Print Vol. 5

Foreword

In a single week, as this issue came together, three young men one or two degrees removed from me died unexpectedly. Tragic accidents in the wilderness and on the road. While I know, in my mind, that this world is not our end, my heart can’t help but feel the fragility of it all.

Lately, I’ve been picturing myself on a sailboat in the clear blue waters of the Caribbean. A friend of mine has been daydreaming constantly of a beach bungalow, no cell service, and nothing to do but ride waves. Another keeps telling me what he’d do if he had a billion dollars and 24 hours to spend it. I think our fantasies reveal a doorway into our pain. 

To say that it’s been a tough year would be an understatement. It’s an easy bet for me to make, but I’m guessing you’re no stranger to trauma, stress, and fantasizing about relief.

Welcome back, camerados. 

What follows is a volume that was built in garages and in hospital rooms. It was planned and executed in a fragmented time, yet with the hope and the vision that on the other side may be something beautiful. In those still moments where we dreamed of getting away to the mountains, or of being celebrated, or of seeing change come to ourselves and to our community, we consented to wrestling with the pain—not fleeing from it—while simultaneously pursuing kindness and Jesus and restoration.

I’ll warn you here: This is a heartfelt volume. As more of the world and more of ourselves get stripped away, I’ve found it’s impossible to not get to the core of something quickly. It’s what we’re after, but having my core so easily accessible has come with its portion of vulnerability that I’m not always comfortable with.

It’s also a beautifully hopeful volume. And playful, too. Because we need that, and we were made for it. I hope you enjoy what follows, but more than that I hope it resonates with you because this is your story, too.

 – Sam Eldredge

Contributors

WRITERS

Brad Beck, Sam Eldredge, Blaine Eldredge, Luke Eldredge, John Eldredge, Sara Hagerty, Ian Helmcke, Tanner Kalina, Craig McConnell, Josh Neibert, Ben Richardson, Josh Skaggs, Morgan Snyder, JT Thomas 

ARTWORK & PHOTOGRAPHY

Brad Beck, David Billings, Charlie Egan, Blaine Eldredge, Sam Eldredge, Sam Hall, Ian Helmcke, Wookie Jones, Becca Kaiser, Mike Marshall, Josh Neibert, Jonathan Royal, Evie Shaffer, Olga Tereshenko, Meritt Thomas

DESIGN & LAYOUT

Wookie Jones