Hi friends,
I’ve been working on something new, and I’m finally ready to bring you into it.
On November 29, the First Sunday of Advent, I’m launching A Walk With Jesus of Nazareth.
For thirty days, we’re going to pay closer attention to Jesus.
I keep coming back to that phrase because it describes exactly what I want this to be.
There are Gospel stories some of us have heard since we were children. We know where the Good Samaritan is going before the poor man even gets mugged. We know Satan is going to lose in the desert. We know who is going to show up at the empty tomb.
And yet, again and again, when we slow down and actually look at the text, there is more there.
You’ve already seen us do this together.
Some of the most popular things I’ve written for Message From the Margins have come from taking a familiar story, asking one more question, looking at a little history, paying attention to one strange detail… and discovering that the passage we thought we knew still had plenty left to say.
I want to spend thirty days doing that with Jesus.
His stories. His teachings. His arguments. His friendships. The people He notices. The things He says that comfort us, and the things He says that become a little less charming once we realize He expects us to take them seriously.
But before I finish building it, I want you involved.
One of my favorite things about Message From the Margins is what happens after I hit Publish. You write back. You leave comments. You ask questions I hadn’t considered. You tell me where I’ve helped, where I’ve confused you, and occasionally where Father has gone completely off the rails.
It would seem silly to build something this large without inviting that same community into the process.
So I’ve created a Founding Community for the First Walk.
Between now and November 29, I’m going to bring that group behind the scenes while I build.
I’ll share ideas while they’re still taking shape. I’ll ask which Gospel stories you want us to explore. I’ll ask what you’ve always wanted to understand about Jesus. I’ll ask where faith and actual life are colliding for you.
And yes, some of what you send me will almost certainly change the finished Walk.
I want your fingerprints on this thing.
For today, I’m simply gathering the people who want to come inside early, follow the process, and help me build something I hope will serve a great many people.
If that sounds like you, come join us.
I am awfully excited about this.
Come and see.
Your Brother in Christ,
