Customer Reviews

So I Go Now: Following After the Jesus of Our Day

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Jeff Jacobson is now one of my favorites. This book is pure poetry. Ride with Jeff and Jesus on a Harley through life. Nobody can characterize the love, grace and mercy of Jesus the way Jeff does, unless they live it. You will be enlightened by Jeff's "rubber-meets-the-road" characterizations of the reality of living with Jesus in today's world. I couldn't put this book down. For me, the book began slow but gained momentum. I read it slowly as Jeff's style is incredibly poetic. I wanted to absorb the rhythym of his cantor. I suggest you do the same. I finished it a week ago and it still resonates within my soul. A great addition to your library. Buy it!

Jeff Jacobson blends the spirtual and the mundane seamlessly in a way that makes us realize there's no real line separating the two. What's more, he does it with a gentle, conversational tone that just seems to pull you into the story. It's a book about the restoration of a derelict theatre, about challenges, setbacks and victories, and about Jesus, who keeps showing up on a Harley Davidson at the most unexpected times. This Jesus challenges the author, and all of us, to live a deeper, truer life. So I Go Now does all this in a warm and loving way that may change the way you see the world - as it did for me.

So I Go Now immediately engages the reader through the introduction of The Rider who offers a life so much more attractive than the one we all seem to be living.

As you follow the story of Jeff, you recognize yourself in the passage of time and experiences. You long to hear the low rumble of the Harley for another enounter with The Rider, who pours words of affirmation into your soul and challenges you on your own comfort and belief.

I was captivated from page one. The characters are alluring and you soon find yourself lost in a story of redemption and restoration. This is the picture of Jesus I always knew existed, but could never define. This is the one calling to us in the laughter with friends, the shared history of family, and the love of a spouse.

I recommend this book to anyone searching for hope, you will find it within this text.

I bought this book initially for the subtitle. I was curious to know what Jeff meant by, "following the Jesus of our day." After I finished the book I had the privilege to have a dialogue with Jeff. I think you need to buy this book, and not just because Jeff is a great writer...which he is. (Think Donald Miller meets Brennan Manning.) You need to buy this book because the underlying question might be one of the most important questions ever asked. Simply put, what would the Jesus of our day and our town be doing right now? You also need to buy this book because the ideas aren't put out there by a guy who is sitting on his hands. Jeff and his friends have figured out that the Jesus of Fort Wayne would be involved in reclaiming an old porn theatre for the good of the refugee population in their community.

This book forced me to aske myself the question, "Where is Jesus in my town, and what would he be doing?" As a pastor, this has become a baseline question for those people with whom I journey. This book also challenged me to address Jeff's accurate description of the church as, "circled wagons with no room for Jesus."

As Jeff and I talked on the phone, Jeff said, "We were doing this thing with the Rialto thearer and I thought to myself, I should write this stuff down." I believe that the platform and infuence that Jeff has been given through this book found him. It found him because he was living out the message of Jesus. Jeff did not seek fame, rather he simply followed the Jesus of His day. This seems to be a recurring theme among people who find themselves in the middle of an amazing story God is telling.

So read the book. Then contact Jeff, go to Fort Wayne, and grab a pair of work gloves and participate in the story that makes the book worth reading.

It's hard to resist a good story.

Whether you're drawn in by the strong lead characters, the intricate plot twists, or the detailed description of the scenery, there are few things in this world as mentally, psychologically, or spiritually compelling as a well-written narrative. Stories can simply convey truths, spark interest, and stir emotions in a way that encyclopedias packed filled with facts and spreadsheets chock-full of statistics never could. Yes, those facts and statistics are backed up by quality research and in-depth analysis, but they are rarely as compelling as people and the stories behind those people. People just genuinely enjoy immersing themselves in a good story.

But even the best of biographies (you know, those history books actually about people) and those vaunted New York Times best-selling novels can become tired and stale if the main character is lame or the story-telling is too hagiographic or insipid. And we've all read those kinds of books, whether fiction or nonfiction - the main character can either do no wrong or they're an obvious caricature of a bad boy (who'll eventually be reformed by the right woman or series of events); the dialogue is stilted, stale, and/or contrived; and the circumstances and scenarios are just simply too saccharine or are farcical set-ups designed to move the plot in a quite obvious direction. No one wants to pick those books up; they don't want to have their intelligence insulted. People prefer stories have some meat & pack a punch, tales that draw the reader into the action, characters who actually possess heart, brains, & soul. Is it really so much to ask from authors these days?

Well, if you're tired of reading overly prescribed material, Jeff Jacobson feels your pain. If you're ever in the Fort Wayne, IN area, feel free to ask him about his attempt to write a screenplay and how he wrote, edited, rewrote, added material, scratched scenes, rewrote, tweaked, pitched the concept to churches, and just kept getting turned down by the big church he attended. Or better yet, save the trip to Fort Wayne and purchase a copy of his recently released book So I Go Now and read the story for yourself. So I Go Now comes from Jeff's long-running series of blogs where he describes the last few years of his life in an intimate & inviting manner. What sets it apart from other works of narrative fiction (McLaren's New Kind of Christian trilogy, for example) is that it feels like you're reading through the author's personal journal, after finding it in the bottom of a desk drawer, where no one's supposed to know it exists. Well, at least that's how I felt when I started reading Jeff's blog 16 or so months ago...

