What if we lived in a world of abundance?

In the Beatitudes, Jesus offers nine sayings that move us beyond our first instincts and instead embrace the deeper reality of the kingdom of God. They name the illusions and false beliefs that have kept us chained and imprisoned. We’ve learned to live from a mentality of anxiety and greed, but what if a world of abundance with solace and comfort are actually near? We’ve learned to live by striving, competition, and comparison, but what if we all have equal dignity and worth?

Mark Scandrette shows how the Beatitudes invite us into nine new postures for life. Instead of living in fear, we can choose radical love. It’s often assumed that the good life is only for the most wealthy, attractive, and powerful. Poor, sad, and suffering people are left out. But the ninefold path of the Beatitudes is for everyone. Whatever your story, whatever your struggle, wherever you find yourself, this way is available to you.

Mark Scandrette is a poet, an artist, and an instigator of holy mischief. In this book, he explores the wisdom of the Beatitudes of Jesus. If you set out to compile a list of values that contradict the highest aspirations of popular American culture, you couldn’t do much better than the Beatitudes of Jesus, where Christ blesses the poor, the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers. In short, Jesus blesses all the people that our world is crushing, and he includes the people we have excluded. If you’re not yet convinced that the call of Jesus is countercultural and revolutionary, just consider Christ’s Beatitudes and Mark’s reflections on them in this book. Jesus is literally flipping the world upside-down … or right-side up … so that the last are first and the first are last. This is what God is up to, and we are invited to be a part of it. Let Mark Scandrette lead you into the hidden secrets of Jesus. If we want to be blessed by God, we need to be near to the people that this world is crushing. The blessing is not at the top but at the bottom.

Mark Scandrette issues us a compelling and winsome invitation to cultivate the kingdom of God within and around us, and then hands us tools so we can roll up our sleeves and dig in. Poet and activist, both grounded and visionary, he is a master craftsman in spiritual formation. This book will inspire and equip you to emulate both the radical heart orientation and lifestyle of Jesus.

Mark Scandrette is an internationally recognized expert in practical Christian spirituality. He is the founding director of ReIMAGINE: A Center for Integral Christian Practice, where he leads an annual series of retreats, workshops and projects designed to help participants apply spiritual wisdom to everyday life. His multidisciplinary studies in applied psychology, family health and theology have shaped his approach to learning and transformation. He is on the creative team for NINE BEATS collective, a project exploring the beatitudes as a 21^st vocabulary for the living way of Jesus. A sought after voice for creative, radical and embodied faith practices, he frequently speaks at universities, churches and conferences nationally and internationally and also serves as adjunct faculty in the doctoral program at Fuller Theological Seminary. His most recent books include The Ninefold Path of Jesus, FREE, Practicing the Way of Jesus and Belonging and Becoming (with Lisa Scandrette). Mark lives with his wife Lisa and their three young adult children in an old Victorian in San Francisco’s Mission District. He loves walking city streets and discovering beauty in unexpected places. He is passionately engaged in sustainability practices and efforts to create safe neighborhoods for all people. Mark is committed to seeking the common good of his neighborhood and city through personal action and organized efforts towards justice, compassion and ecological sustainability. He focuses his local efforts on neighborhood safety and police reform.

The Ninefold Path of Jesus

Hidden Wisdom of the Beatitudes

Endorsements

Mark Scandrette