Two readers write: Following Jesus in the Midwest, and When to Start?

March 16, 2019

A first reader writes:

We met a number of years ago when I was a seminary student at Eastern Mennonite University. [A group of us visited] your church near DC one Sunday and we had lunch with you afterward. I think you may have also come to campus while I was a seminary student.

Thirteen years later I find myself [in my second pastorate]. I urged the worship commission to use We Make the Road by Walking. Our lead pastor thought it was a great idea. We started in September of 2018. We are now more than halfway through using your book as our lectionary guide for the year. It’s been fruitful to see God’s story of love, justice, peace-making, and shalom within these texts time and time again. Thank you for your careful study of scripture, for the questions you help us ask and for opening space for questions to emerge that may have lain dormant for years. We are on a journey wondering what it means to be followers of Jesus in the 21st century in [the Midwest]. You have been a significant guide along the way.

May peace and joy surround you.

Thanks for these encouraging words! I poured my heart into that book, and it means a lot to know folks like you are putting it to good use.

A second reader writes:

Lately my wife and I have desired to have more serious and more in-depth discussions about faith and the Bible with our older kids. Consequently, my wife purchased copies of We Make The Road AND Seeking Aliveness for the members of our family (my daughter is a sophomore in college and my son is junior in high school). However, when the books arrived (after New Year’s) we realized they are built around the Christian calendar. We are approaching the third Sunday of Epiphany as I write this and I am wondering should we begin the book at the beginning or skip to appropriate season? What would you recommend as the author? I really want my kids/wife to get as much out of this as I have

So glad you’re thinking about using the book in this way.

If you or others are interested in using We Make The Road by Walking, here are some ideas:

1. You can start Holy Week with Palm Sunday on April 14 with Chapter 32. Then you can just follow through the rest of the year.

2. You can start an Uprising series on Easter beginning with Chapter 33 on April 21.

3. You can start a Pentecost/Ordinary time series beginning with Chapter 40, starting June 9.

4. The book has been re-formatted as a daily devotional called Seeking Aliveness. That format might be especially helpful for folks to use between Sundays.

5. You can start this Sunday with Chapter 28.

6. If congregations want to start a year-long adventure for 2019/2020, you could start planning now for a launch with Chapter 1 on September 1, 2019.

7. You’ll find additional ideas here: https://www.facebook.com/wemaketheroadbywalking/

Again, thanks so much for your encouraging words. With our world “on fire” in a negative way, we need hearts on fire in the most positive way. I thank God for pastors and parents like you, taking risks and lighting fires of faith, hope, and love.