, The Youth Cartel

"Organized around six themes, the comic strips in this devotional feature a recurring cast of characters who honestly engage with Jesus about their lives, effectively showing what conversation with God--or prayer--might look like. . . . Recommend Coffee With Jesus to youth and young adults."

--CBA Retailers + Resources, December 2013

"The heart is the comic collection and its humor, at once gentle and barbed and more thought-provoking than many a sermon. Buy this for a Christmas gift, to be read over a cup of strong joe."

--Publishers Weekly, November 11, 2013

From the Publisher

★ 11/15/2013
Wilkie, cofounder of radiofreebabylon.com, has done an exceptional thing: presented Christianity without cant. This is a collection of his online "Coffee with Jesus" strip cartoons, illustrated with clip art, which features several stock characters inadvertently revealing their limits and hypocrisy to a surprisingly amusing—and amused—Jesus. VERDICT We can all wish that the author is right and that Jesus was as funny as this; Wilkie's book deserves a place on the shelf of every pastor.

Library Journal