Scarred Faith: This Is a Story about How Honesty, Grief, a Cursing Toddler, Risk-Taking, Aids, Hope, Brokenness, Doubts, and Memphis

"Sometimes wisdom comes from unexpected places. Joshua Ross has written a book that speaks to the human experience and provides a compassionate answer for all of those who havelost a loved one and, with it, their faith. Weaving together the story of losing his beloved sister with lessons of how that loss challenged his faith as an ordained Christian minister, Ross bravely shares with us his own anger and doubt caused by the failure of his prayers and petitions to save his sister. He then leads us to a deeper exploration of the true Christian journey by recognizing that our emotional scars carry with them the opportunity for grace. Ross was inspired to move his young family to one of the poorest neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee, in order to heal himself and to live out the true social gospel of Jesus of Nazareth. As a mother who lost her own son just four years ago, Scarred Faith assures me that my pain can be used to humbly serve others and, in the process, heal myself. It is a book of simplicity, subtlety, and beauty that needs to be shared with the world." --Gayle S. Rose, Chief Executive Officer, Electronic Vaulting Services--Gayle S. Rose, Chief Executive Officer, Electronic Vaulting Services
"Josh Ross does not write about suffering as an expert, a theologian, or a pastor--though, in some sense, he is all three. Scarred Faith is an honest and raw description of life with God in the dark moments of pain and loss. This is not a book for those who want a Disney Jesus. This is a book for the rest of us, who, day by day, are learning to allow God to draw close to us in the midst of--not in spite of--our doubts, questions, and anxiety. Josh is a witness to the truth that God allows us to take on the strength of that which we overcome. So, read. And be strong in God." --Josh Graves, author of Heaven on Earth and The Feast--Josh Graves, author of Heaven on Earth and The Feast
"If you prefer a domesticated and sanitized faith, DON'T READ THIS BOOK! Josh asks hard questions, deep questions, the kind that people only ask who care as deeply as they hurt. But if you have been wounded and if the pain of the world breaks your heart, READ THIS BOOK! You will find hope and courage, not to remove your scars, but to redeem them." --Rick Atchley, Senior Minister of The Hills Church in Fort Worth, Texas--Rick Atchley, Senior Minister of The Hills Church in Fort Worth, Texas
"This book clung to me for days after I read the first draft. Here Josh Ross walks us into places where God makes no sense to us--and where, on the face of things, He appears to be anything but a good God. The writing style is fresh and creative, but the real genius lies in the way Josh draws the reader up close to raw and inexplicable pain and loss--yet also reveals a way to embrace our pain, rather than to run from it. Ross calls us to be 'scarred with God' because God is willing to redirect overwhelming grief into enormous positive energy. A really helpful read for those of us who suffer--and for those who care." --Lynn Anderson, Hope Network Ministries--Lynn Anderson, Hope Network Ministries
"Reading Scarred Faith reminds us that even when death and painful suffering knock us off the busy sidewalks of life into a dark alley of hopelessness, even when we stop believing that a doorway of beauty will open up for us, God arrives. Josh writes beautifully, and with brutal honesty, about the loss of his sister Jenny and brings us closer to the understanding that God dwells in the allies of grief and loss, and it is here that we can find a peace beyond all understanding. This book will challenge you to really dig deep and ask yourself: what is it again that I truly believe?" --Pam Cope, Touch A Life Foundation--Pam Cope, Touch A Life Foundation
"Scarred Faith is a must read for anyone who wants to go deep with God. Josh Ross has captured the true essence of what it means to walk a life with Christ. Sometimes we celebrate answered prayers and sometimes we don't understand, but in the end Jesus wins. Adventure, heartache, childhood to adulthood, Scarred Faith covers the meaning of growing closer to Christ through everything that we endure and enjoy in life. You will not be able to put this book down." --Tommy Maddox, Super Bowl Champion and Former NFL Quarterback--Tommy Maddox, Super Bowl Champion and Former NFL Quarterback
"If faith always works the way it should for you, if your prayers are always answered, if you're always living in the delight of a spiritual summer, this book may just puzzle you. But if you have battled doubt, if you have agonized over God's apparent silence, if you've felt gusts of winter chilling your spiritual journey--well, this is your book. Ross writes with raw honesty about life's disappointments but also with bold hope about God's future. I look forward to putting it in the hands of many people who are struggling to believe among life's disappointments." --Mike Cope, Director of Ministry Outreach, Pepperdine University, and author of Megan's Secrets--Mike Cope, Director of Ministry Outreach, Pepperdine University, and author of Megan's Secrets
"Every few years, a book comes along that inspires you to reexamine your life and your purpose according to what Christ truly has asked us to do as believers. Scarred Faith is such a book. Joshua Ross writes with beautiful honesty and even humor as he fearlessly dives into a world marred by the ugliness of sin, suffering, grief, and tragedy. Joshua seeks not to answer the question 'Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?' But he instead shows us--from firsthand experience--God's intention that good people use the bad things that have happened to redeem the world around them with the love of Christ. If you were only to read a few books this year besides the Bible, Scarred Faith should be one of them." --Dudley Rutherford, author of God Has an App for That!--Dudley Rutherford, author of God Has an App for That!
"Although Joshua Ross is not a native Memphian, his book Scarred Faith demonstrates that he reflects some of the most precious values for which our city is known, namely, resilience and faith in God. He has embraced ministry in our city with the type of zeal and deep affection that one would possibly only expect from those with longstanding familial and social connections here. It just shows that Joshua Ross is truly one of us--by geography and by spirit." --A.C. Wharton, Jr., Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee--A.C. Wharton, Jr., Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee