Instead of life "over," "under," "from," or even "for" God, what leads us into freedom and restoration is life "with" God.
Why are American Christians, who have more access to biblical teaching than any other people in history, failing to experience the freedom of the Christian life? Why are pastors, those closest to the work and ministry, burning out at an alarming rate? Why do many church members, who give large amounts of their time and wealth to Christ and his kingdom, secretly question the legitimacy of their efforts? And why are spiritual seekers dismissing the validity of the Christian message?
Is it possible we've misunderstood the call of the Christian life?
"With" explores the narrative of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and the stories of faithful women and men throughout history, to show that we were created to be with God, and that restoring this connection is his mission. When we neglect this calling in favor of a life "over," "under," or even "for" God, we will not know the freedom Christ intended. But a life lived in rich communion "with" God cultivates faith, hope, and love in a way that transforms both us and the broken world we inhabit.
Endorsements
Ifwe've grown weary of Christianity, if we find most any local churchuninspiring, maybe the problem lies not in the Christian faith or thesefaithful bodies, but in our own disgruntled hearts. In "With," SykeJethani tenderly unmasks the cliched posturing thattoo often masquerades as genuine communion with Christ. More importantly, he takes readers to the humble place they must occupy--in prayer, studyingScripture, with the Church--if faith, hope, and love are to truly mark ourlives. JamesH. Gilmore, author, "The Experience Economy"
Made of the stuff of spiritualclassics and presented in simple, contemporary terms, Skye Jethani does each ofus a great service in calling us to reimagine the way we relate to God. We so readily fall prey to living out distortions and reductions to ourChristian faith--with disastrous consequences. You and I are far morethan sinners, consumers, managers, and servants. We are dearly loved byGod and made for eternal communion with him. Everything looks differentwhen we live life in response to God's love. Paul Louis Metzger, Ph.D., Professor of Christian Theology & Theology of Culture, MultnomahBiblical Seminary and author of "The Gospel ofJohn: When Love Comes to Town"
Cleverly using four prepositions-under, over, from, and for, Skye Jethani convincingly diagnoses the reigning paradigms of life--whethersecular or religious-and shows how each one has captured some element of truthbut in the end is deficient; Ultimately, they miss the most importantthing-real communion with the living God. Thus utilizing one final preposition, With, he lays out what it really means to know and experience communion with God-alife of faith, hope and love--the very things that we all desperately want andneed. This is a helpful, encouraging, and inspiring book. Jim Belcher, author of "Deep Church"
It doesn'tmatter, as old theologians were rumored to argue, how many angels can dance ona pinhead. But it does matter which preposition governs your faith - over, after, against, for, from, under, with. Who knew what huge worlds turn on such tiny words? Who knew whattheological riches were laced into the bones of grammar? Skye has done a greatservice to the church. In prose elegant and clear, with insights keen and deep, he shows how everything changes with just one word: With. It's a book I want my whole church to read. " "MarkBuchanan, author of "Spiritual Rhythm"
Who knewthat a preposition had so much influence? Skye's book will challenge the waythat you think about God and faith digging deep into our motivations and heartissues. You can't read this book and not see yourself and others differently MargaretFeinberg, author of "Scouting the Divineand Hungry for God"
This bookwill do for our generation what J.B. Phillips, in his classic "Your God is Too Small," did for his. "With" reveals views of God thatcan't satisfy and opens up the possibility for exploring a life with Godthat more than satisfies. ScotMcKnight, author of "One.Life "and "The Blue Parakeet," professor of theology andbiblical studies at North Park University
SinceI dove into "With," I can't stopthinking about it. Skye Jethani's insights will change how you think about God...andyou...and how the two of you relate. Dr. Kara E. Powell, ExecutiveDirector of the Fuller Youth Institute
There's agood reason why Skye is a senior editor at "Leadership Journal."..he writes with astylish verve, real intelligence, and spiritual depth. Suggesting that thebasic posture that you adopt towards God determines the quality, meaning, anddirection of your life, "With" is designed to head readers inthe right direction. Alan Hirsch, author of "Untamed," TheForgottenWays.org
