The Way Up Is Down - by Marlena Graves (Hardcover)

About the Book

For writer, professor, and activist Marlena Graves, formation and justice always intertwine on the path to a balanced life of both action and contemplation. Drawing on the rich traditions of Eastern and Western Christian saints, she describes the process of emptying herself that allows her to move upward toward God and become the true self that God calls her to.

Book Synopsis

Christianity Today Award of Merit in Spiritual Formation

"Now, with God's help, I shall become myself."

These words from Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard resonate deeply with Marlena Graves, a Puerto Rican writer, professor, and activist. In these pages she describes the process of emptying herself that allows her to move upward toward God and become the true self that God calls her to. Drawing on the rich traditions of Eastern and Western Christian saints, she shares stories and insights that have enlivened her transformation. For Marlena, formation and justice always intertwine on the path to a balanced life of both action and contemplation.

If you long for more of God, this book offers a time-honored path to deeper life.

Review Quotes

"Before I devoured The Way Up Is Down, I already had a profound respect for Marlena Graves's prophetic voice. Her words only confirmed what I already knew: this is an essential message for our times. With a blend of storytelling, theology, and prophetic exhortation, Marlena manages to be fierce without being hard, tender without being fluffy, and bold without being flashy. She's worn trenches of faithfulness into the paths she now leads readers on. Marlena points the way to the true kingdom, offering permission to drop the world's addiction of hustling for worth by being first, and instead embrace an identity in which the Gospel is good news for those already spent. If you want a starting point for what it means to flourish in Christ, this is the book for you."

--Alia Joy, author of Glorious Weakness: Discovering God in All We Lack

"Marlena Graves's The Way Up Is Down is a tour de force. Crackling with the electricity of Spirit, witty, tender, wise, vulnerable, gorgeously written--it's futuristic in what it brings together. Yet we read it with the deep knowing that ancient truths are being cracked open here. Both theologically robust and pulsing with life, alternately humble and deeply challenging, this is the kind of fresh, bold, prophetic, and pastoral witness we desperately need right now. The truth of the downward path of Jesus--his way of descent--is articulated with revelatory clarity."

--Jonathan Martin, author of How to Survive a Shipwreck, pastor of the Table in Oklahoma City

"A book that will challenge every perception of leadership. Marlena takes you through a journey of emptying your privilege, power obsession, position climbing, and the multifaceted pecking order to discover a holy exchange. It will literally wreck your soul. The Way Up Is Down is a sacred interlude that will lead readers into a holy place of vulnerability. It will cause you to reframe and define what it means to be an authentic leader in a world distracted with vain celebrity culture."

--Gricel Medina, leadership and community developer, Midsouth Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church

"In The Way Up Is Down, Marlena reminds us that we serve the world well when we are emptied out. Through powerful stories and thoughtful prompts, she asks us to consider what it means to follow a Jesus who often does what we least expect--who serves and loves in a way that turns everything upside down. I'm grateful for her voice in this world."

--Kaitlin Curtice, Potawatomi author and speaker

"In an age marked by the idols of power, wealth, and prestige--in the church no less than in the culture--comes a quiet voice to remind us that God gives grace to the humble, and the meek will inherit the earth. Marlena Graves doesn't just write about these biblical truths--she lives them. The Way Up Is Down will reset your moral compass, clear your vision of the cultural dust, and direct you back to the only one who can make your paths straight."

--Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well and Fierce Convictions

"It is a rare and sacred gift for a writer to serve her raw heart--tender and salted with tears--to nourish the world. The Way Up Is Down is a profound act of Christlike service. Honest, poignant, and lyrical, this is a book that shows what it tells. It's unforgettable, incisive, and deeply needed. Thank you, Marlena, for sharing your precious gift--your story, your yearning for a better way. I am inspired."

--Paul J. Pastor, author of The Face of the Deep, The Listening Day, and Palau: A Life on Fire

"We have forgotten the way of Jesus--this one who 'calls us to stoop, ' writes Marlena Graves. In her newest book, The Way Up Is Down, Graves's voice is bold and prophetic, calling each of us out of the wilderness of self-will to repent of our lust for power and material greed. But this isn't just a book. It's the compelling witness of a life: a woman born into poverty and racial oppression, who sees and loves the lowly and invites us to become like them."

--Jen Pollock Michel, author of Surprised by Paradox and Keeping Place

About the Author

Marlena Graves is a writer and adjunct professor. She has also worked at Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC). Marlena holds an MDiv from Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, New York, and is a graduate of the Renovaré Institute. She has been a bylined writer for Christianity Today, (in)courage, womenleaders.com, and Our Daily Bread, and she is also the author of A Beautiful Disaster. She lives with her husband and three daughters in Toledo, Ohio.