About this item
Los Angeles lawyer and law professor, Jim Gash, tells the amazing true story of how, after a series of God-orchestrated events, he finds himself in the heart of Africa defending a courageous Ugandan boy languishing in prison and wrongfully accused of two separate murders. Ultimately, their unlikely friendship and unrelenting persistence reforms Uganda's criminal justice system, leaving a lasting impact on hundreds of thousands of lives and unearthing a friendship that supersedes circumstance, culture and the walls we often hide behind. There is no greater love than laying down your life for a friend. This profound love seeps through every page of Jim and Henry's story, like a healing balm. Over the last several years I have had the great privilege of witnessing Jim's passion for Ugandan people and his willingness to lay down his own life for others. Divine Collision will remind you once again how one small gesture of love can make a monumental impact on a person for eternity. Katie Davis, Author of the New York Times Bestseller Kisses from Katie With great courage and conviction, Jim Gash provides an extraordinary glimpse into the power of obedience, prayer, and hope in transforming not only one life-or even one community-but an entire justice system. Divine Collision speaks to what is at the heart of our Christian calling: Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow (Isaiah 1:17) . Gary A. Haugen, President & CEO of International Justice Mission and author of The Locust Effect Divine Collision is a captivating book! Jesus calls us to visit the prisoner, proclaim justice for the oppressed, and set the captive free. Too often we've forgotten that He really meant it. Jim Gash didn't forget, and his book reminds us this is Jesus' call for us too. Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S. and Author of The Hole in Our Gospel and Unfinished
About the Author
Professor Jim Gash is a Professor of Law at Pepperdine University School of Law in his sixteenth year of teaching. Jim graduated first in his class at Pepperdine in 1993 and was the Editor-in-Chief of the Pepperdine Law Review, and graduated summa cum laude from Abilene Christian University in 1989. He now serves as the Director of the Global Justice Program in Pepperdine's Nootbaar Institute for Law, Religion, and Ethics.
In 2010, Jim began traveling periodically to Uganda to help imprisoned juveniles who were waiting for their day in court. During that first trip, Jim met a special young prisoner named Henry and they formed a deep friendship that is chronicled in Divine Collision. Over the next six years, Professor Gash returned to Uganda sixteen times to help other juvenile and adult prisoners secure access to justice. At the invitation of the Chief Justice of Uganda, Professor Gash became a Specialist Advisor to the High Court in January of 2012 and moved his family to Uganda for six months. Over the course of those six months, he designed and helped implement a juvenile justice structure that seeks to ensure Ugandan children will never again be forgotten by the judicial system.
In March of 2013, Jim became the first American ever to argue a case in the Ugandan Court of Appeals when he represented Henry. In recognition of his ongoing work in Uganda, Professor Gash received the 2013 Warren Christopher Award, which is presented to California's International Lawyer of the Year.
