ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Israel became a nation at Sinai in the liminal space of the wilderness. Books are produced in liminal space as well; they gradually take on more definite shape as scattered insights become paragraphs and chapters. Many walked with me on the journey of learning and writing and revising. For each one I am grateful.

Daniel Block first inspired me to study the concept of “bearing God’s name,” inviting me to do so as his doctoral student at Wheaton College from 2011 to 2016. I’m so grateful he told me to keep the dissertation chapter that hit the cutting floor. Much of it reappeared here. I also had the privilege of input from Sandy Richter, Karen Jobes, Marc Cortez, and Richard Averbeck on the dissertation, and while none of them was involved in the production of this book, their influence will be felt by those who know them. Rollin Grams will see evidence of my MA thesis here too, which he so ably supervised at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2011. Many friends—too many to name here—urged me to turn these academic projects into a book for the wider church. Thanks for spurring me on!

Dan Reid first entertained my book proposal and helped me strengthen it before his retirement. In the meantime IVP hired my dear friend from seminary, Anna Moseley Gissing, who has skillfully guided the rest of the process. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to participate in IVP’s mission “to provide thoughtful books that encourage readers to believe, and to bring their whole lives under Christ’s leadership—heart, soul, mind and strength.”1

I wrote most of this book at Prairie College in the summer of 2018, with a sign taped to my door to minimize interruptions. My generous colleagues (I’m looking at you, James Enns) helped to protect my writing time and cheer me on, praying for me as I wrote. Phil Callaway offered great advice about the process from one writer to another, and my editorial team at Prairie caught many mistakes and clarified fuzzy thinking before I submitted the manuscript: Pat Massey, Abigail Guthrie, Amelia Fehr, and Danny Imes. It was extra special to get editorial feedback from our eldest daughter, Eliana, who is a fantastic writer herself and whose no-nonsense approach spared you many of my idiosyncrasies (“Mom, you can’t say that!”). Eliana is my sharpest critic and my biggest fan. I relished several days of uninterrupted writing at Dave and Jean Neville’s guest cottage, which was a true gift.

People often ask me how I get it all done. The answer is Danny Imes. I am forever grateful for his partnership. His gifts of administration and helps are in full operation at home so that I am free to write and teach. I had no idea what a treasure I was getting when I said “yes” twenty-one years ago!

Finally, a very special thank you to Chris Wright, who agreed to write the foreword to this book. His books have been a huge influence in the development of my thinking. I’m grateful for his scholarship and dedicated participation in God’s mission. Readers who have not yet read The Mission of God or The God I Don’t Understand should run out and buy them right this minute. You’ll thank me later.

This book is dedicated to my parents, Dan and Verna Camfferman; to my husband, Danny; and to our children, Eliana, Emma, and Easton. As I began my doctoral studies, I wanted a dissertation topic that my family could appreciate. You have lived this adventure of study with me for over a decade through thick and thin. Now we can share it with the world!