Books

THE THIRD HEAVEN: and the unutterable things that can now be told
Jim Strahan: In this book, I will demonstrate how the writings of Moses, John, and Paul, speak to three resurrections, and I will connect them to Paul’s experience when he was caught up to the third heaven. I will also present twenty-one other scriptural references that reveal how this underlying pattern of “threes” spans from Genesis to Revelation.Dr. David Konstan, professor of Classics at NYU following three decades at Brown: You know that what you have to say is important, and you invite your reader to carry on a dialogue. You defend the idea of a third resurrection with due citation of texts, and make a very strong case for it.Boyd Purcell, PHD: I am highly impressed with Jim Strahan’s ability to logically and systematically analyze The Holy Bible in depth, from historical, mathematical, and scientific perspectives. Even if readers do not agree with this author on the three resurrections and the third heaven, they can learn a lot by carefully reading and studying this book, seeing that the Bible is even more symbolic than what they may have ever heard or thought.Michael Riley, Electrical Engineer, and co-author of “Is God Fair? What about Gandhi?”: To the prospective reader, I would like to encourage you to drink deeply from the ideas and arguments in Jim’s book, for you have likely never heard or seen them before–a merging of Scriptures into a belief that today’s Christianity in general, not only does not teach, but likely has never even considered. The number three appears predominantly throughout Scripture. In this amazing book, you will learn of a novel use of this number that explains Paul’s use of the phrase, “each man in his own order.” Intrigued? Well, the answer this book gives is a solid and meaningful explanation of it. And there is more, much more. May you enjoy the exploration.

The Brightness Around Him: A Spiritual Odyssey
During the 1950s, a seven-year-old boy from a church-going family in a Texas suburb has a night-time vision of Jesus. In the morning he tells his parents about it. They immediately call the minister, who visits that very day. Best keep it quiet, the grown-ups all agree. So Jim Strahan nurtured his experience, grew in his faith, and Christian character, but always wondered Why me? What was he supposed to do?
Jim didn't go to seminary or start a TV ministry. He began a study of Scripture and church history focused on the ultimate destinies of humankind--concluding that the predominant beliefs of the day were wrong. What he saw in the pages of Scripture, and in the writings of many church fathers, convinced Jim that God will one day be "all in all."
Part autobiography, part advocacy, The Brightness Around Him is a compelling tale of walking by faith, processing a transformative spiritual experience, and fitting in at churches that don't want to hear about your deepest-held biblical belief. In the end it's about how God's love will one day win it all.
"In The Brightness Around Him, Jim Strahan writes our story like we've never experienced it before. With a clear-headed vision of the all-inclusive love of God, Jim gives us his memoirs of grace, love, and a hope that transcends hardline dogma in favor of a God of irresistible grace. I'm thankful for voices like Jim's that are helping recover a vision of a God who--finally--looks like Jesus."