Port Angeles resident Francis Kyle said he found his life's work in a Connecticut used bookstore.

A lover of biographies, Kyle found a biography on James Brainerd Taylor, a Princeton University and Yale Seminary-trained evangelist, and engrossed himself in Taylor's teachings.

Kyle has focused his personal studies on Taylor's brief but visionary life. He recently released two books on Brainerd, "An Uncommon Christian: James Brainerd Taylor" and "Of Intense Brightness: The Spirituality of Uncommon Christian James Brainerd Taylor."

These are the first two of 10 books on Taylor by Kyle with a third already written about Taylor's evangelistic techniques.

Kyle uses Taylor as a historical model for attracting people to understand the Christian gospel.

His ministry is based on Taylor's quote defining the phrase, "be eminently holy, self-denying, cross-bearing, Bible, everyday Christians."

Kyle said his first two books on Taylor's life would interest people who enjoy reading inspirational Christian biography, early 19th-century history, religious revivals and faith integration into different cultures.

"Uncommon Christian" is more academic and "Of Intense Brightness" is the "Reader's Digest" version of Taylor's life, Kyle said.

"Of Intense Brightness" has 45 letters and journal entries from Taylor from ages 14-27 up to his death from tuberculosis while he was at Yale.

Kyle selected the entries and modernized the language when appropriate, added dates of the entries and footnotes with references to scripture and commentary.

For more information about James Brainerd Taylor and author Francis Kyle, go to www.uncommonchristian.com or www.franciskyle.blogspot.com. The book is available at the publisher's Web site www.UnivPress.com and from major online retailers.



Reach Matthew Nash at

mnash@sequimgazette.com.