I’m writing a new book! This week, in the midst of our celebrating launching all our kids adventure, I signed a contract with Westminster John Knox Press to publish Practicing: Be the Change You Want to See in the World (working title)! I am so excited about this project and to work with WJK on it (and grateful to my literary agent, Rachelle Gardner, for believing in it, too)! The manuscript is due June 1st with a proposed release date of January 2020 so I need to get hopping on writing. I’ve got a start on it but now it’s time to hit the keyboard.
Here’s a little bit more about who it’s for and what it’s about from the proposal:
“We are in the midst of a radical shift in the landscape of Christianity. From the masses of young people spurning organized religion, to faithful followers of Jesus, to the Nones and Dones, there is a deep hunger across gender, age, socioeconomics and denominational backgrounds for practical, tangible ways to live a life of love, mercy, and justice in our divided, fragmented world.
This book is not for the comfortable or satisfied, but for the restless, displaced, challenged, and longing.
It’s for those who are ready to move out of the status quo into brave practice and greater vulnerability as people of faith.
It’s for those who know that the kingdom of God isn’t going to drop out of the sky… they want to be co-creators in cultivating it here on earth.
It’s for those who are tired of “going to church” and want to “be the church.”
It’s for those who are longing not only for inspiration and challenge but also tangible practices to engage with their own souls and the lives of others to create transformation in our relationships, communities, and systems.
[This book is for] men and women across ages and experiences who are saying things like, “We want to be the change we want to see in the world. We want to become more brave, vulnerable, and engaged with ourselves and others instead of standing on the sidelines. We want tools, practices, and challenges to experiment with that help us be a better reflection of Jesus. We want to be part of changing oppressive systems, not just call them out on social media. We want to be healers and cultivators of love, justice, and beauty in this broken and divided world. We want to be people of practice….”
Each chapter will be centered on a practice, with stories, wisdom and perspectives from a wide range of folks across experiences and faith traditions, challenge and tangible possibilities for transformation, and group and personal reflection questions. Right now, these include: Healing, Listening, Including, Equalizing, Advocating, Mourning, Failing, Resting, Loving, Celebrating.
My hope is that it feels like we are all moving through the material together in my living room, which is my favorite place to meet. Also, that no matter where folks are in terms of life and faith and whether they’re reading it individually or alongside others in a group, that everyone who engages with it will find challenge, hope, and tangible ideas to practice.
When I get my head together on next steps, I will be reaching out for some input and share some as I go. Right now, I’m a mix of excited and terrified because it’s a lot easier to dream about a book than actually write one!
Meanwhile, know I am grateful for each of you reading here for a long time or just recently. It is a gift to me.