"The Beatitudes: A Journey Home" is framed by the story of The Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 15). Readers are encouraged to engage the story by imagining themselves as The Prodigal who, after living a decadent lifestyle and then "hitting bottom", discovered his poverty of spirit and then found himself grieving desperately enough to realize that his only hope was to go home to his father, believing he would be merciful enough to let him become a servant in his home. The Chapters in Kingery's book examine each Beatitude, seeing them as the stages in every journey of faith. The Beatitudes are, in some respects, like an ethical code for living, a recipe for walking in faith. Take this journey of faith.

Tom Kingery retired from the United Methodist Church in 2017 and lives in Durand, Illinois. After serving 7 appointments in the Northern Illinois Confrence, he is blessed to continue in ministry as the preacher at The Church By The Side of The Road in Rockton, a non-denominational congregation with a close family spirit. He has published several other books concerned with faith and spiritual growth, all grounded in Scripture and relevant with respect to the journey of a believer. Tom grew up in a suburb of Chicago and went to the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. A daughter, Emily, lives in Davenport and teaches at St. Ambrose University. Tim, his son, lives with Jen and their son and daughter in Deerfield, Illinois.