J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life
Do we have the wrong map for the Christian life? The apostle Paul traces out a pattern of dying and rising with Jesusâwhat Paul Miller calls the âJ-Curveââas the normal Christian life. Life's inconveniences, disappointments, and trials can leave us confused, cynical, and eventually bitter. But the J-Curve plots the ups and downs of our lives onto the story of Jesus. It grounds our journeys not in some abstract idea but in union with Christ and his work of love. Understanding our life in light of the J-Curve roots our hope, centers our love, and tethers our faith to Christ.
336 pages.
âPaul Miller has carefully observed Jesus. He has carefully observed how the work of grace unfolds in the apostle Paulâs life and in his own life. Take time with this book. You will become a deeper, wiser, truer person. You will become more humble, more joyous, more purposeful. And you will walk more steadily in the light.â
--- David Powlison, Executive Director, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation
âThis wise and readable book shows how the beloved doctrines of justification and union with Christ shape the thoughts, words, emotions, and actions of believers. I highly recommend this book for everyone who pursues gospel-driven discipleship.â
--- Dan Doriani, Professor of Theology, Covenant Theological Seminary
ââTake up your cross and follow me.â What was Jesus asking us to doâor be? How does it play out in everyday life? These questions are intensely practical from the moment I wake up in the morning. And thatâs why I love Paul Millerâs new book, J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life. Never have I read a more practical work on how a Christian can flourish through deep affliction. This book will revolutionize the way you look at your sufferings and your relationship to Christ. If youâre craving a life with your Savior that utterly transforms, this book is your best hands-on guide.â
--- Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder, Joni and Friends
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âI enjoyed this book on many levels. The apostle Paul tells us that believers have died and been raised with Jesus. Paul Miller helps us discover what this looks like in everyday life. His teaching rings true and will be helpful to many.â
--- John M. Frame, Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary
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Table of Contents:
Illustrations
Part 1: Discovering the J-Curve
1. âI Will Never Do This Againâ: The J-Curve and How It Helps
2. "I Take Your Place": The Substitutionary Nature of Love
3. Marketing the Self: What We Do Instead of the J-Curve
4. Liberating the Self: The Foundation of the J-Curve
5. In Harvard: Union with Christ Comes Alive
6. In Sports or In Christ?: How Location Changes Everything
7. Itâs All about Who You Know: Knowing Jesus in the J-Curve
8. Missing Justification by Faith: The J-Curve without JustificationÂ
9. Missing the J-Curve: Justification by Faith without the J-CurveÂ
Part 2: Dying with Jesus
10. Dying to Self: Understanding Different J-Curves
11. A Cascade of Love: Weaving J-Curves TogetherÂ
12. Life at the Bottom of the J-Curve: Making Sense of Persistent Evil
13. Living in the Borderland: How to Thrive in a Broken World
Part 3: The Descent of Love
14. Love Loses Control: Discovering the Shape of Love
15. The Art of Disappearing for Love: How the Incarnation Defines Love
16. Recovering a Vision of the Good: The Wonder of the J-Curve
17. Celebrating Christ Bearers: Rediscovering Hidden SaintsÂ
18. The Hinge of the J-Curve: Understanding the Will
19. The Four Steps of Love: Re-enacting Jesusâs DescentÂ
20. The J-Curve Calms a Quarrel: Creating a Path to ReconciliationÂ
Part 4: Rising with Jesus
21. Discovering the Power of Resurrection: What Makes the J Go Up?
22. Repersonalizing the Resurrection: Discovering the Forgotten Half of the J-Curve
23. Looking through a Resurrection Lens: The J-Curve Transforms Our Vision of Life
24. The Secret of an Irritation-Free Life: The J-Curve Cures Grumbling
25. Resurrection Realism: The J-Curve Protects Us from Cynicism
26. Delaying Resurrection for Love: Saying No to Good Desire
27. Becoming Human Again: The Emotional Life of the J-Curve
28. The Art of J-Curve Living: Dying and Rising in Twenty-Four Hours
29. Seeing the Big Picture: Multiyear Dying and Rising
Part 5: Forming a J-Curve Community
30. The Power of Weakness: How the J-Curve Defeats Tribalism
31. The Spirit at the Center: Learning Wisdom Down LowÂ
32. Love Treads Softly: Entering the Complexity of Love
33. Leadership Goes Low: Re-enacting Jesus in Community
34. Keeping Jesus Pure: The J-Curve Divides the Community
35. Jesus: The Ultimate Party Crasher
36. The Beauty of a Jesus Community: Including the Distant Outsider
Conclusion
Afterword
Acknowledgments
General Index
Scripture Index
Product Information
Product Information
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
Description
Do we have the wrong map for the Christian life? The apostle Paul traces out a pattern of dying and rising with Jesusâwhat Paul Miller calls the âJ-Curveââas the normal Christian life. Life's inconveniences, disappointments, and trials can leave us confused, cynical, and eventually bitter. But the J-Curve plots the ups and downs of our lives onto the story of Jesus. It grounds our journeys not in some abstract idea but in union with Christ and his work of love. Understanding our life in light of the J-Curve roots our hope, centers our love, and tethers our faith to Christ.
