What a great easy short study book. This book was like nothing I have read before. The author, Sue Ciullo takes familiar Bible characters that we grew up learning about and sheds a new light on their relationship with Jesus. The love that Jesus demonstrates gives us, the modern day messed up hope.
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Christian devotional and Bible study books are numerous, but in a saturated market, author Sue Ciullo has managed to take a fresh approach with her debut work Messiah to the Messed Up. The subtitle "Because I'm a mess, you're a mess, and we all need a Messiah" does a great deal in summarizing the work, but only scratches the surface of the powerful work within.

Divided into ten chapters, Ciullo walks the reader through ten encounters in the life of Jesus where people were touched and changed by the Messiah. The Biblical text is presented in a narrative style and then enriched by Ciullo's research with cultural explanations to present the well-known stories in a new light. From the woman at the well, to tax collector Zaccheus, to Mary and Martha, each historical figure comes alive to the reader as a real person elevated beyond just a Bible story. Paralleling each entry is a reflection shared from Ciullo's own life of her experiences or examples from her colleagues, demonstrating that thousands of years have done little to change essential human emotions. Overriding the entire work is the theme of redemption and the need for Jesus as a Savior. Where Ciullo's work really stands out from many other Christian study books is that she places herself not at the pulpit but in the pew. She candidly takes the reader's hand in friendship to say: I'm no different than you, we are all imperfect, but God is not. This book is ideal for anyone who may accuse Christ followers of being "preachy" or "holier than thou" because Ciullo takes the opposite approach, placing herself in the titular role of someone who is Messed Up seeking a Messiah.

Messiah to the Messed Up was quick to read but is also the type of work to provoke extensive thought and reflection. Each chapter is concluded with discussion questions, and much like Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, it lends itself well to either group or individual study. The book is not tailored to any specific type of reader making it speak to those across all walks of life. Just as the encounters of Jesus crossed all possible boundaries, Sue Ciullo's book is equally appropriate for students, parents, corporate executives, ministry workers, and anyone who sees imperfection in his or herself and recognizes that we all need a Messiah. ( )