Dane Davis on his book worth writing

This Monday marks the start of a new month. It is also the day of the release of my last book. It is titled “Booyed Up: The 8 Steps of Jesus Towards an Unsinkable Life”. It is a close and personal look at the first twelve verses of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) – the section popularly known as “The Beatitudes”.

The book began earlier this year as a series of messages to Impact Christian Church in Victorville. At the start of the New Year, I began to preach a series of messages about Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. Remarkably, Jesus condenses thousands of pages of practical theology into three short chapters. And it sums up hundreds of great sermons into one extraordinary.

I have preached through the Eight Beatitudes of Jesus in the past, but this time their ideas have expanded and encouraged me like never before. The word “beatitude” is taken from the Latin word beatitudo, which means “be blessed”. So, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us eight “blessed ares” – eight conditions under which his disciples will be blessed.

To be blessed by God is to experience the approval of God, to be nourished by the goodness of God, to be in an enviable position, and to be fully satisfied. But not only that. When God blesses us, he also tells us, “When you feel like you are sinking and drowning in your troubles, I will always make sure that my faithful followers come to the surface. In other words, if we obey the beatitudes of Jesus, we will be redeemed by God – and that is a great way to live.

Like you, I have problems. Some are really big. In my lowest moments, life feels like hell on Earth. But as I studied the beatitudes of Jesus, I realized that they provide us with eight steps to experience paradise here. Most of us have this notion that the Earth and the sky are completely separate. Earth is where we are, and Heaven is somewhere in space.

But that’s not what Jesus teaches. He teaches that heaven is “near” (Matthew 4:17). In fact, Jesus came to Earth not only to die, but to bring with him some of the best parts of heaven, including love, compassion, grace, kindness, righteousness, and forgiveness. And in the beatitudes, Jesus teaches us how to continue his mission, bringing some of the best parts of paradise to our little corner of the world.

As I wrote each of the eight chapters of my new book – one chapter out of beatitude – I was deeply moved by what Jesus was teaching me. As he proclaims: “Happy are those who cry”, he calls me to say quickly: “I am sorry” and sincere. As he declares, “Blessed are the meek,” he calls me to live a gentle and controlled life. As he says, “Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” he calls me to pursue righteous relationships with God and the people around me. The life changing ideas of Jesus keep flowing in one after another.

Over the centuries, many excellent books have been written on the Beatitudes. But by the grace of God, my book is unique.

For starters, it’s written in plain English so that any reader can understand it. While his ideas will challenge even the most mature follower of Christ, I have made sure that every chapter of the book is easy to read. And I designed the book to be very practical. Each chapter offers practical advice for living each beatitude. Finally, for those who are interested in learning how the beatitudes of Jesus are explained and illustrated in other parts of the Bible, I offer a number of cross-references at the end of each chapter.

Now, will this book ever make it to the New York Times bestseller list? Barely! But I hope and pray that he will do for thousands of Christians what he has done for me: challenge, encourage and inspire them to follow in Jesus’ footsteps better than ever by teaching them how to bring some of the best. parts of paradise to their little corner of the world.

“Buoyed Up: Jesus’ 8 Steps to an Unsinkable Life” will be released on Amazon on November 1 and is available as a paperback, e-book, and audiobook. Pastor Dane Davis writes a weekly column on religion for the Daily Press. He will hold a book signing at 10:15 a.m. on November 7 at Impact Christian Church, 17746 George Boulevard, Victorville.