Bo's Café: A Novel [Paperback]

John Lynch (Author), Bill Thrall (Author), Bruce McNicol (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2009

High-powered executive Steven Kerner is living the dream in southern California. But when his bottled pain ignites in anger one night, his wife kicks him out. Then an eccentric mystery man named Andy Monroe befriends Steven and begins unravelling his tightly wound world. Andy leads Steven through a series of frustrating and revealing encounters to repair his life through genuine friendship and the grace and love of a God who has been waiting for him to accept it. A story to challenge and encourage, BO'S CAFE is a model for all who struggle with unresolved problems and a performance-based life. Those who desire a fuller, more authentic way of living will find this journey of healing a restorative exploration of God's unbridled grace.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bruce McNicol is president of Leadership Catalyst, Inc. and an international speaker and consultant. He holds a master's in theology and a doctorate in organizational and leadership development. Previously he served for ten years as president of the international church planting organization Interest Associates.

Bill Thrall serves as vice-chair of Leadership Catalyst, mentor, and coauthor of the bestselling TrueFaced resources (www.truefaced.com), The Ascent of a Leader, and Beyond Your Best.

John Lynch is a national conference speaker and writer for LCI, holds a master's of theoology from Talbot Seminary, and has twenty years' experience as a teaching pastor of Open Door Fellowship. He's also cofounder and playwright of a theater troupe in Phoenix.

From AudioFile

Roger Mueller's textured characterizations of Steven Kerner and Andy Monroe are riveting in this spiritual novel, which is reminiscent of THE SHACK. Steven is faced with the pressures of his high-powered executive position and his disintegrating homelife. Mueller delivers a compelling portrayal of Steven's feelings of worthlessness and explosions of rage toward his wife. Then he meets Andy Monroe, a mysterious aging hippie who claims to know his father, as well as personal things about Steven that his wife doesn't even know. As the story reveals the human need for honesty and a willingness to be vulnerable in relationships, Mueller depicts Steven's search for "a safe place," where he will be accepted without judgment. This is a story that lingers, and changes the listeners who let it. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Windblown Media; 1 edition (September 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193517004X
• ISBN-13: 978-1935170044
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bo's Café - Where Everybody Knows More Than Just Your Name, September 8, 2009

By 

Chad Estes (Boise, Idaho, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bo's Café: A Novel (Paperback)

Windblown Media is the publishing company established by a couple of guys for the purpose of getting their friend's book, `The Shack', into print. The first copies traveled from person to person as friends passed around the surprising story that found its way into their hearts. Millions of copies and readers later, `The Shack' is both a publishing phenomenon and a discussion starter everywhere.

How exactly do you follow up on the success of `The Shack'? Do the publishers pursue money, marketing share or message? I've been waiting to see what they would print next, knowing that their office is overwhelmed by submissions from eager writers wanting to capitalize on the Windblown brand. After reading, Bo's Café, I am not surprised that the publishers chose to go with `message.'

Bo's Café is a novel written by three close friends. They have previously written a book together called, `TrueFaced,' which describes the difference of trying to live a life of pleasing God or living a life of learning how to trust God. Along the way they discuss authenticity, grace, love, repentance and forgiveness. Bo's Café is similar in theme but is presented in a novel form. As such, it may be more accessible and available to readers.

The book is not flashy in its presentation or prose--it will not win the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished writing. That being said, this novel was not written for entertainment purposes. The characters, background and events are meant to pull the reader into a greater story- the reader's own. If this book is passed around like `The Shack' it will also be because the readers found that it makes a difference.

The main character, Steven Kerner, is at a difficult place in life where all his hard fought success is crumbling around him. But where `The Shack' took its character Mackenzie to the woods to meet with God, Steven has his profound revelations at Bo's Café while meeting with regular patrons. In the mix of giving and receiving real and raw feedback, Stephen experiences profound grace. More could be said about the storyline, but it is better experienced in the paperback itself.

This book is ultimately about moving from control to trust, from protection to vulnerability, and from blame to forgiveness. All of this happens in the context of relationships. It left me in a great place of self-reflection and led me to have some significant conversations with others around me. Bo's Café has whetted my appetite for more.

