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Hiding Jesus
In 2003 Tildy Hawkins is wondering if she can trust her friend A.J. with all her secrets. Can she tell A.J. that she lives with her grandma because her mother is in drug rehab? Can she tell her that her irresponsible dad abandoned her? Can she explain what it feels like to be neither white nor black? And can she tell A.J. that she’s tempted to try cutting herself?
All that is too much to tell, too much to trust to another eleven-year-old. And when Tildy accepts that there is no one she can tell all her secrets, reveal all her pains, she gets a visit from an impossible man. He seems to come out of her closet, like one of those monsters in Monsters Inc.
She stares at the man who looks a lot like her idea of Jesus. And she wonders why she doesn’t scream and run away. Unless … he actually is Jesus.
Now she has another secret. How could she possibly tell her grandma that Jesus is hiding in her closet … sort of?
Hiding Jesus is the seventh book in the SEEING JESUS series, which began with the book by that title. It is the story of an encounter between an ordinary person and an extraordinary savior, a savior who shows up right where he’s needed most.
All that is too much to tell, too much to trust to another eleven-year-old. And when Tildy accepts that there is no one she can tell all her secrets, reveal all her pains, she gets a visit from an impossible man. He seems to come out of her closet, like one of those monsters in Monsters Inc.
She stares at the man who looks a lot like her idea of Jesus. And she wonders why she doesn’t scream and run away. Unless … he actually is Jesus.
Now she has another secret. How could she possibly tell her grandma that Jesus is hiding in her closet … sort of?
Hiding Jesus is the seventh book in the SEEING JESUS series, which began with the book by that title. It is the story of an encounter between an ordinary person and an extraordinary savior, a savior who shows up right where he’s needed most.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 11, 2021
77 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey McClain Jones
53 books140 followersAs a small boy in Lincoln, Nebraska, I listened enrapt to my grandmother reading me children’s stories, such as The Little Engine That Could. I also recall the elementary school librarian who read us Winnie the Pooh, imitating all the voices. And I remember the first summer I was allowed to ride my bike to the library on my own.
Writing started for me in school. Teachers encouraged me to pursue what they perceived as a gift. For me, my imagination was a challenge as much as a gift. I found the real world so much less enthralling.
In my Christian high school, the English teacher supplied me with unassigned novels. I wrote the senior class play and served as editor of both the yearbook and the school newspaper.
At Houghton College, I majored in writing, including coursework in poetry and fiction. But I also majored in biblical studies and was persuaded to take my writing skills in a more “respectable” direction—academia and nonfiction writing. Remember that less enthralling real world?
When all my academic work led to no great employment breakthrough, I hopped from there onto that rapid conveyor known as the tech industry. Starting in the 1990s, I shaped a new career, eventually starting my own computer consulting firm.
During those years, I focused on raising two boys and cherished the role of doing the bedtime reading, including attempting all the voices in The Chronicles of Narnia series. I also composed a few stories from scratch for my attentive little audience, usually around a campfire.
I started writing again in 2006. Following a friend’s suggestion, I meditated on scripture by imaging myself present on a day when Jesus healed an entire multitude. That meditation turned into my first novel, And He Healed Them All. Closing the gap between the sparse descriptions in the Gospels and what must have been a rich miraculous experience enticed me.
A series of unusual events (ask me someday) prodded me to write my second novel, The Reign: Out of Tribulation. I began self-publishing with those first two books. My third novel, Seeing Jesus, expanded into a series when numerous readers begged me for more. As it turns out, that kind of begging is hard to resist.
In all, I have published fifteen books on Amazon, fourteen of them as installments in one of my series. I am constantly working to improve my skills and to better share my message with the reading public.
Anyone tracking my address could guess that I’ve had some setbacks in my life. But God has stayed the same, even as I evolve and have to start over again.
Now I am married and living in Vernon Hills, Illinois, attending a vibrant church and meeting new people. I work part-time on my computer consulting business, and I devote much of the rest of my time to writing and marketing my books, with my wife as my highly motivated marketing director.
Writing started for me in school. Teachers encouraged me to pursue what they perceived as a gift. For me, my imagination was a challenge as much as a gift. I found the real world so much less enthralling.
In my Christian high school, the English teacher supplied me with unassigned novels. I wrote the senior class play and served as editor of both the yearbook and the school newspaper.