336 pages.
âPaul Miller has carefully observed Jesus. He has carefully observed how the work of grace unfolds in the apostle Paulâs life and in his own life. Take time with this book. You will become a deeper, wiser, truer person. You will become more humble, more joyous, more purposeful. And you will walk more steadily in the light.â
--- David Powlison, Executive Director, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation
âThis wise and readable book shows how the beloved doctrines of justification and union with Christ shape the thoughts, words, emotions, and actions of believers. I highly recommend this book for everyone who pursues gospel-driven discipleship.â
--- Dan Doriani, Professor of Theology, Covenant Theological Seminary
ââTake up your cross and follow me.â What was Jesus asking us to doâor be? How does it play out in everyday life? These questions are intensely practical from the moment I wake up in the morning. And thatâs why I love Paul Millerâs new book, J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life. Never have I read a more practical work on how a Christian can flourish through deep affliction. This book will revolutionize the way you look at your sufferings and your relationship to Christ. If youâre craving a life with your Savior that utterly transforms, this book is your best hands-on guide.â
--- Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder, Joni and Friends
Â
âI enjoyed this book on many levels. The apostle Paul tells us that believers have died and been raised with Jesus. Paul Miller helps us discover what this looks like in everyday life. His teaching rings true and will be helpful to many.â
--- John M. Frame, Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary
Â
Table of Contents:
Illustrations
Part 1: Discovering the J-Curve
1. âI Will Never Do This Againâ: The J-Curve and How It Helps
2. "I Take Your Place": The Substitutionary Nature of Love
3. Marketing the Self: What We Do Instead of the J-Curve
4. Liberating the Self: The Foundation of the J-Curve
5. In Harvard: Union with Christ Comes Alive
6. In Sports or In Christ?: How Location Changes Everything
7. Itâs All about Who You Know: Knowing Jesus in the J-Curve
8. Missing Justification by Faith: The J-Curve without JustificationÂ
9. Missing the J-Curve: Justification by Faith without the J-CurveÂ
Part 2: Dying with Jesus
10. Dying to Self: Understanding Different J-Curves
11. A Cascade of Love: Weaving J-Curves TogetherÂ
12. Life at the Bottom of the J-Curve: Making Sense of Persistent Evil
13. Living in the Borderland: How to Thrive in a Broken World
Part 3: The Descent of Love
14. Love Loses Control: Discovering the Shape of Love
15. The Art of Disappearing for Love: How the Incarnation Defines Love
16. Recovering a Vision of the Good: The Wonder of the J-Curve
17. Celebrating Christ Bearers: Rediscovering Hidden SaintsÂ
18. The Hinge of the J-Curve: Understanding the Will
19. The Four Steps of Love: Re-enacting Jesusâs DescentÂ
20. The J-Curve Calms a Quarrel: Creating a Path to ReconciliationÂ
Part 4: Rising with Jesus
21. Discovering the Power of Resurrection: What Makes the J Go Up?
22. Repersonalizing the Resurrection: Discovering the Forgotten Half of the J-Curve
23. Looking through a Resurrection Lens: The J-Curve Transforms Our Vision of Life
24. The Secret of an Irritation-Free Life: The J-Curve Cures Grumbling
25. Resurrection Realism: The J-Curve Protects Us from Cynicism
26. Delaying Resurrection for Love: Saying No to Good Desire
27. Becoming Human Again: The Emotional Life of the J-Curve
28. The Art of J-Curve Living: Dying and Rising in Twenty-Four Hours
29. Seeing the Big Picture: Multiyear Dying and Rising
Part 5: Forming a J-Curve Community
30. The Power of Weakness: How the J-Curve Defeats Tribalism
31. The Spirit at the Center: Learning Wisdom Down LowÂ
32. Love Treads Softly: Entering the Complexity of Love
33. Leadership Goes Low: Re-enacting Jesus in Community
34. Keeping Jesus Pure: The J-Curve Divides the Community
35. Jesus: The Ultimate Party Crasher
36. The Beauty of a Jesus Community: Including the Distant Outsider
Conclusion
Afterword
Acknowledgments
General Index
Scripture Index
