Street Evangelist Pens Book Series on the Life and Faith of John

For author Rolin Bruno, writing a story about the teenage apostle is a calling.

Running Springs CA – WEBWIRE – Friday, September 1, 2017

‘JOHN!’ should appeal to today’s youth who are on fire for Jesus.

Christian writers seem to pay less attention to John and preachers quote less from his literature (except for the Gospel and the Book of Revelation). Little do Christians know there is something about him, the disciple whom Jesus loved, to whom He said “Here is your mother”, the disciple who would remain alive until Jesus’ second coming, and the apostle who outlived the others. In Bible scholar Rolin Bruno’s series of books, John finally gets the attention he deserves.

Bruno combines faith and fiction, piety and creativity in “JOHN!” (WestBow Press). This historical fiction series gives readers “a fresh and insightful look into the lives of Jesus and His young followers”, though the story is about John. Why him?

“Like any teen, John and his friends would get in trouble at time,” the author said in an interview with a publishing firm. “After a particularly unwise stunt, he and his best friend Andrew ended up at the Jordan, listening to John the Baptist. You know the rest.

“They met with this Jesus character that the Baptist kept going on about, and got invited to a wedding. John wasn’t even 14 yet. But his life was changed, and he’d never be the same again.”

To date, Bruno has already written three books for the “JOHN!” series and each book is equally exciting as the other. “Episode One – AD 27” (2015) takes place in the year when the would-be evangelist meets Jesus for the first time and witnesses his first miracle (at a wedding in Cana); “Episode 2 - AD 28” (2015) in the year Jesus chooses twelve men to be his apostles, forgives a woman of her sin of adultery, and preaches in parables; and “Episode Three – AD 29” (2017) in the year Jesus and his apostles travel widely while danger and death threats closely follow in their tracks.

The events in each book feature John not only as one of the closest companions of Jesus but also as a primary witness to His exemplary life on earth. Indeed, his interaction with Jesus, especially at the cross, had inspired him to write a Gospel, a few letters, and the Book of Revelation – a task that occupies him as the disciple who is to remain until Jesus returns.

Writing a series of books based on the life of an apostle proves to be Bruno’s calling. He does not only fill in the blanks with a tale of an interesting adventure (or given John’s youth, a spiritual coming-of-age story) but also provides readers a moment to reflect on their own spiritual journey.

All three episodes of Bruno’s “JOHN!” are available at Amazon, WestBow Press, and on the author’s website at http://www.rolinbruno.com/ .

Of the first episode, respected book reviewer Kirkus Reviews writes: “This tale delivers a fresh and well-researched fictionalization of the assembling of the Apostles from John’s point of view.”

JOHN!
Written by Rolin Bruno
Published by WestBow Press
Published date: Episode One - AD 27 (June 24, 2015), Episode 2 - AD 28 (Oct. 14, 2015), Episode Three – AD 29 (February 8, 2017)
Paperback price: $13.95 (all three books)

About the Author
Rolin Bruno is a Bible scholar and street evangelist with a vivid imagination that fills the gaps in the Bible stories. He is a pastor, evangelist, missionary, and ordained deacon who has served Skid Row Los Angeles, Hurricane Katrina rebuilding, addiction recovery, and new church plants. His master’s thesis is on the letter of Jude: “Jude and the Scoffers” (2006). He lives in the Southern California mountains and has hiked the Grand Canyon, Mount Whitney, and 570 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.