well, it’s finally here, one day late! the release of this wild & fun project i’ve been working on since last fall–down we go: living into the wild ways of Jesus. it’s been a crazy ride getting here, all starting with a call from jonathan brink last year that said “you need to do this.” i hemmed and hawed (“i like my blog just fine,” i said). but he stirred up the reality that even though i had no big desire to write a book anymore, i did have a deep longing for something more cohesive to share with folks who were interested in practice not theory & some better ideas on how to really try. so in the midst of back surgery & my son leaving for college & my husband on a 3 month temporary military deployment & the ongoing nuttiness of day to day life in the refuge, this project emerged.
much of what is part is from this blog but in a more comprehensive way. there are all kinds of beautiful stories from my friends. each chapter has personal reflection questions and group discussion questions. the entire middle section also has practical “ways to….” for those who really want to make some shifts in more tangible ways. here are the chapter titles to give you a taste:
section 1 – downward mobility
1. it stinks down here but i really love the smell
2. dreams are prettier when they are just dreams
3. there is no “us and them”, only us
4. “the kingdom isn’t going to just drop out of the sky”
section 2 – creating life down here
5. extending love, mercy, and compassion
6. welcoming pain
7. honoring doubt
8. diffusing power
9, practicing equality
10. pursuing justice
11. expressing creativity
12. celebrating freedom
section 3 – staying the course
13. beautiful and hazardous
14. we may look like losers
15. we may be crazy but we’re not alone
16. born again and again and again
who is down we go for?
“Down We Go is for people who are hungry to see the Kingdom of God now, in the least likely of places, just below the surface of everyday life. It is for people who are tired of ascent and all the ways it seems contrary to the ways of Jesus. For friends who are tired of talking about God in theory and now just want to do something. For pot-stirrers who know it’s time to shake up the status quo and live out something far more dangerous than they’ve ever tried before. For lovers-of-people who want real relationships instead of superficial ones. For those secretly bored of going to church every week, listening to the same message and leaving feeling lonely and disconnected from the power of the Gospel. For activists dedicated to creating new systems and structures that diffuse power and free the marginalized. For dreamers who dream of what could be and are ready to strap in for the bumpy, scary, beautiful ride down and then help lead others there as well.” – from the introduction
really, i wrote it with all of you in the forefront of my mind–the lovers-of-people, pot-stirrers, activists, dreamers.
i hope you like it. i hope you will process it together with other people. i hope you will interact with me on it here (and in the fall i am going to facilitate a fun online class for anyone interested in processing some of the ideas more intentionally). i hope it will stir up some challenge and hope for each of us. i know for me, in the thousand-times-reading-it-through-during-the-editing-process, i was reminded yet again of what i deeply believe and how tricky it is to really live it out. and how downward mobility really is worth it.
thanks for reading. thanks for buying one (or 2 or 3 or 4 or a whole bunch more, ha ha). thanks for dreaming with me.
best place to order right now is on amazon! (it’s available on kindle, too). barnes & noble/nook coming in a few days.