Coffee with Jesus - by David Wilkie (Paperback)

About the Book

Thousands of people start each day with a shot of Coffee with Jesus, the enormously popular online comic strip. Irreverent at times, yet always insightful, this volume features classic entries and all new, exclusive material, twelve-panel megastrips and "behind the strip" reflections on life, faith and art.

Book Synopsis

One of Library Journal's Best Books

Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist

Midwest Publishing Association Honorable Mention

Thousands of people start each day with a shot of Coffee with Jesus, the enormously popular online comic strip. Irreverent at times, yet always insightful, this volume features classic entries and all new, exclusive material that was born out of artist David Wilkie's frustration with the polarized political climate in America.

"Originally created as a one-off, single-panel comic on my blog, utilizing old advertising clip art for the main characters and Sunday school clip art for the person of Jesus, I simply enjoyed the notion of Jesus appearing at table with these people (dressed as they were and sharing coffee with them) to refute their claims of how he might vote on any particular issue, to convince them that they cannot confuse their flag with their God--to set them straight, as it were," explains Wilkie.

But it didn't stop here. Soon the Jesus of Coffee with Jesus could be seen offering counsel to a recurring cast of characters on their personal and work lives. The characters--Carl, Lisa, Ann, Kevin and Joe--all honestly engage with Jesus about their successes and failures and wants and needs, effectively showing what conversation with God--or prayer--might look like.

Poignant, pointed, and rife with good theology, Coffee with Jesus is organized around six themes: getting to know Jesus, spiritual disciplines, relationships, culture, church, and the challenges of life. With exclusive material like twelve-panel mega-strips and "behind the strip" reflections on life, faith and art, Wilkie inventively poses answers to the perpetual Christian speculation, "What would Jesus do?"

Review Quotes

"David Wilkie accomplishes in a four-panel comic strip what preachers try to achieve in a 45-minute sermon--making one solid point that delivers a spiritual truth. Wilkie's popular Coffee with Jesus strip invites the reader to eavesdrop on conversations between Jesus and a diverse cast of characters as they discuss everyday topics including relationships, culture, and church. Worship leaders will gain insight into the types of questions and issues real-life people struggle with daily."

--Jeff Friend, Worship Leader Magazine, January/February 2014

"David Wilkie accomplishes in a four-panel comic strip what preachers try to achieve in a 45-minute sermon-making one solid point that delivers a spiritual truth. Wilkie's popular Coffee with Jesus strip invites the reader to eavesdrop on conversations between Jesus and a diverse cast of characters as they discuss everyday topics including relationships, culture, and church. Worship leaders will gain insight into the types of questions and issues real-life people struggle with daily."

"I remember when the 'What Would Jesus Do?' tsunami almost completely engulfed all of us who worked with teenagers. Suddenly, we felt compelled to provide an answer to that impossible question. Problem was: most of us didn't really have a clue what Jesus would do, really. And any honest reading of the Gospels reveals that his disciples didn't know what Jesus would do either. Coffee with Jesus steps into that same tension, responding with plucky, snarky and occasionally awkward honesty. We don't really know the full answer to 'What Would Jesus Say?' But I'd sure like it to be close to the Jesus in these panels."

"I remember when the 'What Would Jesus Do?' tsunami almost completely engulfed all of us who worked with teenagers. Suddenly, we felt compelled to provide an answer to that impossible question. Problem was: most of us didn't really have a clue what Jesus would do, really. And any honest reading of the Gospels reveals that his disciples didn't know what Jesus would do either. Coffee with Jesus steps into that same tension, responding with plucky, snarky and occasionally awkward honesty. We don't really know the full answer to 'What Would Jesus Say?' But I'd sure like it to be close to the Jesus in these panels."

--Mark Oestreicher, partner, The Youth Cartel

"Irreverent yet insightful."

"Irreverent yet insightful."

--Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter, December 9, 2013

"It's a comic strip, so it's funny, right? Yes, of course. But it's also poignant, and pointed. And rife with good theology. So read it for a laugh, but be prepared to be challenged as well. Jesus probably has something to say to you too."

"Organized around six themes, the comic strips in this devotional feature a recurring cast of characters who honestly engage with Jesus about their lives, effectively showing what conversation with God--or prayer--might look like. . . . Recommend Coffee With Jesus to youth and young adults."

--CBA Retailers + Resources, December 2013

"Organized around six themes, the comic strips in this devotional feature a recurring cast of characters who honestly engage with Jesus about their lives, effectively showing what conversation with God-or prayer-might look like. . . . Recommend Coffee With Jesus to youth and young adults."

"The cheeky, online comic strip that has gained a cult audience of 40,000-plus followers in less than three years is now ready to burst upon the world as a giftable, brightly hued coffee-table book. . . . The wit is barbed, theology surprisingly relevant, and the overall effect highly addictive."

"The cheeky, online comic strip that has gained a cult audience of 40,000-plus followers in less than three years is now ready to burst upon the world as a giftable, brightly hued coffee-table book. . . . The wit is barbed, theology surprisingly relevant, and the overall effect highly addictive."

--John Muraski, Religion News Service, December 2013

"The heart is the comic collection and its humor, at once gentle and barbed and more thought-provoking than many a sermon. Buy this for a Christmas gift, to be read over a cup of strong joe."

"The heart is the comic collection and its humor, at once gentle and barbed and more thought-provoking than many a sermon. Buy this for a Christmas gift, to be read over a cup of strong joe."

--Publishers Weekly, November 11, 2013

"This collection of strip cartoons, originally seen online, uses the simplest means--clip art--to the richest ends: disarmingly funny reflections on human failings and faith, featuring stock characters in conversation with an amusing and amused Jesus. Revelatory."

--Library Journal's Best Books 2013, December 2013

"This collection of strip cartoons, originally seen online, uses the simplest means-clip art-to the richest ends: disarmingly funny reflections on human failings and faith, featuring stock characters in conversation with an amusing and amused Jesus. Revelatory."

"We can all wish that the author is right and that Jesus was as funny as this; Wilkie's book deserves a place on the shelf of every pastor."

"We can all wish that the author is right and that Jesus was as funny as this; Wilkie's book deserves a place on the shelf of every pastor."

--Library Journal, November 15, 2013

"We have much to be thankful for in Wilkie's creative work here, and the ways in which it ever so gently prods us toward a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow him in our times."

"We have much to be thankful for in Wilkie's creative work here, and the ways in which it ever so gently prods us toward a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow him in our times."

--Chris Smith, Englewood Review of Books, Advent 2013

About the Author

David J. Wilkie is the cofounder of Radio Free Babylon, a consortium of artists, writers and other cultural creatives.