My Books
David Reign
So continues Mark Buchanan’s trilogy of novels vividly recreating the life and times of David. In Book II, David steps into his role as king, first of Judah, then of all Israel. But trouble abounds, as factions and rivals and enemies, without and within, threaten his fragile kingdom, and as his growing power comes with dire consequences.
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"A boy, slight and swift, runs the spine of a steep hill.
A single false step, one stumble,
he’ll plummet headlong to a sure death.
But his footing is flawless,
more wing than flesh.
Daybreak splinters the stony ground
with light and shadow.
A cautious soul would slow.
He runs faster."
David Rise
All anyone wants to hear about is the giant. For those who never knew the man, only his legend, it’s all they ever ask. Did he do this? Did he say that? Was he afraid? Was he beautiful?Do they think his life narrows down to this one thing, sums up in this single moment? Do they think running toward danger explains him? Clearly, they never knew him.So I will tell. But I will have to take you back there to make you understand.So begins Mark Buchanan’s trilogy of novels vividly recreating the life and times of David, a man of many contradictions – poet, killer, God-lover, adulterer, brigand, fugitive, war hero. It’s a tale told through many eyes, those who love David and those who don’t, in details both intimate and epic. Three thousand years after he lived, David: Rise reminds us why he still captures our imagination and rivets our attention.
Your Church Is Too Safe
WHY FOLLOWING CHRIST TURNS THE CHURCH UPSIDE DOWN
This is my “sequel” to Your God is Too Safe – it stands alone, but it speaks to the whole body of Christ the message that Your God is Too Safe spoke to each follower of Christ: that God is not safe, but he’s good (C.S. Lewis), and that he invites us – his church – to receive his power to be formed in his character to accomplish his work for his glory. This book is a manifesto for the church to live more faithfully, generously, and dangerously. It is both a theology and a manual for turning the world on its head.
God Walk
MOVING AT THE SPEED OF YOUR SOUL
Drawing on Jesus's example of walking, bestselling author Mark Buchanan explores one of the oldest spiritual practices of our faith.
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Part theology, part history, part field guide, God Walk explores walking as spiritual formation, walking as healing, walking as exercise, walking as prayer, walking as pilgrimage, suffering, friendship, and attentiveness. It is a book about being alongside the God who, incarnate in Jesus, turns to us as he passes by--always on foot--and says simply, "Come, follow me."
With practical insight and biblical reflections told in his distinct voice, Buchanan provides specific walking exercises so you can immediately implement the practice of going "God speed." Whether you are walking around the neighbourhood or hiking in the mountains, walking offers the potential to awaken your life with Christ as it revives body and soul.
MY ARTICLES
Spiritual Rhythm
BEING WITH JESUS EVERY SEASON OF YOUR SOUL
This was a very different book for me. It’s my longest (to date), weighing in at over 300 pages, and my most personal. It came out of deep pain (the death of a close friend), and through that an even deeper discovery of Christ’s sufficiency for all things and in all things. The book’s two central insights – that our hearts have seasons, and that we need rhythms to move through those seasons well – have changed the way I look at spiritual formation.
The Rest Of God
RESTORING YOUR SOUL BY RESTORING SABBATH
I wrote this during a sabbatical leave, which was the perfect setting for writing about Sabbath days and Sabbath hearts. In part, I document how my own drivenness nearly threw me over a cliff, and how discovering Sabbath brought me back to sanity. The book unfolds Sabbath?s gifts, and offers a practical approach to Sabbath-keeping.
Things Unseen
LIVING IN LIGHT OF FOREVER
I was struck by how often I heard the comment, "You don’t want to be so heavenly minded you’re of no earthly good. ” I started to wonder if such a person existed. I knew many people so earthly minded they were neither of heavenly nor earthly good, but the heavenly minded people I knew were, to a person, generous, kind, joyful, and very effective. So I set out to write about that, and about the difference heavenly mindedness makes in the day to day & how a keen sense of forever invigorates the here and now. This book is the result.
The Holy Wild
TRUSTING IN THE CHARACTER OF GOD
I wanted to write about the classic attributes of God in a pastoral, not an academic, way. Particularly, I was piqued by the question, If God is [fill in the blank: just, loving, merciful, kind, and so on] what difference should that make when I [fill in the blank: face death, declare bankruptcy, lose a friend, spend money, etc.]. This is theology for the everyday.
Your God Is Too Safe
REDISCOVERING THE WONDER OF A GOD YOU CAN'T CONTROL
This was my first book, and it’s close to my heart. It’s really a book of spiritual disciplines for Jonahs: God-evaders who want to become God-chasers. I coined two phrases in YGiTS that have had far-reaching impact: ‘Borderland’, which describes half-in, half-out Christianity; and “the Holy Wild,” which describes life to the full with the God who is not safe, but good. YGiTS is really a sustained invitation to leave Borderland and live in the Holy Wild.
