The call towards transformation lies at the heart of the Christian message. It is a call to create something beautiful that bears all the hallmarks of the kingdom of heaven. The journey towards transformation however is a demanding one, requiring us to engage in a process of negotiation with a number of key issues. These issues cluster around the themes of Narrative, Permission, Discomfort, Culture, Language, Other, and Silence. This book explores these themes in the company of brave individuals who have shared their own stories as well as some significant thinkers who have already left their mark on our world. ""Using sources as diverse as Augustine's and Ricouer's narrative theology, Wittgenstein and C. S. Lewis, Stockitt illuminates Scripture and Christian lives, from ancient times to the present. This accessible and engaging volume will be useful for pastors, preachers, and their congregations, as well as for others offering spiritual instruction to individuals and groups."" --Ellen F. Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor, of Bible and Practical Theology, The Divinity School, Duke University ""This book addresses a problem at the heart of pastoral ministry: the dynamics of personal transformation. Interposing the stories of people who have exhibited significant transformation with perceptive theological, psychological, and philosophical analysis, Stockitt teases out how people are enabled to respond to God's call for their lives. This is another excellent book from Stockitt, who writes some of our best contemporary pastoral theology. I encourage everyone who works with people in a Christian context to read it."" --The Right Reverend Dr. Robert Innes, the Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe Robin Stockitt (PhD Tubingen) is the minister of the Church of Ireland parish of St. James, Donagheady. He is the author of Imagination and the Playfulness of God and Restoring the Shamed.