I always like to know a little something about an author before I sit down and open up his or her book. Today I’m excited to share about Gloria Furman’s newest book, Alive in Him: How Being Embraced by the Love of Christ Changes Everything. In this book, Gloria helps us understand and delight in the message of Ephesians. Alive in Him releases this Friday, March 31. At the end of this post, there’s a video of Gloria sharing about the book. Don’t miss it—her excitement is contagious and will make you excited to dig in and savor all Ephesians has to offer!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born at a young age . . . then during my freshman year of university, because of his great love (even while I was still his enemy) God made me alive together with Christ. My husband, Dave, is a pastor, and we have four fun kids. We’ve lived in the Middle East since 2008, and we consider it our greatest privilege to serve the growing church in this region. I have also made it my quest to discover (and eat) the world’s best nachos.
When did you first start writing? What do you enjoy about it? Somewhere in my parents’ attic is a box of journals I wrote when I was a little girl. I was a technical writing major in college, and in seminary my writing became focused on developing discipleship resources. I enjoy how the writing process helps me process my thoughts.
Is writing ever difficult for you? How so?
Certainly—I’ve noticed that when my reading suffers then my writing suffers.
What led you to write Alive in Him? 
It all started when I read some publications on Ephesians 1:8-10, and over two years later I was still submerged in Paul’s letter. Every word is enchanting. All of that reading turned into listening, memorizing, and writing about Ephesians.
What’s the central message you hope readers will take away from your book?
That being embraced the love of Christ changes everything—including the way we view ourselves as part of God’s plan for the fulness of time to unite all things in Christ. I wrote Alive in Him to serve as scuba gear to help others dive deep into Ephesians and explore its enormous theme and all the implications Paul spells out for us.
How has writing this book affected your own life and made you think or act differently about your topic?
I’m grateful to God for the mind-renewing that he is working in me through his Spirit. “Learning Christ” (as Paul puts it uniquely in Ephesians) is something I want to actively pursue every day of my life, and the process of writing this book has served me greatly in this regard.
For a sneak peak, here are some quotes from Alive in Him:
“Spiritual blessings” sound fake, like a warranty for an appliance that expires the moment you open the package and use the machine. That warranty was never meant to benefit you, the consumer. But God’s blessings are utterly real.”
“When we reject or ignore the mystery God has made known (Christ as the focal point of all things), we are out of step with God’s purposes for the cosmos. Centered on ourselves, we are cosmic renegades. Centered on Christ, we are utterly authentic in the most genuine sense of the word.”
“Everything we apprehend about ourselves and the world around us must be interpreted in light of the one, permanent, all-encompassing reality: Jesus is infallibly putting the cosmos back together.”
A few endorsements for Alive in Him:
“Paul’s definitive declaration on church life is found in the book of Ephesians—life through, from, in, with, for, and under the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of sinners, the Redeemer, risen, reigning, and returning, now and henceforth forever, by the Father’s appointment, Lord of all. The whole of this comes into focus in Gloria Furman’s applicatory overview of Ephesians, which I enthusiastically commend as vitamin-packed nourishment for Christians everywhere.” J. I. Packer, Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology, Regent College
“Some expositions are careful, line-by-line, evenhanded explanations of the biblical text. This exposition is exuberant, irrepressible, and intoxicating. Its strength is that its author, Gloria Furman, has tasted for herself the bliss of being loved by God, and she wants her readers to drink deeply from the same fountain.” D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; Cofounder, The Gospel Coalition
“Ephesians 4 tells us, ‘He gave some as teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.’ I am deeply grateful that God gave Gloria Furman to the church. Because geography separates us, I can count on one hand the number of times I have gotten to sit under her teaching in person. Each time I was mesmerized, thoughts whirling, unable to write fast enough. Each time I was challenged, edified, and humbled. This book yielded the same result. Alive in Him is a precious chance to sit at Gloria’s feet and hear Ephesians expounded with grace and clarity. Get your pen ready.” Jen Wilkin, author, Women of the Word; Bible study teacher
You can hear Gloria tell us a little about the book in her own words:
[vimeo 200262005 w=640 h=338]
You Have Been Raised Up with Christ from Crossway on Vimeo.
If you had an afternoon to do whatever you’d like, where would we find you?
I’m painfully extroverted and enamored with dark roast coffee—you’d probably find me with friends at the coffee shop down the street.
Gloria Furman (MACE, Dallas Theological Seminary) is a wife, mother of four, cross-cultural worker, and writer. In 2008 her family moved to the Middle East to plant Redeemer Church of Dubai where her husband, Dave, serves as the pastor.
