Winsome. Honest.  Faithful.  Those are the words that come immediately to mind when I think of the writing of John Koessler.  He writes with engaging charm, with frank honesty about the rough texture of life, and with a grounded faith that will not be moved. It's why I publish anything I can by him in Christianity Today.  It's why you should read everything he writes, starting here.  --Mark Galli, editor, Christianity Today.

When you experience disappointment with people, you're human. You reach a different level when you become disappointed with yourself. But when you become disappointed with God, you've arrived at the place where grace can mend a broken heart. This is a book for anyone who has been hurt, let down, and bruised. It's for all of us.--Chris Fabry Host of Chris Fabry Live! and author of Borders of the Heart

The Surprising Grace... marks yet another fresh insight from the pen of John Koessler. Tackling a universal and thorny struggle nearly everyone faces, Koessler comes at it with his remarkable ability to put the theological cookies on the lower shelf where laypeople like me can reach them. And they taste good.--Jerry B. Jenkins, Novelist & Biographer

All of us as Christians have been disappointed by Jesus; yes, we all have to admit He has often not answered our prayers according to our liking; He has not healed the sick or given us the opportunities we had hoped for. But yes, in this book we learn that disappointments are also surprising marks of "Grace." Even as Jesus displayed in the New Testament, our disappointments are His appointments to lead us to deeper relationship with Him.  Read this book and be encouraged, then pass it along to someone who even needs it more than you did!--Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Senior Pastor, The Moody Church

"Here is a strong antidote for glib, shallow Christianity, and a helpful guide for those on the lifelong quest to understand how the Bible and life align."--Craig Brian Larson

Pastor, Lake Shore Assembly of God, Chicago

In the tradition of Philip Yancey's singular book, Disappointment with God, John Koessler's layered approach to a haunting subject reaches a variety of readers. He stirs long-resigned Christians by surprising them with unsentimental yet poignant takes on familiar truths.  He prods the cynical with hard-hitting, unsparing honesty, and his fresh, thoughtful interpretations of biblical narratives instruct the layperson while inspiring teachers and pastors to look at scripture more creatively.

It is rare to find theological truth delivered in literate prose, a consistent mark of Koessler's writing. His gifts of insight and respect for language, combined with engaging personal stories and a broad range of allusions to other writers and theologians, make this book stand out among its peers.--Dr. Rosalie de Rosset, Professor of Communications and Literature

Moody Bible Institute

The Surprising Grace of Disappointment is both challenging and comforting in its honest and biblical interaction with the various ways in which God disappoints his people. Dr. John Koessler helps us to see the danger of our own agendas and expectations when we are not rooted in the sovereign purpose and plan of the God who knows and loves his people. This is a book that will steer the reader away from a demanding presumption and toward an expectant faith that really believes that God's ways are not our ways, and that this is a good thing. His ways are better.

Joe Thorn

Author, Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself; Lead Pastor, Redeemer Fellowship (St. Charles, IL)