Reading the Bible with the Damned

Bob Ekblad is a fascinating guy. He is highly educated and comes across as somewhat nerdy, yet spent years living among and ministering to camposinos (rural farm workers) in Honduras. Nowadays he and his family live in Burlington, WA where he ministers to migrant farm workers and is the chapain of the Skagit County Jail.

My wife met his wife when they attended the Stillaguamish Valley School together (it's a school for home-schoolers!) and learned about the Ekblad's ministry, Terra Nueva.

I used to read Bob's journal entries on their website. Eventually these became the basis of a fantastic book entitled Reading the Bible with the Damned.

I've been inspired, encouraged and educated by Bob, particularly as it relates to jail ministry. My wife and I seriously considered becoming a part of his church and ministry but we felt the distance from where we live was too great to allow us to be actively involved in their community. Instead, we've tried to incorporate into our own ministry some of what we've gleaned from his writings.

You can read an excerpt from his book here. The chapter is entitled "The Good Coyote".