Jim Palmer profile picture

Jim Palmer

Love wins.

About Me

Why you may want to read Wide Open Spaces. Visit www.inthelibraryreviews.net/PalmerJim.html"I am tempted to say that Jim Palmer could well be the next Donald Miller, but what they have in common, along with an honest spirituality and extraordinary skill as storytellers, is a unique voice. So I might instead say that one of our best young writers in the future may well be called the next Jim Palmer..."Brian McLaren, Author of 'Everything Must Change'"Jim Palmer's casual, yet compelling writing style cuts through the religious rhetoric and gets to the real issues…readers will love this author! His sense of humor is alternately mixed with shocking sentences and poignant moments. Laced throughout is a refreshing honesty that ties his ideas together with a ribbon of reality…each turn of the page strips away a little more of the contrived mystery of Christianity until the simplicity and sincerity of it stands in realistic splendor."The Library ReviewsA DIVINE NOBODIES REVIEW(click the pic to order a copy)***'Divine Nobodies' includes a special chapter detailing Jim's experience with the International Justice Mission. Find out what you can do about forced child prostitution at ijm.org***Publishers Weekly Review of Wide Open Spaces****BE A FRIEND ON JIM'S WIDE OPEN SPACES MYSPACESEE A WIDE OPEN SPACES REVIEWJim Palmer: the Next Wave InterviewWide Open Spaces excerpt on RELEVANTEarly Reviews of Wide Open Spaces..."Jim knows the mess of the world. Jim knows the mess of the church. And he still has the audacity to believe that love wins. Here he has created a book of stories and reflections that cannot help but leave you feeling closer to God, with a smile that isn't just for Sunday mornings, and filled with the hope that another world is possible."Shane Claiborne, activist, author, recovering sinner (thesimpleway.org)"Jim Palmer, the hall of fame pitcher, changed speeds on his fastball. Jim Palmer, the author, changed lives in our locker room. It has been an absolute pleasure to pass this book out to some of my teammates. As I read the pages of each chapter, I could literally feel God moving my heart further away from religion and closer to experiencing His desired freedom in Christ. If you want to escape the popular Christian treadmill or common Churchianity, Wide Open Spaces and Divine Nobodies are must reads!"Paul Byrd, Major League Baseball pitcher for Cleveland Indians"My favorite spiritual practice is underlining books. I stopped underlining Jim Palmer's newest book because I found myself underlining the whole thing. Few books in life have brought my soul more pleasure, or profit, than Wide Open Places."Leonard Sweet, Drew University, George Fox University, wikiletics.com"I could read what Jim Palmer writes all day. He’s honest, funny, and his perspective really gives you something to chew on. When you open up Wide Open Spaces, it’s like opening up a window on the first day of fall after a long hot summer, and letting that breeze rush in. It’s refreshing and invigorating, and oh so welcome."Ernie Johnson, Jr., NBA on TNT"A radical and welcome book about how to be an authentic Christian in a post-Christian world. Jim Palmer’s new words on church, faithfulness, and finding God in new places are a gift to us all."Greg Garrett, Author of Crossing Myself and The Gospel According to Hollywood"To anyone who has ever gasped for air within the claustrophobic confines of religion, to anyone who has ever held up her dukes to God in a desperate plea for honest contact, Jim Palmer suggests, 'Let's take this outside.'Wide Open Spaces is an invitation to freedom beyond the boundary lines of organized religion (which is more a mix of cultural bias and corporate structures than a celebration of the Truth that sets us free). This book is guaranteed to raise both your eyebrows and your hopes, to stretch your doctrine even as it stretches your faith. Every word rings true, even as it startles, with this bold—and biblically supported—proposal: that when we fulfill our true calling to be 'little Christs,' we partner with God as he works his perfect will, joyfully growing the kingdom 'on earth as it is in heaven.'"Kristyn Komarnicki, editor, PRISM magazine Evangelicals for Social Action"It is a rare achievement for any artist to follow their first work—one that remains as highly acclaimed as Divine Nobodies—with a follow-on work that is unequivocally better than the first. Jim Palmer has done it with Wide Open Spaces. The reading of Wide Open Spaces is not optional. It’s mandatory if you are one who desires to know God and be love in our world today. This book is an epic contribution to the way ahead. The implications of Wide Open Spaces are clear for the spiritual sojourner and the possibilities for a way of life for those who deeply desire something more in how they experience God on a day-to-day basis."Richard Dahl, Author, Creator, and Editor of theporpoisedivinglife.com"From the first chapter, it’s clear that Jim has written a brave book. He’s articulated much of the discontent I have felt with the church in America, and he’s done it not with cynicism (which would’ve been easy) but with a frank and gentle wisdom. I put the book down grateful for the reminder that being a Christian means vastly more than adhering to the paradigm."Andrew Peterson, Singer/Songwriter"No sooner does one come to the understanding of seeing the divine in others then Jim pops another at us - in the reality of Wide Open Spaces. I love the way Jim connects his story with the stories of others, and how God can move in us, around us, about us and through us to see the work in the kingdom. Sometimes life can be hard, but seeing the hand of God is a powerful way of expressing our walk - Jim does just that in this book - I would recommend it to anyone seeking to know more, find more, live more, understand more and journey more with the divine in us all. Get ready to be "Unzipped" as you explore the reality of God in many ways."John O'keefe, Founder/Designer ginkworld.net"Wide Open Spaces is an unabashed invitation to sail out of the shallows of stagnant, repetitive Sunday-only religion and to sail out into the adventure of a life lived alongside Jesus in the wild, open currents of every day life. As Jim attests, the rewards far outweigh the risks!"Wayne Jacobsen, Author He Loves Me: Learning To Live In The Father’s Affection; founder lifestream.org"Thank goodness Wide Open Spaces is done! I thought Jim was going to pass out from the heat as he pecked away on his laptop in that ugly rocking recliner in his garage."Jim's nextdoor neighbor
Create a Free SlideshowFour-way stops stress me out. Would like to visit every National Park. Enjoy listening to the Jim Rome sports radio show. Was deeply impacted by McLaren's "A New Kind of Christian" trilogy. Consistently lose to my seven-year-old daughter in Sorry and UNO. Will probably die from artificial sweetner. Tried yoga once and hurt myself. Can't let go of the Braves losing the '99 World Series to the Yankees. Traveled to India, Thailand and Africa. My favorite season is Winter. I write books. A conversationalist who never finds a boring subject or topic. Was a Bulls fanatic during the MJ era. Admire people who are gifted artistically. Did my undergrad at ETSU and MDiv at TEDS. Hate roller coasters, ferris wheels and things that spin fast. Wish more people knew about the IJM (ijm.org). Big mistake I've made is confusing religion/"church" with God. Enjoy people watching in malls and airports. I buy three or four different kinds of cereal and mix them all together. Love the public library. Love Vinny's pizza and deceive myself by eating "low fat" ice cream. I once tried giving up coffee. Enjoy knowing and hanging out with neighbors. Hope to meet Tom some day. I have Touretts. I'm a sucker for tear-jerker movies and seem to be becoming a more emotional person in general. I witnessed forced child prostitution in South Asia and made a promise never to forget. Don't like being the center of attention. I have a dog named Jack.
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My Interests

