Real Time Grace at the Speed of Jesus
Religion / Nonfiction / Christian Living / Spiritual Growth / Humor
Date Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing
What do a Russian in gold hot-pants, a cow-pat fight, and real-time grace have
in common? They all show up in this wildly funny, deeply heartfelt exploration
of what it means to live out faith in the mess of real life.
Full Phoenix Rising is not your typical Christian inspiration book. It’s
part memoir, part stand-up comedy, and part soul-reflection, told by a
black-sheep pastor with a knack for getting into trouble—and finding
Jesus there. Duncan invites readers into his most awkward moments, spiritual
insights, and hilarious disasters to remind us that God’s grace
isn’t reserved for the polished and perfect—it’s for the
ones still wiping off the cow poo and reaching for hope.
If you’ve ever felt like you don’t quite fit in at church,
questioned your worth, or just needed permission to laugh at how weird this
whole faith thing can be, this book is for you. Come for the cow-pats, stay
for the grace.
Interview
What was your main drive to write this book?
What often drives it is a regular thought I keep coming back to. This one was around the notion of grace. My argument was that Christians are good at retroactive grace, looking back at a moment and reading grace into a prior historic event. But Jesus practices real-time grace, that perhaps for people who follow Jesus learning how to live graciously in the moment might be a really important skill. I then also wanted to sprinkle humour into the book as well. When I couldn’t get rid of the thought it drove me to write it down!
What do you hope readers will learn by reading this book?
Probably that we need to move slowly as a church to create space and time to allow people to walk with Jesus at their own pace. That it is ok to have crazy weird moment and look for the places that Jesus is at work in those experiences.
Did you do much research when planning this book?
A Bit I’ll often read a bunch of literature around the topic in this case Grace. I’ll read a bunch of extended executive summaries on academic papers around the topic, and then read books that sit in a similar vein. I think for this there was a bunch of resonance around spiritual formation so I had read a bunch of Dallas Willard, John Mark Comer and books on sabbath alongside of NT Wright… who I often don’t understand but is brilliantly insightful. I read pretty regularly so when I’m in book writing mode I transition my reading toward the topic so it becomes my research. This keeps it fun and enjoyable.
Did you have any main people who helped you in the process of this book or influenced you to write it?
Not really I much prefer writing in a cave away from people. I think I enjoy the process of chatting with people about ideas but when it comes to writing I like to be alone so I can focus on the topic and really get into it. Honestly I need a sign on my back that says easily interrupted and HAS TO WORK NOW! PLEASE LEAVE ALONE!
How long did this book take you to write from initial thought to hitting publish?
Probably a year, I attempt to write a chapter a week, but often write in fits and spurts. Sometimes if I’m really feeling it I’ll book a retreat in solitude and have been known to write 20000 words in a weekend.
Do you have plans to write more about this topic or new topics?
Probably move onto a new topic honestly what is typically the case is I have about 3-4 unfinished ideas, I’ll circle back to them or sit with a new idea. Either way I think for now this topic is done and its time to figure out the next.
About the Author
Duncan Robinson—the Pastor of Disaster (his words, not ours) and
Australia’s first Black Belt Pastor in Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu—currently leads a small but mighty church in the Northern
Beaches of Sydney.
Before stepping into full-time ministry, Duncan spent years waking up Sydney
with wisdom, wit, and questionable life choices as the host of one of the
city’s most popular Breakfast Radio Shows.
With over 20 years of pastoral experience in Australia and the USA, he is
fluent in both “G’day Mate” and “Bless your
heart.” He’s married with two kids and an American Chocolate
Labrador, who is convinced every sermon should include belly rubs.
Equipped to handle both heresy and headlocks, Duncan takes pastoral care very
seriously—though whether a theological debate ends in grace or a
grappling match depends entirely on the situation.
He proudly refers to himself as a Professor, purely to annoy actual academics.
What can we say? He’s a man of many talents.
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