Christianity Today Award of Merit in Spiritual Formation
"Now, with God's help, I shall become myself."
These words from Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard resonate deeply with Marlena Graves, a Puerto Rican writer, professor, and activist. In these pages she describes the process of emptying herself that allows her to move upward toward God and become the true self that God calls her to. Drawing on the rich traditions of Eastern and Western Christian saints, she shares stories and insights that have enlivened her transformation. For Marlena, formation and justice always intertwine on the path to a balanced life of both action and contemplation.
If you long for more of God, this book offers a time-honored path to deeper life.
Table of Contents:
1. Self-Emptying: The Mystery of Our Salvation
2. Down Low with Jesus
3. All Flame
4. Daily Returning Home
5. Do You See What I See?: Transfiguration
6. Our Teachers: Messengers of Grace
7. Rich Toward God
8. Memento Mori
9. Cradled in the Heart of God: Gratitude and Contentment
10. Incarnating the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Your Kingdom Come
Acknowledgments
Notes
About the Author :
Marlena Graves is Assistant Professor of Spiritual Formation at Northeastern Seminary on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, NY. She has written five books, two of which were award-winning, and over two hundred articles for outlets including Christianity Today, Relevant, Sojourners, The Christian Century, and more. She has held pastoral positions at several churches. She and her husband Shawn have three daughters.
Review :
"In an age marked by the idols of power, wealth, and prestige—in the church no less than in the culture—comes a quiet voice to remind us that God gives grace to the humble, and the meek will inherit the earth. Marlena Graves doesn't just write about these biblical truths—she lives them. The Way Up Is Down will reset your moral compass, clear your vision of the cultural dust, and direct you back to the only one who can make your paths straight."
Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well and Fierce Convictions
"Marlena writes with passionate urgency, nuance, and spiritual substance. She offers a much-needed word for a culture that prizes identity in what we achieve and make of ourselves. I found myself truly enriched by her powerful vision of relinquishment for the truly significant and flourishing life offered by Christ."
Rich Villodas, lead pastor, New Life Fellowship, New York City
"We have forgotten the way of Jesus—this one who 'calls us to stoop,' writes Marlena Graves. In her newest book, The Way Up Is Down, Graves's voice is bold and prophetic, calling each of us out of the wilderness of self-will to repent of our lust for power and material greed. But this isn't just a book. It's the compelling witness of a life: a woman born into poverty and racial oppression, who sees and loves the lowly and invites us to become like them."
Jen Pollock Michel,author of Surprised by Paradox and Keeping Place
"When conversations about discipleship or living into the kingdom of God seem heady and out of reach, I turn to writers like Marlena whose feet are firmly on the ground. She gives us a path to walk and practices to embody our big hopes and dreams about the upside-down ways of Jesus. If you've ever wondered how the last will be first (and what that even means for someone with privilege), Marlena is a faithful companion and guide to you. She is bold and pastoral—a rare combination—and best of all, she is the real deal. She has never lost sight of the people for whom this gospel is such good news, and in her words there is an invitation for all of us."
Sarah Bessey, author of Miracles and Other Reasonable Things and Jesus Feminist
"In The Way Up Is Down, Marlena reminds us that we serve the world well when we are emptied out. Through powerful stories and thoughtful prompts, she asks us to consider what it means to follow a Jesus who often does what we least expect—who serves and loves in a way that turns everything upside down. I'm grateful for her voice in this world."
Kaitlin Curtice, Potawatomi author and speaker
"This honest and intimate book reveals the truth of God's humility and invites us all into God's wonders. What an important read for the modern Christian!"
Julia Walsh, Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, author and retreat leader
"In a world clamoring for spotlight, status, and success, Marlena helpfully calls us back to the ancient wisdom of the church: that true life is found in dying and true significance in giving yourself away. Jesus is our trailblazer as we embark on this path of the kingdom, whose own way up to exaltation was found through laying down his life for us, and he beckons us to now follow in his stead."
Joshua Ryan Butler, pastor of Redemption Church, Tempe, author of The Skeletons in God'sCloset
"I know of no one who cares less for the superficial 'worries of this life' (Mt 13:22) than Marlena Graves. She is a voice calling out in our generation, beckoning us to a vision of Christ that has nearly been drowned out by the rise of self-help pseudo-Christianity. And this book? This book is her heart on paper. If you want to sit under a spiritual giant, and if you want to remember just what kind of freedom we are called to in Christ, do not miss this message."
Sharon Hodde Miller, author of Nice: Why We Love to Be Liked and How God Calls Us to More
"It is a rare and sacred gift for a writer to serve her raw heart—tender and salted with tears—to nourish the world. The Way Up Is Down is a profound act of Christlike service. Honest, poignant, and lyrical, this is a book that shows what it tells. It's unforgettable, incisive, and deeply needed. Thank you, Marlena, for sharing your precious gift—your story, your yearning for a better way. I am inspired."
Paul J. Pastor, author of The Face of the Deep, The Listening Day, and Palau: A Life on Fire
"A book that will challenge every perception of leadership. Marlena takes you through a journey of emptying your privilege, power obsession, position climbing, and the multifaceted pecking order to discover a holy exchange. It will literally wreckyour soul. The Way Up Is Down is a sacred interlude that will lead readers into a holy place of vulnerability. It will cause you to reframe and define what it means to be an authentic leader in a world distracted with vain celebrity culture."
Gricel Medina, leadership and community developer, Midsouth Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church