outdoors, music, writing, reading, the arts, spirituality, conversation, life with Pam and Jessica (and jack the dog)JIM ON WIREDPARISH.COMDIVINENOBODIES.COMEXPLOREFAITH.ORG INTERVIEWRELEVANT ARTICLE 1RELEVANT ARTICLE 2DIVINE NOBODIES CONVERSATION GUIDEINFUZE MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

I'd like to meet:

THE MAN; theooze; explorefaith; lifestream; ginkworld; ijm; restoringeden; hearthevoice

Music:

All kinds...Oteil Burbridge and the Peacemakers, Norah Jones, Switchfoot, Death Cab for Cutie, Wynton Marsalis, David Crowder Band, U2, Counting Crows, Alicia Keys, Bob Dylan, John Mayer, The Doors, James Taylor, Sarah Groves, Kanye West, The Chieftans, Mutemath, Rich Mullins, John Coltrane, Bird York, Wilco, Rocky Votolato, Ashley Cleveland, Rilo Kiley, Five for Fighting, The Fray...

Movies:

October Sky, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, Crash, The Tigger Movie, It's a Wonderful Life, The Matrix, The Lady in the Water, The Village, Pride and Prejudice, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Hooisers, The Shawshank Redemption, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Fargo, Hotel Rwanda, North by Northwest, Shadowlands, Field of Dreams, Finding Neverland, The Pursuit of Happyness, Freedom Writers, Amazing Grace

Books:

MY BOOKSHELF a

My Blog

confessions of a swim, bike, run guy (old guy)

i just got a drink of OJ from the fridge. when i got some ice from the freezer i saw all the Styrofoam cups filled with ice. right now on the chair next to where i'm sitting there are four tubes of cr...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Fri, 16 May 2008 03:42:00 PST

what is it like for you now?

so, there's the shedding religion or religious detox phase. sure, things pop up here and there that you deal with but for the most part you are past the anger and bitterness and disillusionment. you d...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Thu, 15 May 2008 08:18:00 PST

12. What is your favorite sports movie of all time?

if you're a baseball fan, you likely know the guy on the left next to me. if you're not a baseball fan don't worry about it; i'm not encouraging you to become one. sports have been a part of my life o...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Tue, 13 May 2008 09:48:00 PST

if you got what you wanted (would you have what you desire)

over at TED, i listened to this presentation, Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy? i thought it was an interesting exploration of happiness. what can be learned from this or how does it perhaps expo...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Sun, 11 May 2008 04:35:00 PST

lead with the elbows

so, it's thursday&swim day. after about an hour of slogging through laps in the YMCA pool, i noticed a woman had come over to the side and was waiting for me. hmm&i thought to myself, "this should be ...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Thu, 08 May 2008 10:08:00 PST

The Life Not Worth Living (and a revolution of hope)

i've got a few posts going that i hope will jump in on, but i wanted to toss another one into the mix. i write an article for Relevant that relates to what we toss around here on the blog. here's the ...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Tue, 06 May 2008 07:47:00 PST

whatever you call it

i emailed a friend today and shared how i have been experiencing a deep contentment in life lately. the word "contentment" is the best word i know to use to identify it. honestly, i'm not sure what to...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Mon, 05 May 2008 02:23:00 PST

a word from Jack

my dog Jack wanted me to pass along the link to this site. ...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Fri, 02 May 2008 07:03:00 PST

following Christ without being a Christian

on this journey with God i have learned that "being a Christian" may or may not have much to do with truly unpacking the significance of Jesus Christ for my life. i have undergone an evolution of so...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Fri, 02 May 2008 04:46:00 PST

ALERT:Nobody Jim Stumbles Across Finish Line (voted off Idol)

the Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon was this past weekend. i ran the 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles). it's one of six events i'm doing this summer in hopes of completing a Half Ironman in October. i...
Posted by Jim Palmer on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:57:00 PST