The Year of Small Things: Radical Faith for the Rest of Us

From the Back CoverDiscover Faith-Forming Practices for Everyday RadicalsThe Year of Small Things explores the yearlong experiment of two young families to implement twelve small practices of radical faith--things like simplicity, sustainability, and hospitality to the poor--not waiting until they were out of debt or the kids were out of diapers or God sent them elsewhere, but right now. The authors invite you to think about embarking on your own year of small but radical changes, right where you are."Thisis the best kind of spiritual formation book: serious and funny, smart and vulnerable--and, most useful of all, practical. Honestly, this is one of my favorite books this year."--Jen Pollock Michel, speaker and author of Teach Us to Want"Deeply moving--and necessary--for the faith community."--Joel Salatin, renegade farmer and author of The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs: Respecting and Caring for All God's Creation"This beautiful book offers a minirevolution that could shake up the world, or at least your neighborhood--and it doesn't require growing kale or living in a hut."--Leslie Leyland Fields, author of Crossing the Waters: Following Jesus through the Storms, the Fish, the Doubt, and the Seas"A field guide on how to implement Mother Teresa's admonition to 'do small things with great love.'"--Tim Otto, copastor of Church of the Sojourners, San Francisco; author of Oriented to Faith; coauthor of Inhabiting the Church: Biblical Wisdom for a New Monasticism"This beautifully written book is a gem!"--Elaine Heath, dean of Duke Divinity School; author of God Unbound: Wisdom from Galatians for the Anxious Church"Written with grace, authenticity, and wit, Arthur and Wasinger's book made me excited to follow their path--the mark of a truly great work."--Nathan Foster, director of community life, Renovaré; author of The Making of an Ordinary Saint"Sarah and Erin get it. If you want to practice your faith right where you are, these women are the reliable guides you need."--Margot Starbuck, author of Small Things with Great Love: Adventures in Loving Your NeighborFor more information, visit www.yearofsmallthings.com.When Sarah and Tom Arthur were appointed to a suburban church after three years in an urban Christian community, they faced a unique challenge: how to translate the practices of "radical" faith into their new context. Together with their friends and fellow church members Erin and Dave Wasinger, the Arthurs embarked on a yearlong experiment to implement twelve small practices of radical faith--not waiting until they were out of debt or the kids were out of diapers or God sent them elsewhere, but right now.This book is Sarah and Erin's story, told with humor, theological reflection, and practical insight, exploring such practices as simplicity, hospitality, accountability, sustainability, and social justice--but, most of all, discernment. Along the way readers will consider how God might be calling them to embark on their own year of small but radical changes, right where God has planted them. Each chapter includes discussion questions and suggested readings. Foreword by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.For more information, visit [www.YearofSmallThings.com](http://www.YearofSmallThings.com).About the AuthorSarah Arthur (MTS, Duke University Divinity School) is a fun-loving speaker and the award-winning author or compiler of eleven books, including the best-selling Walking with Frodo: A Devotional Journey through "The Lord of the Rings" and At the Still Point: A Literary Guide to Prayer in Ordinary Time. She has written for such publications as Christianity Today, Her.meneutics, and Image Journal online, and has served as a fiction judge for the Christianity Today Book Awards. She lives in Lansing, Michigan. Visit her website at www.saraharthur.com.Erin F. Wasinger is a freelance writer, speaker, and journalist, having worked as a newspaper editor and columnist before moving