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You are here: Home / Participant Publications / God, Improv, and The Art of Living

God, Improv, and The Art of Living

September 25, 2018 By Collegeville Instititute Staff

Maryann McKibben Dana

Grand Rapids, Michigan, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018

Visit this title on Amazon

The principle of “yes, and . . .” in improvisational theater has produced a lot of great comedy. But it also offers an invigo­rating approach to life in general, and the spiritual life in particular. From Moses to Ruth to Jesus, scripture is full of people boldly saying “yes, and . . .” as they accept what life throws their way and build upon it.

Pastor, speaker, and improv aficionada MaryAnn McKibben Dana here blends Scripture, psychology, theology, and pop culture in a wise, funny, down-to-earth guide to improv as a practice for life. Offering concrete spiritual wisdom in the form of seven improvi­sational principles, this book will help readers become more awake, creative, resilient, and ready to play–even (and perhaps especially) when life doesn’t go according to plan.

“We are all improvisers,” says McKibben Dana, “whether we realize it or not. We improvise in order to get through the day. We improvise when life surprises us. We do it without even thinking about it. This book will help you do it better.”

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