Jesus, Love, & Tacos

A Spicy Take on Lordship, Community, and Mission

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Pub Date 11 Oct 2022 | Archive Date 9 Jun 2023

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Description

Shake off rote religiosity and tribalism with a spicy bite of God’s truth seasoned with an authentic connection to his love and his people.

“Let me do something for you.”

Carrie Stephens offers these words of hope from the heart of God in Jesus, Love, & Tacos as she uses vibrant metaphors and comical self-deprecation to tell the story of lordship, community, and mission. These three ancient values will offer you help and hope as they shape your spiritual life, define how to gather in unity, and lead you to God’s missional love in action. 

In the face of fear, sickness, and increasing polarization, Carrie provides a fresh encounter with the lordship of Jesus to right-size your expectations and transform your view of your life. 

By looking at the example of the early church, you’ll find yourself brave enough to swallow your insecurities and forge ahead into the sometimes-painful world of the Church where healing and life happen through God’s faithfulness.

In this world of never-ending suffering and neediness, reconsider the call to missional living afresh. Living with a mission will reinvigorate your connection to God and others, where you’ll find unexpected meaning and surprising opportunities.

When you reach for the plates of truth and grace offered in these pages, you’ll reconnect with a God beyond your comprehension who is intimately involved in the details of your life.

Shake off rote religiosity and tribalism with a spicy bite of God’s truth seasoned with an authentic connection to his love and his people.

“Let me do something for you.”

Carrie Stephens offers these...


Advance Praise

“Once again, my friend Carrie Stephens has mixed her witty writing with deep insights on the church and the power of community. She serves up this fun read at a time when all of us could use a plate of tacos and truth that leave the heart fed and challenged!”

—Lynette Lewis, TEDx speaker, business consultant, and author of Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos


“Jesus, Love, & Tacos is a vacation read, Bible study, and encouragement to the soul all wrapped into one delicious book of goodness. I loved every moment of reading the main text and could not wait to get to each new footnote. I laughed and held back tears as Carrie, with spirit-filled hope, took some of the hardest topics facing the Church today and graciously showed us how Jesus, Love, & Tacos can fix it!”

—Rosalynn M. Smith, PhD, Pastor of Mission & Adult Education at Mosaic Church Austin, and author of A Prayer for Baby: A 40-Week Pregnancy Daily Devotional


“Like queso oozing off your nachos, joy and encouragement drip from the pages of this book. I smiled the whole way through it. Carrie Stephens reminds us all that what we really crave comes from Jesus alone. Her authentic words will minister to your heart while tickling your tastebuds.”

—Heather Creekmore, author of Compared to Who? and The Burden of Better, podcast host, and amateur Mexican food critic


“In Jesus, Love, & Tacos, Carrie Stephens invites us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and God. Through her vulnerable stories about her life and insights about communing with Jesus, Carrie shows us all what a spirit-filled life can be.”

—Shane Blackshear, author of Go and Do: Nine Axioms on Peacemaking & Transformation from the Life of John Perkins


“Reading Jesus, Love, & Tacos is a bit like eating a mind-blowing taco: It’s so delightful you devour it as fast as you can, laughing aloud between mouthfuls . . . but when you pause between bites, you realize it has quite a kick. The heat keeps working on you—in the best possible way. If you need an encouraging call back to Jesus, this book is for you. If you’ve been tempted to give up on church, this book is for you. If you’ve longed to reclaim the dream of godly community, this book is for you. Jesus, Love, & Tacos is a feast for the heart—the best kind of soul food.”

—Elizabeth Laing Thompson, inspirational speaker and author of All the Feels, All the Feels for Teens, and the When God Says series


“With so many laugh out loud, ‘yes girl, that’ll preach,’ and ‘where’s the lie?’ moments, Carrie’s wit and humor makes this book entertaining and so fun to read. It’s like chatting with your cool friend at your favorite coffee shop while getting all the tea on how to live and love like Jesus. Carrie shares compelling biblical gems within the pages of this book . . . and if you could use a bit of comic relief like me, the footnotes are life.” 

—Natasha N. Smith, author, speaker, and host of Can You Just Sit with Me? podcast


“Soft or hard? The debate over which kind of shell to enjoy my beloved taco in is real! Similarly, disunity within the Church also exists, leaving us unsure of when the shells of our heart should be soft or hard toward sin and one another. Jesus, Love, & Tacos is a spicy mix of biblically based wisdom and wit that helps us answer this by curing our craving to deconstruct or distance ourselves from Jesus and his Church whenever they disappoint or hurt us. By feasting on Carrie’s insights, you’ll gladly accept Jesus’s invitation to truly love his presence, his people, and yes . . . even tacos, regardless of their shell type.”

—Tracy Steel, speaker and author of A Redesigned Life: Uncovering God’s Purpose When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned

“Once again, my friend Carrie Stephens has mixed her witty writing with deep insights on the church and the power of community. She serves up this fun read at a time when all of us could use a plate...


Available Editions

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ISBN 9781684260829
PRICE US$15.99 (USD)

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Average rating from 15 members


Featured Reviews

I love the title of this book, and that was the reason I was initially excited to read it. As I started reading, I was blown away by the author's perspective, presented with humor and insight. Stephens delves deep into the Gospel to present her thoughts on lordship, community, and mission. This is my first experience with the author, but it will definitely not be my last. She has an uncanny ability to connect with her readers as her words teach, convict and inspire.

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Jesus, Love, & Tacos
A Spicy Take on Lordship, Community, and Mission
by Carrie Stephens
Pub Date 11 Oct 2022
Abilene Christian University Press & Leafwood Publishers, Leafwood Publishers
Christian | Religion & Spirituality


I am reviewing a copy of Jesus, Love, & Tacos through Leafwood Publishers and Netgalley:



Carrie Stephens offers words of hope from the heart of God in Jesus, Love, & Tacos as she uses vibrant metaphors and comical self-deprecation to tell the story of lordship, community, and mission. These three ancient values will offer you help and hope as they shape your spiritual life, define how to gather in unity, and lead you to God’s missional love in action.




While facing fear, sickness, and increasing polarization, Carrie provides a fresh encounter with the lordship of Jesus to right-size your expectations and transform your view of your life.


Looking at the examples of the early Church you’ll find yourself brave enough to swallow your insecurities and forge ahead into the sometimes-painful world of the Church where healing and life happen through God’s faithfulness.




In a world of never ending neediness and suffering reconsider the call to missional living afresh. Living with a mission will reinvigorate your connection to God and others, where you’ll find unexpected meaning and surprising opportunities.




In these pages you will find plates of truth and grace, and you’ll reconnect with a God beyond your comprehension who is intimately involved in the details of your life.


I give Jesus, Love & Tacos five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Was this review helpful?

This book has a fantastic title and that is what drew me in. I was expecting some heartwarming and fun personal stories and experience, but I wasn't expecting such well explained biblical truths. I knew I was hooked when in the introduction the author quotes Ferris Bueller, so I knew the great stories and pop culture references would be in my experience. However as you dig into each chapter it feels as though great Biblical truths about Lordship, Community and Mission are revealed to me. They are revealed in a way that teaches, convicts, and inspires. It's funny and yet it's serious. It's light and yet it's heavy. This is a book that will stay with me for many years along my walk with God.

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