From the Publisher
"Greg Paul tells of whores and crazies, misfits and rejects
that sound as if they stepped out from the pages of the
Bible." -Eugene Peterson
Sam has survived physical, sexual, and substance abuse, terrible
violence, and life on the streets. Wendy lives for the next high on
crack, oblivious to her boyfriend's love. Neil is dying of AIDS.
These are the people of inner-city Toronto. Look into their
distorted, obscure faces, their fractured lives, and catch a
glimpse of the sublime. Greg Paul calls them tragic
heroes-individuals who can offer a testament to God's love and
mercy.
With emotional depth and spiritual intensity, Greg's compelling
stories reveal that people with desperate lives have precious
lessons to teach us about the character of God. God in the
Alley offers a profound message of grace and calling that each
one of us needs to hear.
"The experience of reading this book haunts, convicts, delights.
But one thing is for sure: you don't want to miss it."
-Mark Buchanan, author of The Holy Wild: Trusting God in
Everything
"Greg Paul writes beautifully and welcomes us into the life he
lives.… I am grateful to have read this book."
-David Wilcox, musician, songwriter, and storyteller
"I dare you to read this book at more than one sitting. Each page
is a seat belt that straps you in and the turning of the page pulls
the straps tighter. When the ride is over, you'll want to start
again."
-Leonard Sweet, author of numerous books including Soul
Tsunami
From the Jacket
"Greg Paul tells of whores and crazies, misfits and rejects that
sound as if they stepped out from the pages of the Bible. The only
difference is that he finds them on the streets of Toronto, instead
of the Jericho Road and at the Samaritan Well. But they continue to
be Jesus stories, every one-honest, accurate Jesus stories of which
he gets to be a part."
-Eugene Peterson, professor emeritus of spiritual theology, Regent
College, and author of numerous books
"I dare you. No, I double dare you to read this book at more than
one sitting. Each page is a seat belt that straps you in, and
turning of the page pulls the straps tighter. When the ride is
over, you'll want to start again."
-Leonard Sweet, author of numerous books including Out of the
Question...Into the Mystery
"Through Greg Paul's eyes, we're surprised to see Jesus here and
now-alive and right in front of us. He doesn't preach at them: 'I
have learned too well the bitter emptiness of chirpy gospel-talk to
ones so deeply wounded.' Instead, he listens to them. He shows up
and gets to know them. He sets aside his plans enough so that God
has space to act. And Jesus moves in Greg's heart and in his
actions. And now in his writing, that light also shines. I am
grateful to have read this book."
-David Wilcox, musician, songwriter, and storyteller
"Greg Paul has been my guide on several encounters with the street
people of Toronto. To him they are not 'the homeless,' but rather
his friends; he knows them by name, is familiar with their stories,
and treats them with a mixture of respect, sensitivity, and
concern. I think the reader of this moving narrative of Greg's work
at Sanctuary will be hard pressed to decide whether he finds God in
the back alleys of Toronto, or takes God in there with him."
-Hon. Hilary M. Weston, former lieutenant governor of Ontario
(1997-2002)
"With the writing of this book, Greg has not only told his story
and the story of those who live on the periphery but he has called
us, his readers, to come to grips with our own prejudices and
brokenness and to understand what it means to follow a suffering
Savior."
-Dr. Rod Wilson, president of Regent College, Vancouver, British
Columbia
"A riveting book. From the first story in this book, you are drawn
in to a world that Jesus walks in and through."
-Marsha Marks, author of If I Ignore It, It Will Go Away…and
Other Lies I Thought Were True
"We should have known better: all our elaborate and contrived
efforts to discover Jesus in our midst, and all the while the
kingdom has been among us, though hidden beneath its tumbledown
exterior. What's more, the king himself is here, only wearing the
disguise of the least of these. With candor, humor, and love, Greg
Paul tells his tales of urchins and vagabonds, street walkers and
panhandlers, and in doing so pulls scales from our eyes to reveal
Christ for us, with us, in us, through us. The experience of
reading this book haunts, convicts, delights. But one thing is for
sure: you don't want to miss it."
-Mark Buchanan, author of The Holy Wild: Trusting God in
Everything
"Greg Paul has found the courage-and the calling-to walk as
Jesus walked among the disillusioned, the downtrodden, and the
discouraged. Read God in the Alley and you will be
encouraged to look for lonely people where you live."
-Angela Hunt, author of The Debt
"Profound yet simply and poetically written, God in the
Alley is engaging, inspiring, demanding, and so needed. Greg
Paul writes with a poetic eye for detail and a deep love and
affection for those whose lives have intersected with his.
Detailing his own journey in learning to live a life of compassion
and grace he inspires and invites us all to join him in the journey
of living the life of Christ, every day, and every hour of our own
lives."
-Devlin Donaldson, author of Pinocchio Nation
About the Author
Greg Paul is the founder and director of Sanctuary
Ministries of Toronto and the pastor of the Sanctuary community. A
former carpenter, Greg's twenty-five years in inner-city ministry
began with Red Rain, a band that planted the seed for Sanctuary in
the mid-1980s. Lead vocalist and keyboardist, Greg still performs
with Red Rain in bars, universities, jails, and other venues.