Upside Down: Shifting to Jesus’s Perspective: Weekly Devotional Journal for Spiritual Growth

By Staci Jensen-Hart

Are you stuck in a negative, inhibiting perspective of life? Choices, character traits, and emotions can perpetuate this outlook. However, what if you reversed your mindset and instead chose Jesus’s upside down way of living?

In Upside Down: Shifting to Jesus’s Perspective, author Staci Jensen-Hart presents a weekly devotional journal that encourages you to choose a way of being that enables you to experience life the way Jesus models. In shifting your perspective to see Jesus’s upside down view, you can lead a Christlike way of life that exudes grace, joy, peace, and love in order to serve as he calls you.

This inspirational, devotional journal challenges your thinking through unique reverse poetry. The weekly readings are written as if Jesus is talking directly to you, and the selections are followed by journaling space for your own thoughts and prayers. Jensen-Hart provides action steps to apply your learning with space to create your own activities for change. She encourages you to choose today to live in Jesus.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781489737618

Staci Jensen-Hart

Staci Jensen-Hart is a long-term “doing” Christian who is in the process of growing as a “being” Christian. She is a retired social worker and professor. Jensen-Hart lives with her husband in Idaho and has two adult children and one grandchild. She has published a novel, professional articles, and co-authored Christian Bible studies.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Staci Jensen-Hart.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

LifeRich Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.liferichpublishing.com

844-686-9607

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Mary Kemper

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3760-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3759-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3761-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021916035

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 10/19/2021

Dedication

Dedicated to the timing of the Spirit, Joan’s faithfulness and Kelley, my ever supportive husband

Image%2000.Dedication.jpg

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Choice 1 Cynicism and Boredom or Awe and Wonder?

Choice 2 Thanklessness or Gratitude?

Choice 3 Control or Surrender?

Choice 4 Shame or Grace?

Choice 5 Indifference and Apathy or Love?

Choice 6 Fear or Faith?

Choice 7 Despair or Hope?

Choice 8 Anger and Selfishness or Kindness and Gentleness?

Choice 9 Timidity or Courage?

Choice 10 Undisciplined or Perseverance and Self-Control?

Choice 11 Imprisonment or Freedom?

Choice 12 Anxiety and Conflict or Peace, Shalom, and Wholeness?

Choice 13 Mourning or Joy?

Closing Prayer

Author Information

Acknowledgements

A big THANK YOU to Photographer, Mary Kemper, who uses her gifts to capture the wonders of God’s creation and as a friend to extend the Jesus way of love. A special thanks to Kelley and Mary for reading drafts, giving feedback, and cheering completion; C.J., who challenges me to look closely at Jesus’s character traits; Morgann, who encourages me to look at life and writing in a different perspective; Andre, who reminds me of what childlike faith and wonder looks like; my Dad, who inspires me to live with integrity; and my Mom, who showed me that faith, hope, and love endure.

Introduction

Getting through the day? Clutching for control? Worry-filled nights and anxious days? Fearing the next crisis? Wanting to give up?

We can easily get stuck in our own perspective of life. Our choices, character traits, and emotions perpetuate this mindset. However, what if we reversed our outlook and chose Jesus’s upside down way of living?

Jesus taught us to live with an upside down world view. Love your enemies. The last will be first. Lead through serving. Turn the other cheek. Embrace grace rather than earning salvation. The stress barometer begins dropping by simply reading the words that describe His way of being.

This weekly devotional journal challenges you to choose a way of being that will enable you to experience life the way Jesus models. In shifting our perspective to see Jesus’s upside down way of life, we can choose to live out His character and overflow with His grace, joy, peace, and love in order to serve as He calls each of us. The devotional journal is intended to challenge your outlook through thirteen choices introduced in reverse poetry. Weekly devotional readings encourage you to reflect on your own life and recognize areas where you can focus your choices and emotions to grow more in line with Jesus’s upside down perspective. Action steps to practice Jesus’s point of view are suggested along with space to create your own activities. The devotional readings are all based on Gospel scriptures and written as if Jesus is talking directly to you, His follower.

Choose today to