Hungry? Jesus not only makes room for "the least of these" at his table of blessing, he gives them preferred seating. Sitting at the table with those who are most vulnerable and hungry, we discover ourselves anew. We are returned to ourselves as ones taken, blessed, broken, given, and spoken in God's love, that we might re-member the body of Christ for a hurting world. Meal From Below is well-suited for activists and missional communities searching for a life-giving spirituality that sustains them in their call to serve among the poor and practice peacemaking in hard places. It is also for those of us who may not actively serve in such settings, but who are hungry for Good News that liberates in the hardest and darkest places of our own lives. Drawing from years of practice and reflection with the poor, Kris Rocke and Scott Dewey guide us through a 40-week spiritual formation experience that includes daily, weekly, and monthly practices of communion with God, each other, and our world. Depending on your appetite, these devotionals can be enjoyed as appetizers, five-course meals, or even desserts. Rooted in reality and unblinking in the face of beauty and anguish in the streets, Meal From Below invites us into unexpected ways of seeing. These new sights will sometimes disturb, often encourage, and always invite us to new freedom. Joy flavors the meal from start to finish, with the laughter of table companions always close at hand. So... bring a hearty appetite, an open heart, a little courage, and a sense of humor to this Meal from Below-and dig in

How do we make sense of God's love among the urban poor, and among the rest of us who are hungry for good news in the hard and sometimes forgotten places of our own lives? Rocke and Van Dyke invite us to discover for ourselves the unexpected nature of grace among those who have been labeled the least, last and lost-and their inextricable link to the forgotten and disturbing stories in the Bible. Graphic but never gratuitous, Rocke and Van Dyke are lyrical, poetic, irreverent, and playful. They are as rigorous in their study of applied theology as they are accessible in their storytelling. The authors share their own discovery of that which has been "hidden since the foundations of the earth," and they do it by standing with those who have stood alone, finding joy in being counted among the transgressors. They offer a new kind of orthodoxy that is as old as the gospel itself. Far from a dogmatic theology, the burden of this book is uncommonly light, but it is not without its demands. If you are up for a life-changing adventure, then get ready to "assume the risks." "In this challenging book, graceful writing meets grace-full theology. The wounds of the world cry out in poetry and poignancy; the call to care crushes complacency; places below rise to expose suffering and healing in the depths; darkness shines upon light, transforming Word and world in reading, hearing and doing." Phyllis Trible, Author of Texts of Terror "This is a beautiful book and a true book, proving again that they are the same thing You will get to the essentials quickly here, and in a way that will change you both painlessly and painfully." Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M. Author and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation