Synopsis "The Upside Down Way"
Jesus' life should turn our world upside-down. His first observers, according to Luke, were routinely seized with amazement, both at the bending of physics--making the blind see and lame walk--and at the ridiculous things he did and taught. A careful look at the Jesus of the Gospels sketches a man completely out of touch with conventional thinking; a man radically devoted to living a shocking life for the sake of the broken and forgotten. In popular depictions of Jesus today he seems to be more concerned with upholding a conventional way of life than with overturning our understanding of ourselves. Jesus' life story should lead more to humble servanthood than to syncopated light shows in church or the triumph of a political candidate or a well-ordered and respectable lifestyle. The Upside Down Way is a series of devotionals drawn from the text of Luke. Each devotional is an invitation to a fresh look at the outrageous words and actions of Jesus. Author and pastor Matthew Ingalls combines rigorous historical study with a voice that is unflinchingly bold, reflective, honest, and challenging, in order to elevate Luke's ridiculous Jesus to his rightful position as the fountain of Christian faith. ""If I had to pick a phrase to describe Matt Ingalls' new book, it might be something like 'devotional with an edge.' These brief meditations on passages from Luke's gospel will touch, enlighten, and move you in your life with Christ, but they will also challenge you to think and act differently; actually, a bit 'upside down' as he puts it. And these would be great discussion-starters for groups."" --Kent L. Yinger, (Retired) Professor of New Testament Studies, George Fox Evangelical Seminary ""If your life of faith has grown a bit stale as of late, this book is for you! It delivers a powerful and extremely engaging combination of the biblical (the Gospel of Luke burns with intensity and relevance), the scholarly (with footnotes you will want to read) and the personal (the application begins right now). Matt's invitation, via Luke, is to a life of faith that turns everything on its head, where the way up is to go down, where all that is asked of you is your everything."" --Stuart Erny, DMin, Adjunct Professor, School of Theology and Christian Ministry Anderson University ""As a University student and runner, Matt inspired us to knock on our neighbors' doors offering friendship, prayer, and service. In The Upside Down Way, Pastor Ingalls blends unobtrusive scholarship, the gospel of Luke, and the daily brew of life to draw us near to the Lord of the 'upside down' kingdom. Open it up and knock on Life's door all over again!"" --David Markle, DMin, Pastor, Park Place Church of God Matthew Ingalls is the pastor of River Street Church of God in Newberg, Oregon--a small congregation dedicated to living the way of Jesus for the sake of its neighborhood. He is a graduate of Portland Seminary where he studied both Biblical studies and the history of Christian theology.
