Our Road to Damascus: 7 Lessons for a Life of Purpose and Meaning

by Dan Assisi

Overview

WINNER of the NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS and SILVER MEDALIST at the ILLUMINATION BOOK AWARDS.

One old story. Seven new lessons about life and change.

Paul like you have never seen before: deeper, closer, and more relevant to our times.

Walk beside one of the greatest figures in Christianity during the most impactful moments of his life. Witness his personal transformation up close. Discover 7 lessons for a life of purpose and meaning hidden in his story. Walk away with a blueprint for understanding change and acting on personal growth that will stick with you forever.

"... A book that succeeds in the tricky feat of being intriguingly spiritual without being explicitly religious." -- Kirkus Reviews

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The world feels overwhelming. So much is happening that everything seems chaotic and confusing. Deep inside we also know things could be different, that life could be better. We feel the need for change.

How do we make sense of it all? How do we move past the discomfort we are feeling and navigate toward meaningful change? What lies ahead in our journey of personal growth?

To help us through it, award-winning author and internationally acclaimed speaker Dan Assisi transforms an old story told countless times before into something new and deeply applicable to our times.

In Our Road to Damascus, Paul of Tarsus' famous journey is not a religious story - it is a tale of profound transformation filled with rich symbolism we can transfer into our daily lives.

This is a book for anyone who has gone through difficult times and is wondering: what comes next? If you enjoy seeing different concepts connect to create a bigger picture that can help you navigate life, this book is for you.

Discover what lies ahead in your road to Damascus.

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Our Road to Damascus has earned the following awards:

• Winner at the National Indie Excellence Awards
• Silver Medal at the Illumination Book Awards
• Finalist at the International Book Awards
• Semifinalist at the BookLife Nonfiction Contest by Publishers' Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781735967509
Publisher:	Daniel Assisi
Publication date:	12/12/2020
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.58(d)

About the Author

Dan Assisi, Ed.D., MPA, PMP is a best-selling author and internationally celebrated speaker who has delivered hundreds of talks and conferences on spirituality in over 60 cities in 4 continents. Known for a mix of deep thinking and witty humor, Dan takes a unique approach to spirituality that is steeped in reason to remind audiences everywhere of our spiritual nature.
Dr. Assisi was featured in the Togetherness Video Series, an interfaith documentary on religious diversity and spirituality, and is a founding member of The Spiritist Institute. You can also find him as the host of the Spiritist Conversations podcast.
You can connect with him online at www.danassisi.com.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Before We Begin: A Word on "Religion" ix

1. On the Road with Paul 1
2. Why Paul? 6
3. The Story 24
4. The Seven Lessons Before Us 32
5. Lesson 1: In a Group But Alone 37
6. Lesson 2: A Destabilizing Moment 65
7. Lesson 3: The Courageous Question 84
8. Lesson 4: The Temporary Blindness 106
9. Lesson 5: The Decision to Go Ahead 130
10. Lesson 6: The Unexpected Help 156
11. Lesson 7: A Different Damascus 179
12. Our Road to Damascus and Beyond 198

About the Author 213

Copyright Permissions 215

Discussion Questions 217

Appendix: People Mentioned in the Book 221

Notes 227

Reference List 233

Also by Dan Assisi 237

Editorial Reviews

"Assisi turns the underlying precepts of the Paul story--a tale of being "called to change"--into a series of lessons designed to address a broad array of human experiences, from coping with complicated relationships to dealing with grief. The result is a book that succeeds in the tricky feat of being intriguingly spiritual without being explicitly religious." -Kirkus Reviews

"Assisi is a relaxed, smooth writer, with a friendly tone and appropriately-placed humor. His clear, expressive writing demonstrates his talents in motivational speaking." -The BookLife Prize

"Loved it! ... it would be a mistake to assume that this book is for Christians alone... [We] recommend this book to ALL readers ..." -Reedsy Discovery

From the Publisher

2021-02-02
A debut manual looks at St. Paul’s Damascus road experience as a template for human contemplation.

Early on, Assisi assures his readers that despite its title, his book is not about organized religion. Rather, it’s about “unpacking a personal experience of an incredible person who decided to change himself—an experience from which we can hopefully transfer some wisdom into our lives.” As the title indicates, this incredible person is Saul of Tarsus, who had a vision on the road to Damascus and converted to Christianity. This presence of the divine is central to the author’s contentions here; everyone, he maintains, has a one-on-one relationship with what he refers to as “G.O.D.—the Guiding, Designing, Organizing force of the universe. Or whatever other nomenclature one chooses.” Some readers may find these opening assertions confusing—Saul doesn’t decide to transform himself, for instance; he’s essentially ordered to do so by direct divine intervention. And that divine intervention is not some generalized Guiding, Designing, Organizing force but very specifically the Christian God. Still, Assisi smoothly and invitingly broadens his inquiry to include the universal human desire for meaning and purpose in life and his readings of the Paul story. He’s particularly insightful on the many ways Paul’s tale more closely reflects the Christian faith experience than the stories of the other disciples. “Paul never met Jesus in the flesh, he never spent time with him, never had a chance to listen to his teachings directly from him, never followed him in his wanderings or preachings,” the author writes. “Paul was like most of the Gentiles—all who would hear about Christ, but not from Christ. Like us.” In a series of very readable chapters, Assisi turns the underlying precepts of the Paul story—a tale of being “called to change”—into a series of lessons designed to address a broad array of human experiences, from coping with complicated relationships to dealing with grief. The result is a book that succeeds in the tricky feat of being intriguingly spiritual without being explicitly religious.

A vigorously written and thought-provoking inspirational guide to changing your path in life.

Kirkus Reviews