A nice telling of four prominent Bible stories and how they may be reflected in our lives today. ( )

The theme of building bridges has been central for us, as Friends, since we began sitting silently to hear the promptings of the Inner Teacher who transcends the temporal and teaches us directly. Following leadings given by the Spirit, many have worked to bridge chasms between people in the name of social justice. There is much to learn from the ancient people in the Bible who were also called to cross the barriers that separated groups of people and that separated humans from God. The stories explored in this pamphlet are Moses leading the people to the Promised Land, Isaiah being called as a prophet, Jonah ministering to the people of Nineveh, and the woman with an issue of blood seeking healing from Jesus.

O'Sullivan retells four Bible stories of people responding to God's call, relating them to perennial and contemporary experiences and awarenesses, of racism and oppression, terror, helplessness, lostness, depression, shame, and trauma. In a personal and rather folksy and rambling style (this originated as talks for Bible study at Iowa Yearly Meeting-Conservative), she draws illustrations and lessons for us about finding the faith, hope, courage, openness, and willingness to change, so that we can accept God's call. In this openness and acceptance, we are transformed by God's love, forgiveness, and power. We can be healed, we can do God's work, we can be blessed with greater faith and love. They are good stories. ( )

A Quaker view of the stories of Israelites and the promised land, the call of Isaiah, Jonah and the forgiveness, and the woman with the issue of blood.