When Joshua moves to a small cabin on the edge of town, the local people are mystified by his presence. A quiet and simple man, Joshua appears to seek nothing for himself. He supports himself by working as a carpenter. He charges very little for his services, yet his craftsmanship is exquisite. The statue of Moses that he carves for the local synagogue prompts amazement as well as consternation. What are the townsfolk to make of this enigmatic stranger? Some people report having seen him carry a huge cherry log on his shoulders effortlessly. Still others talk about the child in a poor part of town who was dreadfully ill but, after Joshua's visit, recovered completely. Despite his benevolence and selfless work in the community, some remain suspicious. Finally, in an effort to address the community's doubts, the local religious leaders confront Joshua.

Joshua: The Homecoming is Joseph F. Girzone's sequel to the immensely popular Joshua. The title character, a kind and solitary carpenter, returns to the small town of Auburn after a 20-year absence. Joshua finds that many of his old friends have died, and he sees in the new generation a pervasive fear and spiritual insecurity. Many of the anxieties that plague the citizens of Auburn stem from millennial hysteria; and when signs of the Apocalypse begin to appear (such as a great earthquake just before the turn of the new year), Joshua soothes their fears by reminding them that God is love. "My father does not follow people's calendar," Joshua says. "If he decides to bring the world to an end, it will be when the work of His creation is perfected." Eventually, it becomes clear to Joshua that he must leave Auburn to preach his powerful message to the rest of the world. Like all of Girzone's books (including Never Alone and A Portrait of Jesus), this novel exudes empathy for its characters' loneliness and fears, and gives readers a strong sense of what it means to live in an intimate relationship with God.

In this sequel to Father Joseph Girzone's best-selling first novel, Joshua , a gentle wanderer comes to a village in (presumably) Northern Ireland and attempts to bring peace to the anxious and unhappy children of the town by spending time with them and by teaching them to be friends with one another. Joshua does not so much preach as live the Christian life, and he feels the children are the key to future peace "because adults resist change, and once adults learn to hate, it is hard for them to forgive and lay aside their hatred." A simple, moving, and inspirational parable presented in an uncomplicated fashion.

Amazon reader review: I have read the entire series of Joshua and found this to be as inspiring as the rest. Father Girzone brings wonderful insight into what Jesus' original message was for all of us. He shows us that so much of what divides us as a nation and a world are barriers, such as religious denominations and practices and beliefs created by man to control man. If we would look at Jesus' teachings and apply them to our everyday lives so much of the pain and suffering and problems we all face would get resolved or not exist at all. As Joshua shows us we make things more difficult than what they need to be. Greed and selfishness are the rule today and our young people are learning those lessons well. Girzone makes you stop and consider how would God see my behavior or attitude right now. He makes you think about how the world would view Christ if he did come back now and live as he did centuries ago, simply and selflessly. This author makes Christ and his teachings almost touchable. I hope there will be more in the series. I know I look at the world differently now because of the way Father Girzone has presented looked into the heart of man and of our Father.

On the eve of David Campbell's consecration as a Catholic bishop, he has an all-night vision that changes him from a strict observer of church law to a radical reformer. Advised by the mysterious Joshua (featured in the author's Joshua , Richelieu, 1983, and Joshua and the Children , Macmillan, 1989), David challenges the traditions of the church in parochial education, social services, ordination, celibacy, and other areas. Because the novel's primary intent is to convey the author's views on the Catholic Church, its characters never come to life, the dialog is stilted and repetitious, and many plot devices are left hanging without resolution. Still, fans of Joshua will ensure this book an audience.

As this unsurprising installment in Girzone's bestselling Joshua series (following Joshua and the Children ) opens, the simple carpenter Joshua is wandering in the desert in the Middle East. Finding a lost lamb, he returns it to its owner, the prominent sheik Ibrahim Saud, then cures a little girl in the sheik's encampment of a deadly snakebite, thus gaining the Arab's eternal gratitude. Their ensuing friendship opens the possibility of success for Joshua's true mission, bringing peace to the Middle East. He unites like-minded Jews, Arabs and Christians as the Children of Peace, hoping to end strife by forming personal bonds between peoples. Under the guidance of the gentle, mysterious holy one, the movement increases and multiplies until it topples governments and creates the basis for lasting peace with justice.

The latest installment in Girzone's Joshua series finds the titular character—a present-day incarnation of Jesus—roaming around Washington, D.C. As an apparent drifter of Middle Eastern descent, he immediately raises FBI suspicions, is brought in for questioning twice and is followed incessantly. Appearances are deceiving, and before long, Joshua is contacting and organizing prominent Washingtonians of Middle Eastern heritage. Soon he and this band of Jews, Christians and Muslims are traveling to various Middle Eastern countries to bring their power elite (including Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon) on board, and the whole enterprise culminates in a new Oslo Declaration of Peace. The novel expresses strong opposition to U.S. detention of Middle Eastern men and articulates a universalist theology—affirming that Muslims, Jews and Christians all worship Joshua's Father and that they are all cared for by his Mother.