Includes bibliographical references and index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"I will never do this again" : the J-curve and how it helps -- I take your place : the substitutionary nature of love -- Marketing the self : what we do instead of the J-curve -- Liberating the self : the foundation of the J-curve -- In Harvard : union with Christ comes alive -- In sports or in Christ? : how location changes everything -- It's all about who you know : knowing Jesus in the J-curve -- Missing justification by faith : the J-curve without justification -- Missing the J-curve : justification by faith without the J-curve -- Dying to self : understanding different J-curves -- A cascade of love : weaving J-curves together -- Life at the bottom of the J-curve : making sense of persistent evil -- Living in the borderland/How to thrive in a broken world -- Love loses control : discovering the shape of love -- The art of disappearing for love/How the incarnation defines love -- Recovering a vision of "the good"/The wonder of the J-curve -- Celebrating Christ-bearers/Rediscovering hidden saints -- The hinge of the J-curve/Understanding the will -- The four steps of love/Reenacting Jesus's descent -- The J-curve calms a quarrel : creating a path to reconciliation -- Discovering the power of resurrection : what makes the "J" go up -- Re-personalizing the resurrection : discovering the forgotten half of the J-curve -- Looking through a resurrection lens : the J-curve transforms our vision of life -- The secret of an irritation-free life : the J-curve cures grumbling -- Resurrection realism : the J-curve protects us from cynicism -- Delaying resurrection for love : saying no to good desire -- Becoming human again/The emotional life of the J-curve -- The art of J-curve living : dying and rising in 24 hours -- Seeing the big picture/Multi-year dying and rising -- The power of weakness : how the J-curve defeats tribalism -- The spirit at the center/Learning wisdom down low -- Love treads softly : entering the complexity of love -- Leadership goes low/Re-enacting Jesus in community -- Keeping Jesus pure/The J-curve divides the community -- Jesus/The ultimate party crasher -- The beauty of a Jesus-community/Including the distant outsider.

"Explores what it means to faithfully live out Jesus' pattern of dying and resurrection which Paul describes in Philippians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philemon, and Acts. Embracing this "J-Curve" life renews our hope in the dark world, draws us into fellowship with God's people and radically re-centers our daily lives on Christ"--