At Houghton College, I majored in writing, including coursework in poetry and fiction. But I also majored in biblical studies and was persuaded to take my writing skills in a more “respectable” direction—academia and nonfiction writing. Remember that less enthralling real world?
When all my academic work led to no great employment breakthrough, I hopped from there onto that rapid conveyor known as the tech industry. Starting in the 1990s, I shaped a new career, eventually starting my own computer consulting firm.
During those years, I focused on raising two boys and cherished the role of doing the bedtime reading, including attempting all the voices in The Chronicles of Narnia series. I also composed a few stories from scratch for my attentive little audience, usually around a campfire.
I started writing again in 2006. Following a friend’s suggestion, I meditated on scripture by imaging myself present on a day when Jesus healed an entire multitude. That meditation turned into my first novel, And He Healed Them All. Closing the gap between the sparse descriptions in the Gospels and what must have been a rich miraculous experience enticed me.
A series of unusual events (ask me someday) prodded me to write my second novel, The Reign: Out of Tribulation. I began self-publishing with those first two books. My third novel, Seeing Jesus, expanded into a series when numerous readers begged me for more. As it turns out, that kind of begging is hard to resist.
In all, I have published fifteen books on Amazon, fourteen of them as installments in one of my series. I am constantly working to improve my skills and to better share my message with the reading public.
Anyone tracking my address could guess that I’ve had some setbacks in my life. But God has stayed the same, even as I evolve and have to start over again.
Now I am married and living in Vernon Hills, Illinois, attending a vibrant church and meeting new people. I work part-time on my computer consulting business, and I devote much of the rest of my time to writing and marketing my books, with my wife as my highly motivated marketing director.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 3, 2022
So good I didn't want it to end.
This book and this Seeing Jesus series has really been a blessing to me. I saw myself in each of the main characters, identifying with their stories reminded me of similar experiences in my own life. I admit to jealousy wishing that I too could see and feel Jesus in the way these characters did. Don't misunderstand, I speak to Jesus often, but to see, hear, & touch Him, that would be awesome. I loved each book in this series, they've become one of my favorites, and I have recommended them. They're just that good!
This book and this Seeing Jesus series has really been a blessing to me. I saw myself in each of the main characters, identifying with their stories reminded me of similar experiences in my own life. I admit to jealousy wishing that I too could see and feel Jesus in the way these characters did. Don't misunderstand, I speak to Jesus often, but to see, hear, & touch Him, that would be awesome. I loved each book in this series, they've become one of my favorites, and I have recommended them. They're just that good!
January 25, 2023
Filled my soul
Ive read all seven books. They are brilliant and inspired. Thank you for writing these stories, Gods love is so great
Ive read all seven books. They are brilliant and inspired. Thank you for writing these stories, Gods love is so great
May 11, 2021
I love the Jeffrey Mclain Jones books that get you to find Jesus in new and fresh ways in your own life.This is the 7th book in the series that does just that. Each book has touched my life in deep ways and caused me to expand my ability to find Jesus.
As I was reading Hiding Jesus I realized my grandchildren would benefit from this book because the protagonist was 11 years old. Tildy is a mixed race child with a mother who is a drug addict and an absent father. She lives with her grandmother and is enrolled as a new student in a Middle School. She gets bullied and feels very alone. She is tempted one night to hurt herself. Jesus shows up in her bedroom and tells her not to cut herself.
As she begins to trust this Jesus in her room He reveals truth to her. Most of us believe lies about ourselves and situations that steal, kill and destroy essential parts of who we are. When Jesus comes and dispels the lies with his truth it changes everything. Jesus also guides her to speak kind words to the girl who bullied her and it brings healing to both girls.
I gave a short synopsis to 3 of my grandchildren and they were intrigued that Jesus could do this. While this book was not written for teenagers, it can be used in a teens life to teach how Jesus works and how to have an intimate relationship with him. Each of these teens plan to read this book.
As I was reading Hiding Jesus I realized my grandchildren would benefit from this book because the protagonist was 11 years old. Tildy is a mixed race child with a mother who is a drug addict and an absent father. She lives with her grandmother and is enrolled as a new student in a Middle School. She gets bullied and feels very alone. She is tempted one night to hurt herself. Jesus shows up in her bedroom and tells her not to cut herself.
