Stumbling Toward Eternity - by Josh White (Paperback)

About the Book

"Live with freedom and abundance as you freshly discover the cross of Jesus through the powerful stories and biblical insights of influential preacher and musician Josh White. The cross is not something we climb. It is something we die on. Christianity is not a path of empty promises. It leads us to the fullness of God. Pastor and popular songwriter Josh White knows this journey because it's shaped him, from a wild, hard-living youth to planting one of the most influential and artistic faith communities in "post-Christian" Portland, Oregon. Through crisp prose and incisive tell-it-like-it-is honesty, this beautiful and poignant book is an invitation to reconsider our lives by bringing freshness to a familiar symbol most of us take for granted--the cross of Jesus. Because in spite of our fiercest efforts, our lives still seem to lack the meaning, depth, or beauty we long to know. But the good news of Christianity promises that we can live with meaning, joy, and power like Jesus did . . . if we learn what it means to die with him. No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, discover how embracing the cross of Christ is the counterintuitive way to the abundant life we all desire"--

Book Synopsis

Live with freedom and abundance as you freshly discover the cross of Jesus through the powerful stories and biblical insights of influential preacher and musician Josh White.

"[A] vision of gospel hope."--John Mark Comer

Desperation reverberates at the very center of our anxious age. Despite our fiercest efforts, we never seem to find the meaning, depth, and beauty we long for. Where do we turn? There are so many voices promising happiness and endless ladders for us to climb toward a wholeness we can't seem to reach.

Yet what if what we are looking for has already come down to us?

In Stumbling Toward Eternity, writer, pastor, and recording artist Josh White offers confessional stories and theological insights as he interprets the pain of his own past, the complicated "mixture" of the present, and the beautiful uncertainty of the future through the lens of grace. Using crisp and honest prose, he reveals why the most familiar symbol of Christianity--the cross of Jesus--is also the most misunderstood. He shows us why the goal of our desperate existence is not arriving at perfection or success but knowing the crucified Christ.

The cross is not something to climb toward status. It is something to die on. It is where illusions die and wounds are healed. The cross is where the crucified God speaks over us words that bring freedom. Freedom from futility. Freedom to live with hope. Freedom to truly love.

When we lose and find ourselves in the cross of Jesus, we discover that even the most dissonant notes of life can be redeemed in His song, even as we stumble toward eternity.

Review Quotes

"Josh White has done the hard work of facing his troubled past and finding the thread of grace that has long made beauty from ashes. Many will resonate with the pain of his upbringing; even more will come alive at his vision of gospel hope."--John Mark Comer, author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

"Stumbling Toward Eternity is a bit like its author: intrepid and infectious, openhearted yet unflinching, and singularly focused on the grace of God for nontheoretical sinners. . . . This book is redemption made plain, essential reading for anyone in need of real hope. And the footnotes alone are worth the price of admission!"--David Zahl, founder of Mockingbird Ministries and author of Low Anthropology

"These pages hold deep theology, rich memoir, and a call to enter the life you were made for with God. Josh's vulnerability with his heartbreak and shortcomings will give you the courage to face your own head-on and discover there the presence of the crucified King."--Joshua Ryan Butler, lead pastor of Redemption Tempe, author of Beautiful Union

"Josh White artfully interweaves his own story of trauma and healing with God's redemptive plan for all humanity. One cannot help but walk away from this text with a deeper sense of the never-ending grace and all-encompassing love of God."--Jake Johnson, PhD, LMFT, associate professor of marriage and family therapy at Wheaton College

"Stumbling Toward Eternity can be described in various ways: compelling, faithful, engaging, hope-filled, beautifully written--but most of all, it is real."--Mark R. McMinn, PhD, author of The Science of Virtue

"Stumbling Toward Eternity weaves together the historical reality of Jesus's crucifixion and how Christ crucified brings healing, beauty, and redemption to our fragile humanity. Raw, honest, funny, and perhaps, most important, hopeful."--Rick McKinley, founding pastor of Imago Dei Community, Portland

"Josh White takes us into the very heart of Jesus's story, reminding us that His story is also ours.... The suffering of Christ is our only hope."--Patrick Schreiner, author of The Visual Word

"I read this book over and over, drinking in the reminders of the love of God, the stories of His people's suffering, and the confusion we all face when life goes bad . . . This should be required reading for every follower of Jesus."--Diane Comer, author of He Speaks in the Silence

"While this book gives a glimpse into Josh's heart, it also provides an expansive view of the ragged terrain of everyman's soul and the wounded healer who beckons us to His cross."--Josh Garrels, musician and owner of Small Voice Records

"This book will take its place next to the great classics penned by the cloud of witnesses who similarly and obsessively clung to Christ's cross through countless seasons of cultural upheaval and spiritual decline."--Evan Wickham, worship leader, songwriter, and lead pastor of Park Hill Church, San Diego

About the Author

Josh White is a speaker, recording artist, writer, and founding pastor of Door of Hope, a thriving church community in the heart of Portland. He has recorded multiple worship albums, including as the frontman of Telecast. Josh has also produced numerous records, including Liz Vice's first album, There's a Light. Josh and his wife, Darcy, reside in Portland, Oregon, with their son and daughter.