There is little sugarcoating in these pages - Jacobson is very candid & open about his thoughts, feelings, desires, hurts, pains, joys, successes, failures, and everything else in between. The main character's primary foil throughout the book is the shaggy-haired, leather-clad, Harley-riding Jesus who appears when least expected. He sometimes shows up to love and provide comfort, and other times to intentionally unsettle the main character's perspective on what he thinks is his life's purpose: rebuilding & restoring an old movie theater turned porn theater so that he can minister to the refugee population of his city. These situations, which, in many ways, propel the storyline, rarely feel forced and are written in such a manner that it implicitly asks the readers to put themselves in the main character's position to see how they might react to any given situation. The various settings the main character finds himself in contain many of the qualities inherent in the parables Jesus told his disciples in private & the throngs of people who came to hear Him speak - they draw the reader/listener in with quality word play, the encounters & situations are ones that most people can relate to, and there's a penchant for turning the normal upside down to reveal something entirely different.

Nevertheless, where I feel many people might not enjoy this work is that it is the result of months of blogging; hence, there could be issues that arise for some readers in terms of Jacobson's journal/diary style of writing. For example, each chapter is self-contained and doesn't always move into the next chapter with ease, a tendency characteristic of the book's blog origins. Also, the flow of the story is occasionally interrupted by personal meditations and observations, which, while they are enjoyable to read, they often provide a strange jolt to the larger, more compelling narrative. It often feels a bit too intimate - the points either hit too closely to home or they miss the mark because they're so personal and specific to the author's life. Oh, Jacobson does a good job with trying to convert his specific story into a more general tale in which everyone can find something. But there were also times when, as I was reading, I thought, "Jeff, that really was a poignant & touching story about your wife and kids, but I find it hard as a single guy to relate to that. Could you please get back to the larger story?" But then again, when you think back to the fact that So I Go Now is the result of months of autobiographical blogging, you find yourself not wanting Jacobson to filter himself just because he keeps talking about lessons he's learned from his wife & kids, even if you don't have your own to learn from.

In the end, So I Go Now is simply Jeff's clarion call to himself and to anyone who reads his words to drop our best-laid plans & well-crafted visions of grandeur and make space for a wild salvation, a present & future we that we didn't personally plan, and an unpredictable (to our human understanding) Jesus in our lives. What further sets this work apart from similar books is the author's ability to weave a compelling tale and do so in bite-sized chunks, much like Jacobson's oft-referenced musical hero, Bruce Springsteen. There are times when you long to jump into the conversation the main character is having on the pages (i.e. sing along) and other times when you're content to sit back and let the story course through your soul (i.e. sit back and let the song wash over you). Knowing Jeff, he would blush and wave off any comparisons to The Boss, but, judging by the compendium of material he's been gathering as he frequently blogs and restores The Rialto in Fort Wayne, IN, he's well on his way to creating a quality literary catalog as dense, enjoyable, and accessible as Springsteen's. So, maybe, with So I Go Now, Jacobson could give Fort Wayne the same notoriety as Springsteen did the Jersey shore and Don Miller has given to Portland, OR. Or maybe he could just continue writing, not worry about the accolades, and buy that Harley he talks about all the time in his book and blog posts...

[...]

"Whether we admit it or not, we circle our wagons closer and closer each year. We believe that he's happy and proud of us and is pointing proudly at our circle. But he's not even paying attention because the wagons are together so tight that he can't get in. Not even on his Harley. But we always find room for other wagons that look just like ours."

I fell in love with this theme right away and thought it was perfectly executed. It's easy to say that the actual Jesus is so far removed from our picture of Jesus--but Jeff Jacobson profoundly realizes this concept by painting Jesus as an image that most of us know very well: the Biker. Someone who's a little gritty and makes us a little uncomfortable. And he immediately befriends the most questionable crowd. But that's the whole point.

And the further we retreat inside our wagon circle, the harder it becomes to hear the roar of his Harley engine.

Deep, moving and convicting all at the same time. Excellent.

Jeff Jacobson is a poet, a mystic, and a keen observer of culture. Each gift shines through in this book, which challenges the reader to follow boldly a Christ whose image sometimes is barely discernible through the societal smog belched forth from our evangelical hothouses.

Thematically, Jeff's book echoes Philip Yancey's "The Jesus I Never Knew." Stylistically, Jeff evokes Donald Miller, Erwin McManus, and (perhaps most of all) Brennan Manning. Nevertheless, Jeff manages to generate a wholly original vibe that fuses visionary, bold challenges with a healthy, self-deprecating humility.

"So I Go Now" is a stark yet graceful invitation to follow a wild, untamed, and tender Jesus as he roams the earth to establish his Kingdom here and now. From technical and artistic perspectives, this book would represent a terrific work for any author. As a debut, it is simply stunning.

This book will make you look @ poverty, rundown neighborhoods, strippers & the homeless with new eyes. Eyes that see Jesus DYING for us to just take some initiative and show his love in ways that may be a little uncomfortable.

This book inspires you to want to be alive in Christ in ways that are wonderfully beyond our comfort zone. I loved it and would reccomend it to anyone.

who would think a book about Jesus on a Harley would be such a compelling read? it took me a bit of time to pick this book up, but admittedly, i had a difficult time putting it down.

it felt very real; i could picture myself in the vignettes and different scenarios Jeff painted...it made me take a deeper look at myself and how i want to live out my Christian walk -- i think i want to ride and not walk any longer and am honestly looking forward to a more unified Church.

this book will take you places in your heart and will remind you that one can actually be face-to-face with the "Jesus of Our Day" in every person they meet...i think when you finish the last chapter you, too, will long for the ride...

It's not often that I come across a book that qualifies as unique and compelling, but this one does.

The style the author uses made me feel as if I was there in his town personally involved in this intriguing adventure. I appreciated his transparency and authenticity as he shared his journey. I also saw myself on these pages and gained a completely fresh view of Jesus. After reading this book you may possibly feel like you just made two new friends - Jeff and The Rider.

So grab your motorcycle helmet, hold on tight and be prepared for an attention-grabbing ride!