Life from the UpSide: Seeing God at Work in the World

by J. Ellsworth Kalas

"I confess that I am an unreconstructed optimist. Not a naive one; I’ve lived too long for that, long enough to have experienced a resounding case for pessimism. I have vivid memories of the Great Depression, and I’ve lived through several wars and those international anomalies that we call police actions. I’ve watched what has seemed to me to be a rather steady decline in both public and private morals, and a growing confusion about ethics. And of course, I’ve watched the increasing prevalence of both evil and inanity (sometimes they’re synonymous) in television and on the Internet." from the Introduction There is God. And because there is God, there is goodness. I profoundly believe that God is at work in our world and that our planet has not yet been written off as a lost cause. History seems to tell me that though our human race appears so often to dedicate itself to its own destruction, God is always at work, usually, I think, behind the scenes. And because of God, faith, love, and goodness keep being reborn. So I write about Life from the Up Side.

Twelve
On Being Born with a Rusty For those who’ve had a bad start
When Life Is at Who knows what wonders lie ahead?
A Woman Who Lived with For those who suffer rejection close at hand
Don’t Blame the Donkey! Capitalize on your adversity
When You’ve Been Given a Bad Don’t let others define you
Color Her Never give up. Never.
Plot for a More than success
Party Gone What to do when life loses its flavor
Suppose You’re Worth More Than You Think You It’s time you calculated your worth
How Wide Is a Boat? Gladness is nearer than you think
Strange The gains in our losses
The View from Mount And then, there is heaven

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2004

About the author

J. Ellsworth Kalas has been part of the faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary since 1993, after thirty-eight years as a United Methodist pastor and five years in evangelism with the World Methodist Council. He has been a presenter on DISCIPLE videos and is the author of more than thirty books, including the popular Back Side series as well as the Christian Believer study.

Reviews

[Vicki Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay but not my favorite

[Dan Gobble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bible study - 2004 at Providence UMC - Salisbury, NC