When God Was a Boy

By: C.T. Giles

Narrated by: C.T. Giles

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Yosef struggles through his responsibilities as the surrogate father of the messiah, destined as he is to raise and train the single most influential person in human history. Dwelling with his wife and children in the quiet township of Natzeret, always beneath the shadow of the Roman Empire, at times beneath its hostility, Yosef does the very best that he can to guide his adopted prodigy of a son. No one else had ever been expected to function as the guardian of God during His incarnate adolescence. And Yosef never knew as much either.

©2022 Chad Thomas Giles (P)2022 Chad Thomas Giles

Amazing

Absolutely amazing! Could not be more proud of this great work and the person who wrote it.

Well written and even better recited to my ears

Well written and a Great family story! I look forward to more from the author.

Amazing picture of our Father as a boy!

I loved how the author was able to take Jesus’ early life and mix Scripture with some carefully formed creative liberties to give a picture of what our Father was like as a boy. A great listen! I will be recommending this book to others!

Excellent! Very thought provoking!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading (listening) to this book. I have thought a lot about what Jesus' upbringing would've/could've looked like and this book brought some of those thoughts and ideas to life. The historical research that went into this made the story feel alive and congruent with Biblical history. I can't wait to get the paper copy of this book and read it to my kids.

Also, there is definitely room for a book series to be written here. I really hope the author is considering writing sequels!

Jesus through his stepfather’s eyes

What an incredible perspective, to imagine what the life of a young Jesus might have been like, viewed through the eyes of His stepfather, Joseph. This book has expanded my faith, and caused me to think deeper about the entire life of Jesus. So well written. Whether you are a Bible Scholar, have never read the book before in your life… or somewhere in between… this will cause you to think about things larger than yourself. And look at Jesus in a fresh, new way.

Wow!!!

Wow, just wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was engaging, so well thought out, and clearly well researched. It was also incredibly well written. Giles' command of the English language is masterful. Additionally the Hebrew that was added gave the story authenticity and placed you there in the story and time. Lastly the author's voice and intonation was engaging and really quite beautiful. I have suffered through many audiobooks with poor readers. I have also enjoyed some really excellent ones. It is always more enjoyable to me when the author reads there own book and you can really get the full experience of how they intended the book to be. This author/reader is, in my estimation, one of the best I have ever heard. There was no change in voice after an obvious break. There was no inconsistency or stammering. It was clear, engaging, and beautiful to listen to. After I finished the book I wanted not only to hear more of the story, but to hear Giles read another book.

As to the story specifically, this is one of those books that leaves you thinking for a long time. There was so much wisdom in the thoughts, words, and actions of the young Messiah. The story was told mostly through the lens of Joseph. There was an incredible weight on the shoulders of Joseph through this massive responsibiliy. Joseph was not a perfect man, but he was a kind and just man that did the best he could with a seemingly impossible responsibility. There was struggle, anguish, hope, laughter, and joy. It left me thinking and wondering if I could be the father that Joseph was to not only Jesus but all of his children? How do I measure up with mine own children? I have so many more reflections and thoughts. It's a great book.

A view into real life as a parent of the Messiah.

As a parent this book really hit home. My wife and I have 5 kids. Although none of us are perfect, we love them dearly and have tried to raise them in a gospel centered home as Christians. But to be a parent of the Messiah? One who was actually perfect? What would that be like? What would a normal day be? Would there be normal days? How does one raise a Messiah? This excellent book delivers some insight. Wonderfully written and also narrated by the author who is, in my opinion, as good as any Audible narrators to which I’ve listened. Me Giles adds emotion and character to each individual. He has a great voice to listen to, clear and fresh. He pronounces names in Hebrew which added to my experience and learning. Very entertaining and informative book. A must read for any believer or non believer.

excellent read!

this was an incredible story and I wanted it to go on and on. CT Giles did a wonderful job keeping historical and cultural care and winding his creativity in there as well.

Fantastic Historical Fiction

While we may not know the actual words spoken by Jesus to and among his family, this book does a wonderful job illustrating what may have happened, with good reason and historical context to back it up. Thank you. And thank you Marty Solomon for the recommendation.

One Heck of a Book!

Jesus is regarded, by secular and religious scholars alike, as the most influential human being who has ever lived. That has always made me wonder what His childhood might have been like. Who was the human behind the myths and theologies? This book gave me an honest picture of Jesus without the bleached robes and Western gloss. It also honors Jesus' culture, His humanity, and His family. Whether you're religious or not, this book is an amazing story about the most influential figure in human history! It was well worth the audible credit!

For religious readers, I have a few degrees in theology and still this book gave me both a helpful and holy imagination of what the Bible means by saying Jesus as a child "grew in wisdom and stature." How does God grow in wisdom and stature?? I've never known how to puzzle through that statement, but this book showed me Jesus in vivid and beautiful ways!

If I want to follow Jesus and grow to be like him, then I need to understand how Jesus grew and how He connected with the people around Him. This book has helped me to know Jesus as a person of rich affection and piercing honestly, which has shown me new and meaningful ways to follow Him. (And for those of you who are wary, all of C.T. Giles' descriptions of Jesus are entirely consistent with Scripture. He builds from Scripture and never builds as an addition to Scripture.)

The last thing I'll say is that the story describes Jesus' culture and setting in such a way that I felt as though I was Jesus' kid sibling, living and growing alongside Jesus. I want to know Jesus on His terms, not just through my Western lens. When God was a Boy has given all this to me, and I'm already looking forward to reading it again.