A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Society today is no less obsessed with the immediate than when Eugene Peterson first wrote this Christian classic. If anything, email and the Internet may have intensified the quest for the quick fix. But Peterson's time-tested prescription for discipleship remains the same: a long obedience in the same direction. Tucked away in the Hebrew Psalter, Peterson discovered 'an old dog-eared songbook,' the Songs of Ascents that were sung by pilgrims on their way up to worship in Jerusalem. In these songs (Psalms 120-134), Peterson finds encouragement for modern pilgrims as they learn to grow in worship, service, joy, work, happiness, humility, community, and blessing.