Dinner with a Perfect Stranger

Dinner With a Perfect Stranger is an interesting book of fiction about a man invited to dinner by Jesus. The man sceptical that his friends are playing a joke on him he goes along with the idea and a long dinner conversation ensues. The man questions Jesus but more so Jesus questions the man. The banter is what most Christians believe verses what Jesus says is real. It's a short book and a quick read but it prompts some thought. I believe one of the struggles that permeates the conversation is that man believes that he has to do good to earn his way to heaven. Jesus states throughout that you can not earns Gods grace no matter how hard you try. Rather it is free for those that accept it. Not the greatest piece of literature but the idea show more of being able to talk to Jesus and what he would say is in itself interesting. show less

What a fast quick introduction in Chrristianity? Try this book. It's only 100 pages so it doesn't get too philosophical but just enough to make you think - what would you do and say if you had dinner with Jesus? It reminded me that God is there waiting for us.

I had won my copy of Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory in a giveaway on GoodReads.com.

The title and premise of the book intrigued me. I do so love reading novels about religion, religious history, and the like. I picked up the book to glance through it and commenced reading; the book being only 100 pages did not take me long to finish.

When Nick first received his invite to have dinner with Jesus, he was certain it was a joke being played on him by his office buddies. But when Nick shows up to dinner the night unfolds into something he did not expect.

I enjoyed the way the chapters where laid out; the events unfolding from receiving the invitation to being seated, glancing at the menu, appetizers, etc… all the way through show more to getting the bill and going home.

Although in the beginning Nick treats the dinner as a test to get this “actor” to crack --- “Tell me, can you turn this wine back into water?” He soon finds himself engaged in a conversation the like of which he has not had since his college years.

I liked how some of Nick’s questions were answered with parables, for instance, when Jesus asks Nick if he would give his life in the place of his daughters if she had committed a crime and was sentenced to death to explain Jesus dying for our sins. And although a lot of the questions Nick asked and the answers Jesus gave seemed to me to be the norm; ones I have heard many times before there were others I had not heard. The two touched on many of the other religions, Buddhism, Islam to name two.

As dinner progresses Nick realizes this man who claims to be Jesus knows a great deal about Nick’s life and the possibility that he is telling the truth starts to weigh in on Nick’s mind.

Reading the book as a novel and not as someone trying to preach to me made the book quite enjoyable. Personally, I feel that a lot of people are missing out on some excellent writing due to the fact that they cannot read a “Christian” novel because they are certain they are trying to be converted. show less

This little book isn’t your typical small, quick, superficial read. It’s actually more of the opposite! It may be small but the contents are thought provoking and reflective. For me, it’s a book that I’m going to have to read more than once to digest it all!
Skepticism abounds in the beginning of the book. From thinking the invitation is a joke from his friends to doubting Jesus at the beginning of dinner---“Tell me (Yesh), can you turn this wine back into water?”. Who can blame Nick? It’s not every day you get invited to dinner by Jesus! But by dessert, Nick is trying to decide if this guy is a nut-case, a great actor, or is it possible he’s the real thing?

Obviously Nick has a lot of questions and much doubt about this show more whole thing but he’s not afraid to ask the hard questions. As expected, the answers are not always specific or clear cut. They are meant for the reader to ponder and reflect about their own beliefs and values. On the flip side, sometimes the answers touched upon by Jesus are “lessons” that we need to learn.
Dinner with a Perfect Stranger is a splendid read for a book club or bible group. There are several different sets of study guides for group discussions—discussions for one meeting, 4 meetings, or 8 meetings. For a 100=page book, 8 weeks of discussion shows the inspiration of the book.

I would give this a 5 out of 5 star rating. The story is very well written, easy to read and understand, as well as a way to discover your own beliefs and views. I’m going to give this to a family member who has quite a bit of “alone time” due to his job. I’m not trying to convert someone with the book but just allowing them explore their own principles and convictions. I’m sure we all could use a little of that.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books and have given my honest opinion of this book. show less

Interesting look at Howie's life, by Howie. He struggles wtih some very personal issues but luck/fate/God has shined upon his life and some very great things have fallen into his lap. While being a talented and loving guy he admits to not thinking through the results of his actions fairly often...and he apologizes for the things he feels he should apologize for. I enjoyed the book, a lot.

This book started out with an intriguing premise, that of a conversation with Jesus at a local fairly upscale restaurant. The narrator is a person of lukewarm faith, who has desultorily explored other religions. Jesus in this story takes point about other religions, and attempts to demolish them with clever arguments. This book takes a very evangelical approach to the conversion process, which I found disarming, if not disagreeable. I did manage to finish this relatively short book, which is why it got as a high a rating as it did.

Dinner with A Perfect Stranger was a very quick read that will strengthen your Christian walk. The premise behind the book is that Nick Cominsky gets an invitation to dine with Jesus. At first, he believes it is a practical joke from friends but soon learns that it is not. Nick gets to dine and speak with Jesus and ask many questions he has been having. In the end, the questions that Nick asks are similar to what most of us have had or still wonder about. For me, the book gave a new perspective on many of the topics discussed, including different religions, why we suffer, etc. The book is well written and at least for me helped to strengthen my Christian Faith. I have already purchased the second installment by Gregory, A Day with A show more Perfect Stranger, which focuses on Nick's wife Mattie. I am looking forward to it. show less