It all started with a simple Doctor of Ministry project (not that there’s anything simple about a Doctor of Ministry degree). I was already past the designated time limit to have completed my DMin and basically just waiting for something magical to happen while looming in a dense fog. So I did the only thing I knew to do. I reached out to my faculty advisor, Dr. William Kirkpatrick, who had forgotten that I was still in the program, and gracefully scrambled some thoughts about what I thought might work for a project.
Thankfully, none of my ideas stuck. Can’t even remember what they were. Most likely they were something vague and uninteresting. But Dr. Kirkpatrick had another idea. He asked me what I thought about doing something with a theology of the cross along with its practical implications for ministry. I prayed about it and said yes! Actually, I had to do some research on what he meant by a theology of the cross. And then I said yes!
That “yes” by me took me on a journey that honestly, I’m not sure I’ll ever get over. Nor do I want to. In fact, I still believe I’m on it because to live out a theology of the cross, or a cruciform or cross-shaped life, is not a quick trip of triumphalism, but a path of learning to live sacrificially for the world around me. It is a walk of entering the suffering of the world. It’s not easy, but it’s where life is found.
So here I am, about 15 years after completing my DMin project, still writing and reading on living a cross-shaped life. I never dreamed, nor planned, of writing a book, but here it is. My hope is that it causes all who read it to pursue a life of humility, service, obedience, and sacrifice. And perhaps some will want to dig a bit deeper into studying cruciformity. If so, though there are a lot of places you could begin, I would start by reading Michael Gorman.
The Cross-Shaped Life releases on September 21 (or so I’m told). I am currently putting together a LAUNCH TEAM. I would love for you to join it. If you do, you commit to pre-ordering the book, reading it (of course), and reviewing it on amazon. There are a few other small things along the way, but those are the biggies! If you are interested, join the Facebook group. Or let me know if you have further questions.
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