We aspire to freedom but often resign ourselves to an existence trapped in uneasiness and dread. Is there any way to shed such heaviness and reignite hope for deliverance?

In Traveling Light, Eugene H. Peterson urges us to listen to an expert on freedom, Paul, whose letter to the Galatians reminds us of the realities of life in Christ, freely given to all. Peterson says, "If there is a story of freedom to be told, the story must begin with God. . . . The Bible is not a script for a funeral service, but the record of the proclaimed and witnessed God bringing new life to the dead. Everywhere it is a story of resurrection—life where we expect death."

That lightness of spirit we're shown in Scripture is a gift and challenge. With an open path forward, Peterson calls us to embrace change, exploration, trust, love, and much more. Now with a new study guide, share the work of pursuing real rescue and relief through the abiding wisdom of Peterson.



Eugene H. Peterson (1932–2018) was a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. He wrote more than thirty books, including his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message; his memoir, The Pastor; and numerous works of biblicalspiritual formation, including Run with the Horses and Traveling Light.



Foreword by Karen Swallow Prior



1. Free for All



2. Free to Live



3. Free to Curse



4. Free to Change



5. Free to Resist



6. Free to Explore



7. Free to Think



8. Free to Fail



9. Free to Receive



10. Free to Trust



11. Free to Stand



12. Free to Love



13. Free to Create



14. Free to Give



15. Free to Die



Questions for Reflection and Discussion



Notes



"Galatians, Paul's magisterial letter on Christian freedom, can be pulled up from the soil of lived reality and reduced to a set of abstract doctrines. But Eugene Peterson will have none of it. He once wrote that an essential part of his sermon preparation was 'walking the neighborhoods,' steeping himself in the stories and complexities of the people he served as pastor. His pastoral and theological reflections on Galatians emerge from that kind of earthiness. The result is a book that will help you discover the richness of freedom in Christ as it plays out in daily life and inspire you to bring other travelers along the way."



"Eugene Peterson wrote Traveling Light amid a time of cultural upheaval. This was his Scripture-saturated response to his profound concern for how Christians were growing distrustful of their neighbors, taking on tribal identities, withdrawing from the world's pain, and holding more loyalty to some vision of America than to the kingdom of God. Eugene believed we were consumed by a constricting, heart-gripping fear—and that we were desperate for a fresh encounter with God's liberating freedom. Apparently, Eugene was also writing for us, right now."