A Portrait of Jesus

Girzone captures Christ's persona. I found myself asking lots of questions of who I thought Christ was--and found Girzone answering them in a way I never expected. Shedding light on Christ's humanity and well as his divinity by shedding insight to his story, as found in the Gospel, Girzone creates a vivid picture of a truely caring man who relished his role as counselor, teacher, healer, friend and savior.If you want to know Jesus better and more personally, read this book. Have a Bible near by, you may wish to look up stories as Girzone mentions them. I know it was worth my time and effort and I highly recommend this book.

Father Joe's humble yet captivating book made it clear to me why God loves us: he created us in His image, he made us capable of great love and He would do anything to keep us close. In "A Portrait of Jesus", Fr. Girzone provided me with a three-dimensional Christ who enjoyed being human, who celebrated it, loved his human family and companions and was not ashamed to live among us. Never before did I understand how God could live with us and yet be misunderstood by man; in "Portrait", Jesus is an ordinary, blue-collar guy, quietly living his life until the Father calls him to his ministry. He is so peaceful about his place in the human world that everyone, including society's outcasts, finds his company fascinating. Written in ordinary language, this profound little book made me joyful that I, too, am human, and according to Jesus' life, death and resurrection, worth saving and renewing, every day. Too much religion focuses on shame, unworthiness and our failures to be what God expects. Fr. Joe helps communicate that it is Jesus who makes us worthy, and religion should be a human framework to support our spiritual lives with Him.In returning to church after decades of abscence, books like this one help keep my spirit united with God, despite all the human difficulties of working within a church organization. Thank you, Joseph Girzone! Long may you write!

I was thrilled with the book A Portrait of Jesus. There have been so many authors that have tried to paint an acurate and readable description of what Jesus might have been like but few have given Him the justice that Girzone does in this book. This book delves into every facet of written scripture to bring out the subtle, as well as the obvious, acts of perpetual love that exuded Jesus's every being. More than a reminiscing of the well known tails of Jesus, this book reaches behind the words and actions to what each encounter must have ment to the lives that were touched by Jesus. Beautifuly written,deep, accurate, and refreshingly simple this book overwhelmed my heart and taught me to look at Jesus's life, and what he was trying to accomplish as a whole, in a new and peaceful light. I highly reccomend it to anyone, Christian or not.

Joseph Girzone writes this portrait of Jesus with a knowledge of the person of Jesus. He walks the talk. Because he knows Jesus personnally, Joseph Girzone can make a difference in his writings. This is not an intellectual account of Jesus, it is not fiction, it is a walk with Our Lord, his friendship with Jesus. This book does have an historical slant, you have to read in between the lines to discover Joseph Girzone's inner life with Jesus. This inner life is instilled in all of Joseph Girzones books but his first book Joshua is still my personal favorite. At last someone writes about the person of Jesus in an intimate, simple way. So simple that you have a hard time believing that this is why Jesus came on earth. Like the famous song from the movie Alfie, Is That All There Is?. I have heard the saying the hardest action to take is to see with the heart and not with the head. Joseph Girzone has a wonderful way of writing to make this happen. He does not force us to believe in his Jesus. This is not his way, nor is it Jesus' way, he simply and beautifully brings Jesus alive in his writings. I have personally read many many books on the theology of Jesus but Joseph Girzone's books have taken the log out of my own eyes and left me with a more open heart to try to live my life more fully. To walk the path of the Gospel in a more straight forward way.

This small simple book, shows a humble and casual saviour that undertstands human weakness, it also shows that the church has failed in showing grace to sinners, I cried several times throughout reading this book as I realised how much Jesus not only wants to be my friend, but this in spite of my many failings. I am not a catholic, and before reading this I would have thought that Protestant churches were not religious and catholic churches are, both these statements are wrong. Jesus is purely interested in the individual, he accepts us as we are, Girzones simple style makes this easy to read, this book is both simple and profound at the same time, just as Jesus himself is the greatest glory, God himself and and also a humble man all in one. This books shows how Christ treated people and by reading it, the reader can see how the church has fallen way short of what Christ actually taught. "Compassion not sacrifice" Jesus said to the Pharisees to go and learn what that scripture means, that scripture is as relevant today to all denominations, A Portrait of Jesus is a great start.......