As she begins to trust this Jesus in her room He reveals truth to her. Most of us believe lies about ourselves and situations that steal, kill and destroy essential parts of who we are. When Jesus comes and dispels the lies with his truth it changes everything. Jesus also guides her to speak kind words to the girl who bullied her and it brings healing to both girls.
I gave a short synopsis to 3 of my grandchildren and they were intrigued that Jesus could do this. While this book was not written for teenagers, it can be used in a teens life to teach how Jesus works and how to have an intimate relationship with him. Each of these teens plan to read this book.
April 20, 2021
Jeffrey brings us yet another wonderful read from his Seeing Jesus series. This one is about 11 year old Tilde, who has issues that unfortunately many kids are facing these days. Tilde's story immediately grabs your interest. Jeffrey has a way with his imagination to show you a very real, very relatable Jesus, that isn't what you learned at Grandma's church growing up. Is it fiction? of course.....I think.....maybe. I suppose anyone who has had personal encounters with Jesus, may find a familiar feel to it, for sure. I say, just enjoy it, and as in anything in this world ponder on what God is telling you through Tilde's story. There are some poignant moments, and moments I laughed out loud.
This book is perfect for the younger set, since it is through the perspective of an 11 year old, but a very mature, (yet innocent) 11 year old. I would say that for any of the middle school age kids, this is very appropriate, but the high school age would enjoy the read also. I will certainly get a "real" paper copy to my 15 year old niece.
This book is perfect for the younger set, since it is through the perspective of an 11 year old, but a very mature, (yet innocent) 11 year old. I would say that for any of the middle school age kids, this is very appropriate, but the high school age would enjoy the read also. I will certainly get a "real" paper copy to my 15 year old niece.
April 28, 2021
The whole ..ing Jesus Series is a challenge to think about your relation to Jesus. I read them all and every single book is testimony for a living and loving God who knows you personally and wants a relationship with you. If you read it and can't imagine, this is true, I can tell you: I at least had a glimpse of what is described in Hiding Jesus: A meeting with Jesus with all his love and as described here, also his humour. This experience is twelve and a half years gone now but my encounter with Jesus - brief as it was - never left my heart and still I live through HIM. And HE lives in me and I listen to HIS spirit every day. A new life began then and in every book by Jeffrey I can feel his love for Jesus and his compassion with all the people who don't know him. So my advice here: Read and enjoy his books and open your heart to the message: Jesus loves you - wherever you are, whatever you do or did! Search your heart and turn around to follow Him!
February 19, 2022
Catharsis
That is all I’ve been experiencing reading all 7 books. Not tears of sadness but of sensing the presence of the Lord with each character in all 7 books.
This one touched a few areas in my life as a parent dealing with pre-teens and the sense of failure they adopted as normal.
The conversations with Tildy, in her head-heart, are real. She quickly learned to identify His voice and adapted. Even now, His voice is clear to me and as I communicate with others on issues, they may think is my wisdom but it actually is Jesus’.
Hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did and as much as the author did in writing it. Looking forward to meeting him one day.
That is all I’ve been experiencing reading all 7 books. Not tears of sadness but of sensing the presence of the Lord with each character in all 7 books.
This one touched a few areas in my life as a parent dealing with pre-teens and the sense of failure they adopted as normal.
The conversations with Tildy, in her head-heart, are real. She quickly learned to identify His voice and adapted. Even now, His voice is clear to me and as I communicate with others on issues, they may think is my wisdom but it actually is Jesus’.
Hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did and as much as the author did in writing it. Looking forward to meeting him one day.
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April 30, 2021I really enjoyed the book. It showed the real problems of a young biracial girl going to a new school. She didn’t have a lot of friends and grandma was hard to talk to. Imagine finding Jesus hiding in your closet. What a surprise. She found someone to help her, most of all someone to talk to. Someone to understand. She found family relationships and the love of Jesus. What more can a young girl want.
May 17, 2021
Written from the vantage point of a mixed race 11-year old girl named Tildy living with her ‘white’ grandmother while her mom is in drug rehab.
She meets Jesus when he starts coming to her room one night while she was thinking about harming herself. He sticks by her and helps her through some tough stuff. How can she tell anyone?
Love this author’s books. Always feel good stories but with a great message.
