I am especially happy today, because I have just finished my first pass at the third novel in the This Generation Series, Penance! Michael and crew have a lot to see and experience before their storylines end. This novel is grittier than the first two, but then again times are tough for our characters. They have to deal with the loss of family and friends at the end of Pentecost, and they have to forge new relationships in order to survive in a world gone mad. Rest assured, though, this book is both exciting and really fun to read. I’m burning to tell you more, but I don’t want to spoil any of the surprises!

There’s still a lot of work to be done before you see Penance on Amazon. The manuscript in the photo is the first draft. Now I will go back to add some color (i.e., better descriptions of the scenery, clothing, etc.). I’ll also plug up any plot holes and streamline when the storyline doesn’t move quickly enough. I will be diligent, so the book should be in my publisher’s hands before you know it.

With some hard work on my part, 2016 should also see the release of my first nonfiction book: The Challenge, Finding Jesus in a Post-Christian Society. The backstory for the creation of this book is interesting. First of all, for any readers who are intrigued by Father Chris in the series, let me assure you that handsome, athletic, stalwart men of God exist, and some of them have chosen the priesthood. I’m not saying Father Chris is based on any one person in particular, but I have a friend who is a dynamic young priest, and some of the inspiration for the Chris character may have come from him.

This young priest has been assigned to his first parish not far from my publisher, so when visiting my publisher in the Fall of 2014, I took advantage of the time to check out his new parish and take him to dinner. That’s when he floored me with a challenge that got the wheels turning in my head. Basically, he said that the novels were fun, but he would love to see a 150-to-200-page book explaining the theology embedded in the This Generation Series. There is a slight possibility this young priest is delusional because he thinks my life displays grace and a love of Christ that is compelling, and he wants me to write about it. That’s when the idea for The Challenge was born.

The basic premise of The Challenge is to show evidence that the Bible is not some dusty old tome detailing ancient beliefs. Throughout the book, I highlight some very interesting facts hinting that the Bible’s origin is beyond the four-dimensional space we can perceive. For example, Jesus fulfilled 300 very specific prophecies of Messiah, all documented to have been written hundreds of years prior to His birth. In The Challenge, I walk through a statistical analysis showing that the odds are better for a person to find one particular atom in all the universe than for one man by chance to meet the demands of these prophecies. So where did these prophecies come from? Outside time and space as we know it? Were they advanced knowledge communicated from being of outside time and space?

The point is that The Challenge takes a hard look at items we were previously told to “take on faith” only to find that modern science is creeping closer and closer to a vision of multi-dimensional reality already found in the Bible.

Here’s another question I explore. The Old Testament has some obscure references to people and places. For instance, when Israel sent scouts to Jericho before waging war, the scouts were kept from harm by the town’s lady of the evening. It is a totally incongruent narrative to include in the midst of a story of conquest. What we find, however, is that this woman married one of the Israelites and bore a son who is listed in Jesus’ genealogy over a thousand years later. This is one example of some pretty interesting evidence that God chose and molded the DNA into which He would incarnate!

These are just a couple examples. Throughout The Challenge, I stop for “Fringe Moments” to explore some of the crazy, hyper-dimensional implications of the Bible, generally not covered in a typical book about Scripture. The book is witty, fun, and enlightening … it will present the Bible in a new way that will make you think!

Unfortunately The Challenge isn’t ready to publish yet. I forgot to mention this young priest used to play sports professionally. He is accustomed to honing a skill to a fine level of precision and performing at a high standard. Consequently, his review notes on The Challenge are as thorough (and tough) as any professional editor’s. So with a little patience and a total re-write, The Challenge will be even better … and I have the sneaking suspicion the revised manuscript will sail through my publisher’s editors.

So, whazup 2016? Two books, that’s what! Keep your eyes peeled for more updates. It should be a prolific year for TC Joseph. (Note to self: Remember to schedule some vacation time in 2016. You’ll need it.)

Check out Precipice at http://amzn.to/1CQOgpT and Pentecost at http://bitly.com/1G3D3SD.