In Here, Now, with You, Gregg Louis Taylor invites the reader to pay attention to six ways of experiencing God’s animating movement of compassion. Grounded in the real-life context of experience and the encouragement of relatable stories, plus providing an interactive process for meaningful conversations, reflection, and application, two questions shape the book’s content:
1. What every day experiences open the door to compassion’s movement in our lives?
2. How do we recognize and embrace such encounters to cultivate rich expressions of "compassionating" lives and leadership?
By learning to be compassionate just as God is, we become more authentically connected to one another and expand our awareness of the God who is always here.
If you find yourself stymied by a spirituality gone stale, mired down from going through religious motions, and yet suspect there is much more, this book is for you. If you are a church leader who wants to cultivate a wildly welcoming, compassionate space of grace in which anyone connected to or touched by your community feels accepted and loved, Here, Now, with You is written with you in mind.
More information available at gregglouistaylor.com.
"The great Gregg Louis Taylor, in this book, helps us put one compassionate foot in front of the next. As we reflect on the arc of the six movements Gregg helpfully and practically presents to us, we find ourselves reintroduced to the joy of being ‘compassionate as God is compassionate’…Gregg teaches us to lead in the best way by fanning the flames of tenderness, until all hearts are open to our own compassionate truth.”
–Gregory Boyle, Founder of Homeboy Industries, from the Foreword to Here, Now, With You
"The need for to be known by loving compassion has never been greater. It is the antidote to heal our divisions. Gregg Taylor not only makes the case for compassion but offers tools to help us see ourselves and others as God does. May this resource serve as a catalyst to true human thriving in a world desperate for models of true compassion."
–Brian D. Russell, Associate Provost; Dean, School of Urban Ministries; Professor of Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary
"There’s no question that the world could use more compassion. Sadly, the Church has often followed the crowd down the path of polarizing divisiveness, indulging in fear of and disdain for the “other.” We need wise guides to lead us back to the path of empathy and embrace which is our birthright as the beloved children of God. Gregg Taylor is one such guide, and Here, Now, With You is a timely resource for small groups and classes to do the hard work of recovering a compassionate response to all that ails us. Highly recommended."
–Sean Gladding, author of The Story of God, the Story of Us and TEN: Words of Life for an Addicted, Compulsive, Cynical, Divided and Worn-out Culture
Gregg Louis Taylor is senior pastor of the historic and transformative Park Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, MN. Gregg has served with local churches, university students, and non-profit organizations for thirty years, working to close gaps that separate people and to build communities of compassion and hope. He speaks regularly to a variety of audiences, large and small.
