We are told, "Look out for yourself first" and "Nice guys finish last." But following that path leaves us feeling isolated and anxious, and can even take us to a place of ruin. This is not a magnificent journey.There is a road to life in the unshakeable kingdom of God, but it's not an easy journey. "We cannot enter into the kingdom unless we take our cross and die to ourselves," writes author James Bryan Smith. "We often assume that this will be painful. And of course it is. But what is the alternative? I can, for example, choose to navigate my life, choose to live as I want, and aim at fulfilling all of my desires. This will result in that despair Kierkegaard wrote of, the sickness unto death. . . . The wisest choice, then, is to surrender."In The Magnificent Journey, the author shows us the better road, the road less travelled, but the road full of riches. Along the way he introduces us to new spiritual practices that will provide the sustenance we need for the deepest, most joy-filled journey of our livesthe journey into the heart of God.

James Bryan Smith is the author of The Good and Beautiful God and the Apprentice series. He earned his MDiv at Yale and his DMin at Fuller and is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He also serves as the director of the Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University. A founding member of Richard J. Foster's spiritual renewal ministry, Renovaré, Smith is an ordained United Methodist Church minister and has served in various capacities in local churches. Smith is also the editor of A Spiritual Formation Workbook and Devotional Classics (with Richard Foster).

How to Get the Most Out of This Book
Part One: Living Deep in the Kingdom
1. The Way of Surrender
2. Growing in Grace and Knowledge
3. Living from Above
4. Listening to God
Part Two: Developing Kingdom Virtues
5. Relaxing into Faith
6. Embracing Hope
7. Surprised by Love
8. Discovering a Deeper Joy
Acknowledgments
Study Guide
Notes