She meets Jesus when he starts coming to her room one night while she was thinking about harming herself. He sticks by her and helps her through some tough stuff. How can she tell anyone?
Love this author’s books. Always feel good stories but with a great message.
April 19, 2021
This was a wonderful book! It faces the challenges of being a bi-racial child with parents with issues! This is very much a topic that is a very modern topic as well as dealing with it long term. It allows the reader to come face to face with what we all must look at. Jesus becomes a little girl's best friend and helps her out! : ) Great Job!
April 24, 2021
The latest in the series features young Tildy who lives with her grandmother and has recently moved schools. She struggles with her identity and one day heard a voice and then a man appears from her cupboard.
It's Jesus and gradually Tildy learns to listen and learn. Problems still occur but now she doesn't feel as alone.
The end was so abrupt it felt that something was missing.
This book would most suit teenagers and young adults.
It's Jesus and gradually Tildy learns to listen and learn. Problems still occur but now she doesn't feel as alone.
The end was so abrupt it felt that something was missing.
This book would most suit teenagers and young adults.
May 12, 2021
I have absolutely loved the Seeing Jesus Series, and Hiding Jesus did not disappoint! As a teacher, I loved seeing Jesus through His relationship with a child. I always feel like I know Jesus better after reading one of these books.
May 17, 2021
Book 7, it’s still a delight
Jeffrey's book always minister to me. The direct involvement of Jesus in a person’s life always touches me deeply. This one did it again. The characters are real, as is the work of Jesus in their lives.
Jeffrey's book always minister to me. The direct involvement of Jesus in a person’s life always touches me deeply. This one did it again. The characters are real, as is the work of Jesus in their lives.
December 25, 2023
Outstanding read!
An excellent read. To meet Jesus at an early age is a blessing! And to build that intimate relationship takes a lifetime. This is very inspiring and believable. Great story!
An excellent read. To meet Jesus at an early age is a blessing! And to build that intimate relationship takes a lifetime. This is very inspiring and believable. Great story!
August 8, 2024
Another reason to read
Author Jones brings another reason to read his books. This is my 7th one and I could read 7more .Jesus is real and the books bring Him to life in so many different ways .
I highly recommend this series or any one individually.
Author Jones brings another reason to read his books. This is my 7th one and I could read 7more .Jesus is real and the books bring Him to life in so many different ways .
I highly recommend this series or any one individually.
May 19, 2021
Jesus in your heart and mind
All of this series of the various ways Jesus comes to us are uplifting and inspiring! Joyful blessings to ponder!
All of this series of the various ways Jesus comes to us are uplifting and inspiring! Joyful blessings to ponder!
July 1, 2021
A remarkable story! Believable, as if it could really happen.
July 5, 2021
Great book.
This was an awesome book about a young girl who sees Jesus and it changes her life. This was a wonderful inspiring book.
This was an awesome book about a young girl who sees Jesus and it changes her life. This was a wonderful inspiring book.
September 19, 2021
Tildy Hawkins Jesus. Now she has another secret. How could she possibly tell her grandma about Jesus?
I've enjoyed this series. Brings me closer to Jesus.
I've enjoyed this series. Brings me closer to Jesus.
October 30, 2021
Only Jesus
Another great book in the series. Love these inspiring books, and you will too. Give them a try you won't regret it.
Another great book in the series. Love these inspiring books, and you will too. Give them a try you won't regret it.
September 12, 2025
good reading
Love this series. Good stories about the Lord helping people. He is always with us and will never leave us! Praise the Lord! I’m thankful grateful and I’m blessed!
Love this series. Good stories about the Lord helping people. He is always with us and will never leave us! Praise the Lord! I’m thankful grateful and I’m blessed!
April 30, 2021
THIS BOOK - ABSOLUTELY SUPERB
Jesus hiding in the closet? That’s how the book starts . . . . BUT she sees him!!! And they become friends. And the humour here . . . .LOL always. AND this is how I want to see Jesus . . .how I want to relate to him. Cannot possibly recommend this book enough!!
Jesus hiding in the closet? That’s how the book starts . . . . BUT she sees him!!! And they become friends. And the humour here . . . .LOL always. AND this is how I want to see Jesus . . .how I want to relate to him. Cannot possibly recommend this book enough!!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews