Journeywise - by Shane Stanford (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

JourneyWise: Finding meaning in each step along the path of life and being transformed by the journey as a whole.

A common thread binds us together: the broken and winding roads we all travel. Most of us carry with us some form of spiritual, emotional, or physical baggage. That type of weight takes its toll. Our paths can be difficult or daunting if we try to journey them on our own. In JourneyWise, noted pastor and author Shane Stanford offers us a different understanding of our life's path, enabling us to reframe our journey into one that is healed and redeemed. He begins by asking these questions:

What if you could have Jesus Himself as your life's companion? What if you had access to His innermost thoughts, tapping into His wisdom? What if your story could intimately intertwine with His and of others who closely follow Him? And what if all of this were possible by purposefully applying only a few paragraphs of His teachings?

The Beatitudes are more than just poetic verse used to begin Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. They are the essence of Jesus's message from beginning to end. These familiar words establish the overall tone of Jesus's teaching ministry and reveal His most deeply held values.

To be JourneyWise is to discover and live out the simple yet powerful truths of the Beatitudes. It is through the Beatitudes, which literally mean "blessings," that Jesus gives us a new definition of significance before leading us to reflect on the deeper meaning of life, our relationship with God, and the interconnections we have with others. They speak to our friendships, actions, fears, prejudices, and joys. They are pragmatic, powerful lessons wrapped in simple words. In their simplicity and accuracy, the Beatitudes yield amazing results when practiced faithfully.

This book will stir your spirit and touch your emotions to bring healing so you can follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Writing with honesty, poignancy, and compassion about the complexities of our daily existence, Shane shows how, in each beatitude, Jesus provides a foundation for developing a significant and spiritually formed life. Here, you will find words of hope and the infinite possibilities of Christ's simple blessings.

JourneyWise with Jesus.

Review Quotes

In JourneyWise, author and Bible teacher Shane Stanford helps us wrap our story into God's eternal and perfect story as we experience afresh Jesus's Sermon on the Mount as a sermon for our souls, a map for living joyfully blessed. "God bless you" doesn't have to be an empty platitude; step into God's way and experience His joy. -- Ron L. Deal Family therapist and best-selling author of The Smart Stepfamily
Director of Blended Families, FamilyLife

With his years of unique experience and wisdom, Pastor Shane points people to Jesus, assisting them as they journey through Scripture in search of hope.
--Chuck and Ashley Elliott
Authors, I Used to Be ___: How to Navigate Large and Small Losses in Life and Find Your Path Forward


The Beatitudes--the blessing statements of Matthew 5--show us the heart of Jesus's teachings about the Christian life. In this book, Shane Stanford uses the Beatitudes to guide us in a journey alongside Jesus into a life of depth and peace. This is not a self-help book but something much better. It invites us into a relationship with the only One who can offer a truly good life.
--David F. Watson, PhD
Academic Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of New Testament
United Theological Seminary

A deeply personal, story-based approach to the Beatitudes that is unlike any other you will ever read. JourneyWise is filled with unflinching frankness, unforgettable characters, evocative moments, and provocative meditations. A profoundly lyrical and moving book that will stay with you for a lifetime. --Leonard Sweet

With the warmth of a friend sitting in a rocking chair, Shane Stanford rolls out stories as sweet as honey and as sharp as cayenne pepper--stories that teach us how to live in the blessings of Jesus found in the Beatitudes. JourneyWise is simple yet profound. It will cause you to reveal, reflect, respond to, and refine not only who you think Jesus is but also who--in the creative tension of choice--you are choosing to become. This book will show you each step in a journey of self-discovery and growth in wisdom. "Be-the-Attitudes" of Christ.--Laurie Beth Jones Best-selling author of Jesus, CEO; The Path; and The Four Elements of Christian Leadership

About the Author

Dr. Shane Stanford is the founder and CEO of The Moore-West Center for Applied Theology, as well as the president of JourneyWise, The Moore-West Center's faith-based media network. Previous to that, he served as a pastor and church planter for more than thirty years. Most recently, he was the sixth senior minister of Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, TN. He also served as host of The United Methodist Hour, a television and radio ministry reaching more than thirty million homes nationwide. Stanford was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity from Asbury Seminary in 2014. He also holds a Master of Divinity degree in theology and ethics from Duke University Divinity School, where he won the prestigious Jameson Jones Award in homiletics. He has traveled extensively, sharing his personal testimony as an HIV- and hepatitis C-positive hemophiliac, husband, father, and pastor. Stanford has appeared on several media outlets, including Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, CNN, and Canada's Harvest TV. An accomplished author, he has written numerous books, including Cure for the Chronic Life (with Deanna Favre); A Positive Life; When God Disappears; Making Life Matter; Five Stones: Conquering Your Giants (with R. Brad Martin); Mosaic: When God Uses All the Pieces; and What the Prayers of Jesus Tell Us About the Heart of God. He is married to his high-school sweetheart, Dr. Pokey Stanford, and they have three daughters and two sons-in-law.