Read this book with an open heart and you won't be disappointed. You may see grace in a whole new light!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Splendor of Surrender to Sunglasses After Sunset, September 27, 2009

By 

William Dahl "On Porpoise" (Redmond, OR) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bo's Café: A Novel (Paperback)

I truly enjoyed this ride. You will too. Trust me. Real life. Real people. Rugged honesty. Wrenching reality.

A mosaic of granting permission to take ourselves less seriously, to confront the challenge of facing ourselves through the eyes of others, the courage to seek or stumble into relationships where the grace of God can work the miracle of transforming us into what we might be --- it's all here in Bo's Café - Will Grace Finally Win?

Jesus really never told people what to think. For the most part, he attracted people to see life with new eyes. Sure, He reasoned with some folks. Yet, he truly appealed to their imagination versus their reason (or lack thereof) --- Sunglasses after sunset (p.29) is a profound embodiment of the ongoing new era of storytelling that gives new life and relevance to the reality of Jesus presence and unrealized impact in our lives. Come as you are to this book. Bring all your stuff along. Reach for grace. What's grace? Listen to the authors (John Lynch, Bill Thrall and BruceMcNicol):

"Grace is a gift only the nonreligious can accept. They're the only ones who can get it. Religious folks see grace as soft. So they keep trying to manage their junk with their own willpower and tenacity. Nothing defines religion quite as well as a bunch of people trying to do impossible tasks with limited power while bluffing to themselves that it's working." (p.89).

It's very important to note that this novel is not written for religious types (although those who consider themselves as such would definitely enjoy it). I am not going to spoil the plot, the characters, or the many poignant truths that will innocently harness your heart in this review. It would be a crying shame to do that. Speaking of shame, take note of the following excerpt:

"You know what shame does? It takes a particular violation or several violations from your past, something that really got to you, and convinces you felt like in that violation is who you'll always be, for the rest of your life. Sad,huh? --- We don't want others to see us for the person the lie has told us we are. We almost unconsciously create a lie to protect us from the lie. Bad combination." (pp.146-147).

You can't write those words without having lived it, and experienced the freedom that lies on the other side of this deception.

Ride with these guys. There should be warning label on the jacket of this book: Read with Sunglasses On. You'll need them to peer into the timeless truths this story reveals in a new, creative, relevant light.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make your way to Bo's Cafe - an incredible experience!, September 9, 2009

By 

W. Kohl (Hampton, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bo's Café: A Novel (Paperback)

Bo's Café is a different kind of place. More than a good read, this novel is like a secret passage, a hidden portal to a place where the reader's heart sighs and says "I'm home."

Have you ever finished a well-written, spiritually rejuvenating book, only to realize shortly afterwards that you simply don't have what it takes to stay connected to your newfound joy and excitement? You lose momentum, you trip up on old habits, and the excitement quickly fades. You wonder, why. What is it about me?

As a Christian seeking to love God and learn His ways - do you yourself ever have an overwhelming desire to be known; to be understood deep down inside; to be fully accepted for who you are? What would it be like to experience a place where you were completely exposed for who you are - ALL of you, the good and the dark? And through that process, find the secret to a meaningful and rewarding life - a life of enjoying God, enjoying others, and enjoying yourself, consistently . . .

I have come to realize in my own Christian experience, that I hide and judge others to protect myself. This helps ensure my "rightness" and better-than-ness. It also ensures that I lose out on enjoying God and others, and am left craving acceptance from others and from myself. "Oh what a wretched soul am I." There must be a way out, for Jesus "came to give us life, and life to the full". Where can I see, where can I experience a REAL example of life without my shame?

I visited Bo's Café. Got to know some of the regulars. I joined Steven for a while in his fight to hold on to his rightness and superior position, trying to keep an image of himself that he thought would bring acceptance. Then I experienced, in the story of Steven, his strange friend Andy, and his wife Lindsay, the secret to enjoying a fulfilled life. A place where you already have everything it takes to learn this secret. I encourage you to make your way to Bo's . . .