Upended: How Following Jesus Remakes Your Words and World

by Jedd Medefind, Erik Lokkesmoe

Overview

Connect...
Influence…
Love…

In a way that overturns the world's assumptions.

Upended invites the follower of Jesus to become an apprentice to Jesus, particularly in the choices that shape our lives most: how we communicate and connect. Join this exhilarating exploration of the often overlooked, often oversimplified character of Jesus and His unparalleled way of communicating. Study, echo, and embrace the ways of the Master. Your life will inevitably be upended. Not always how you’d imagined, but certainly for the better. Much better.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616387228
Publisher:	Charisma Media
Publication date:	05/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	838 KB

About the Author

Jedd Medefind serves as president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans. Prior to this role, he led the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives as a special assistant to President George W. Bush. He and his wife, Rachel, love the great outdoors and have four children.

Erik Lokkesmoe is the founder and principal of Different Drummer, a LA/NYC-based audience and fan mobilization agency for top entertainment brands. Erik has a MA in public communications and a BA in political science. Erik and his wife, Monica, have three children.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

Section I Apprenticing to Jesus

1 Eternal Truth and the Daily Grind 11

2 The Kingdom Vision 22

Section II Llfe Through Presence

3 The Gift of Presence 33

4 All There 41

Section III Life Through Attentiveness

5 Our Culture s Rarest Commodity 49

6 The Ministry of Listening 57

Section IV Life Through Incarnation

7 Drawing Near 69

8 Talcing on Flesh 78

Section V Life Through Authenticity

9 A Drought of the Real 89

10 A Draught of the Real 101

Section VI Life Through Concreteness

11 Making Truth Touchable 115

12 Concrete Grace 120

Section VII Life Through Story Telling

13 The Marvelous Power of Story 131

14 Storytelling for Community, Cause, and Conviction 140

Section VIII Life Through Questions

15 How to Start a Revolution 153

16 Change Deeper Than Force Could Bring 160

Section IX Life Through Time Away From The Crowd

17 We Cannot Give What We Do Not Have 171

18 One Uncrowded Day Each Week 182

Section X Where It Happens

19 When We Get Our Wish 191

20 The Biggest Decisions We'll Ever Make 197

Conclusion: Life by a Thousand Cuts 206

Notes 216

Interviews

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

 Hometown: New York, NY

Editorial Reviews

Upended is a beautiful reminder of the principles found in the “upside down” kingdom of God, in stark contrast to the values and motives prominent in today’s culture. I highly recommend this book to anyone who sincerely desires to become an apprentice of Jesus Christ.” —Wess Stafford, president, Compassion International
 
“Upended shows how an authentic, reflective, engaged faith—the revolutionary faith taught by Jesus—can result in a life of meaning, purpose, compassion, and significance.” —Michael Gerson, columnist, Washington Post and former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush
 
“Erik and Jedd have created a timeless resource for the everyday leader.” —Brad Lomenick, executive director, Catalyst

“I was refreshed in my desire to be fully congruent with the gospel of Jesus and to integrate, integrate, integrate His words and work into my daily words and my daily work. Apprenticing Jesus . . . brilliant!” —Sara Groves, singer-songwriter, winner of Christianity Today’s Album of the Year

“Upended shows us how we can aspire to be more like Jesus in ways that infuse eternal significance into our daily life.” —Kristen Howerton, Rage Against the Minivan
 
“Writing with uncommon clarity, Medefind and Lokkesmoe explain how the strength and depth of our relational influence flows from both authentic discipleship and choices in how we communicate.” —Frank Wright, PhD, president and CEO, National Religious Broadcasters
 
“Upended arrives at just the right time, in just the right tone. The reader is invited back to a simple yet sacrificial devotion to Jesus—in an area few ever think about: the way we connect with others.”—Lori Wilhite, founder, LeadingandLovingIt.com
 
“Upended delivers savvy and heart. Woven with story and insight, Upended is for anyone who wants to become a more skillful apprentice of Jesus Christ.” —Dr. Scott Todd, lead architect, 58: Campaign
 
“Upended will help any leader’s message penetrate the noise.” —Gabe Lyons, author, The Next Christians and founder, Q Ideas
 
“The book is, like following Jesus, deep and joyful. Read this and see where Jesus wants to upend your life.” —Russell D. Moore, dean, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary School of Theology and author, Tempted and Tried
 
“As we seek Jesus’s kingdom, God’s shalom takes tangible form where our influence is felt. This is the promise of which Upended reminds us. And then it shows us how. As an apprentice to Jesus, I need this book. So do you.” —Gideon Strauss, executive director, Max De Pree Center for Leadership
 
“Most of us know that the life we are living now is a full-size less than all that God has cut out for us. So, good for Upended, grabbing us where we live, knocking us on our religious assets, and pointing to the daily, right-sided revolution of grace Jesus always intended.” —Geof Morin, chief communications officer, American Bible Society
 “Upended is an encouraging, thoughtful, and challenging read. If you are in need of a fresh look at Jesus Christ and what He came to do in and through your life, then you’ve found it. If you take Upended seriously, you are going to be a much better person because you read it.” —Dr. Dennis Rainey, president, FamilyLife and host, FamilyLife Today

From the Publisher