The Ultimate ‘Liminalist’
Jesus of Nazareth. (born c. 6–4 bce, Bethlehem—died c. 30 ce, Jerusalem)
Words fail when attempting to depict the varying levels of ‘liminality’ that the historical and biblical figure Jesus of Nazareth walked during his short 30 years on Earth. A Jewish Rabbi (although for believers in the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ - oh, so much more). His message and teachings on counter-cultural ways of being, the restoration and healing of broken humanity through an upside-down Kingdom, where the first will be last, Jesus presented a blueprint for a community built on principles and practices incomprehensible to man’s idea of ‘kingdom’ or flourishing humanity).
Jesus’s call to follow Him and live ‘in between’ Heaven and Earth, to love enemies, to give and not receive, to die and not live for self, to leave everything and follow, to serve and not be served, was a message so polarising and so truth-bearing, it would ultimately lead to his grievously and very public murder by those who could not bear to hear any more of it and its threats to their worldly empires.
Jesus’s call was to live willingly, embracing ‘liminality’.
Holding tensions of the seen and unseen, life beyond death, wholeness in sickness, peace in the storm. Not only did He call humanity to live in the tension of a beauty-filled war, fully - he is the epitome of all that it means to live and be liminal.
He was in the beginning (the Alpha), and He is in the end (the Omega). He was fully human and Divine, holdings tensions across so many divides.
Crucified, he forgave. Once dead, He held eternal space in a tomb, in between life and death (the ultimate liminal space); coming alive again, He proved that every liminal space is to be embraced and moved through - for what lives on the other side is the HOPE OF ALL MANKIND!
Modern Day ‘Liminalists’ Who Inspire
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John + Stasi Eldredge
Enriched with the most poetic and eloquent call to engage in heart-renewal and the fierce pursuit of deep places, John and Stasi Eldredge offer endless resources and practical tools for engaging in what is needed to sustain the human heart through the liminal spaces of life.
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Pete Greig
A best-selling author, pastor and bewildered instigator of the 24-7 Prayer movement which has reached more than half the nations on earth, Pete has journeyed hand in hand with Jesus while navigating many liminal spaces, including the ongoing health concerns of his beloved wife, Sammy.
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Mark Sayers
A cultural communicator, writer, and speaker. Mark is passionate about spiritual renewal and the future of the church.
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Pete Scazzero
Having found himself at a point of significant crisis in his life and leadership over 25 years ago, Pete and wife Geri went about doing the hard work of correcting many areas, completely out of balance. This ultimately a whole platform of teaching and resources now known as Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.
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John Mark Comer
A modern day voice on all things ‘Spiritual Formation’ and founder of ‘Practicing the Way’: a non-profit creating resources for discipleship and formation in local churches in post-Christian contexts.
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Petra Bagust
Petra Bagust is a familiar face in Aotearoa New Zealand, having been on TV and radio over the last 30 years.
She is a media chaplain with Media Chaplaincy New Zealand, host and broadcaster, hosting two podcasts - Sunday Sanctuary and the award-winning Grey Areas with Petra Bagust.
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Ruth Hayley Barton
A practitioner and a leader in the area of Christian spirituality and spiritual formation for over twenty years. Her own journey into practices offered by the broader Christian tradition led her to start the Transforming Center - communities of men and women who gather around the presence of Christ for the purpose of spiritual transformation in order to discern and do the will of God.
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Jill Weber
In 2001 Jill Weber helped found a New Monastic Community in Canada, which she led for 17 years. She currently serves on the International Leadership Team of 24-7 Prayer as Director of Houses of Prayer and Director of Spiritual Formation at Emmaus Road Church in Guildford, UK. She is the Global Convenor of the Order of the Mustard Seed, an international lay, ecumenical religious order, and is a spiritual director, educator and author.
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Adam Young
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with Master degrees in Social Work (Virginia Commonwealth University) and Divinity (Emory University). Adam currently serve as a Fellow with The Allender Center, and I am the host of The Place We Find Ourselves podcast.
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Tyler Staton
Lead Pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, and the National Director of 24-7 Prayer USA. He is passionate about pursuing prayer—communion and conversation with God—while living deeply, poetically, wildly, and freely in the honest and gritty realities of day-to-day life. Tyler believes that justice is kinship, stories are a gift, and prayer is an invitation.
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Strahan Coleman
Strahan is a writer, award winning folk musician and spiritual director from Aotearoa, New Zealand. He founded Commoners Communion in 2017 to explore what it means to become a deeply prayerful people in our times. Since then, he has written three prayer books - Prayer Vol. 01, 02 & 03 that offer poetic prayers, contemplations and reflections that help the reader deepen their own communion with the God of their hearts.