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Cabbages For The King
They are his 'cabbages' and Adrian the greengrocer - an ordinary man trying to live up to a high calling. Adrian is however quick to point out that, whereas he will be known by his fruit when he gets to heaven, the greengrocer will be known by his fruit and veg.
160 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1993
About the author
Adrian Plass
137 books103 followersAdrian Plass is a writer and speaker who has produced over thirty books in the last twenty years. The best known of these is probably The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, a gentle satire on the modern church, which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide. This and other books have travelled to other countries and are translated into a number of foreign languages. Other books include biography, novels, short stories, a fictionalised account of the author's experiences as a residential child care worker, and collections of poems and sketches. A bemused Anglican, Adrian lives with his wife and daughter in a small market town near the Sussex South Downs.
Adrian has been in demand as a speaker in venues as varied as prisons, schools, churches, festivals, literary dinners and theatrical settings. His work also includes contribution to national and local radio and television. Live presentations combine humour, poetry, and story telling, largely revolving around his own inadequacies and struggles as a Christian and a human being.
In recent years Adrian has been joined by his wife Bridget in presenting a more varied and dramatic style of performance. Adrian and Bridget met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and have found particular satisfaction in being allowed to ‘do a bit of acting’. They have also been privileged to work alongside World Vision on several occasions, visiting Bangladesh and Zambia, writing two books and touring both in the UK and abroad with the aim of encouraging people to take up child sponsorship
Their work now takes them as far away as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Africa, while trips to Europe have introduced the added dimension of speaking through interpreters. Not easy when you're trying to be funny!
Adrian's latest books include ‘Jesus Safe Tender and Extreme‘, published by Zondervan, ‘Blind Spots in the Bible’, published by BRF, and most recent of all ‘Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation’ published by Authentic Media. He and Bridget have also collaborated with friends in Canada to produce a CD of his favourite sketches from the last 20 years called ‘Preaching to the Converted’ while ‘A Touch of Plass’, CTA’s documentary video, is now out on DVD.
2008 began with a visit to Bolivia for Bridget and Adrian in collaboration with the charity Toybox to look at projects involving street children. Later on there will be a DVD, a book and a number of presentations promoting their work.
Adrian's central motivation continues to be his love for Jesus, although some may feel he expresses it rather eccentrically. His passion is to communicate the need for reality in faith, and a truth that he learned during a difficult stage in his life: "God is nice and he likes me..." Some have described his work as being ‘one long confessional’. They may well be right!
Adrian has been in demand as a speaker in venues as varied as prisons, schools, churches, festivals, literary dinners and theatrical settings. His work also includes contribution to national and local radio and television. Live presentations combine humour, poetry, and story telling, largely revolving around his own inadequacies and struggles as a Christian and a human being.
In recent years Adrian has been joined by his wife Bridget in presenting a more varied and dramatic style of performance. Adrian and Bridget met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and have found particular satisfaction in being allowed to ‘do a bit of acting’. They have also been privileged to work alongside World Vision on several occasions, visiting Bangladesh and Zambia, writing two books and touring both in the UK and abroad with the aim of encouraging people to take up child sponsorship
Their work now takes them as far away as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Africa, while trips to Europe have introduced the added dimension of speaking through interpreters. Not easy when you're trying to be funny!
Adrian's latest books include ‘Jesus Safe Tender and Extreme‘, published by Zondervan, ‘Blind Spots in the Bible’, published by BRF, and most recent of all ‘Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation’ published by Authentic Media. He and Bridget have also collaborated with friends in Canada to produce a CD of his favourite sketches from the last 20 years called ‘Preaching to the Converted’ while ‘A Touch of Plass’, CTA’s documentary video, is now out on DVD.
2008 began with a visit to Bolivia for Bridget and Adrian in collaboration with the charity Toybox to look at projects involving street children. Later on there will be a DVD, a book and a number of presentations promoting their work.
Adrian's central motivation continues to be his love for Jesus, although some may feel he expresses it rather eccentrically. His passion is to communicate the need for reality in faith, and a truth that he learned during a difficult stage in his life: "God is nice and he likes me..." Some have described his work as being ‘one long confessional’. They may well be right!
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 22, 2020
Funny, and nice and short.
October 31, 2025
Plass compares himself to a greengrocer, offering his produce - in this case short anecdotes, poems, plays and more - to God.
There are four overall sections to this book: Telling the Truth, Strength and Vulnerability, You, me and us, Redundant Rituals and Flimsy Fashions. As ever, Plass manages to dig into his own insecurities and concerns, expressed honestly and openly, and produces some very thought-provoking writing. There's gentle humour here and there, although not the laugh-aloud hilarity of the 'Sacred Diary' trilogy; satire, some of it a bit silly, and much to ponder.
I was particularly struck, on re-reading, with the idea of 'positive graffiti' - perhaps more commonly known in the Christian world as grace. Plass gives examples of three times that stuck in his memory when, basically, someone was unexpectedly nice to him.
It's not the profoundest of writing, not something to read at one sitting, and not necessarily even a good introduction to this author. Nor is it really of relevance to those who are not believers. But for those of us who enjoy Adrian Plass's books, and consider ourselves his brothers or sisters, well worth reading (over a few days) every few years.
Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
There are four overall sections to this book: Telling the Truth, Strength and Vulnerability, You, me and us, Redundant Rituals and Flimsy Fashions. As ever, Plass manages to dig into his own insecurities and concerns, expressed honestly and openly, and produces some very thought-provoking writing. There's gentle humour here and there, although not the laugh-aloud hilarity of the 'Sacred Diary' trilogy; satire, some of it a bit silly, and much to ponder.
I was particularly struck, on re-reading, with the idea of 'positive graffiti' - perhaps more commonly known in the Christian world as grace. Plass gives examples of three times that stuck in his memory when, basically, someone was unexpectedly nice to him.
It's not the profoundest of writing, not something to read at one sitting, and not necessarily even a good introduction to this author. Nor is it really of relevance to those who are not believers. But for those of us who enjoy Adrian Plass's books, and consider ourselves his brothers or sisters, well worth reading (over a few days) every few years.
Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
July 8, 2024
A miscellany of poems, skits and prose. Plass was a major influence to my thinking and writing in days gone by, but this is a relatively shallow selection. There are a couple of insights worth returning for but he, and others, have covered the same ground elsewhere at greater depth, or with a sharper turn of phrase.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews