Onward Forward is a book Brian Jeansonne would have written eventually. He wrote it now because ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, confined him to a power chair, silenced his voluntary muscles, and urged him to focus more deeply than ever on life’s most essential questions. In this heartfelt and irreverent memoir, Brian chronicles the disease process while exploring metaphysical, spiritual, and emotional concepts such as soul, suffering, contentment, presence, and-most importantly-love.

As both narrator and soul guide, Brian writes with raw honesty about the arc of his own faith, as well as difficult periods of depression. He asks and answers life’s most difficult but essential questions:

What is God?
Why do we suffer?
How can we best live alongside each other?
What does it mean to be content?
How can we do better by ourselves and others?
What’s the role of a parent? A spouse?
Are Jesus and rock-and-roll compatible?
What can we learn from Ted Lasso?

Beginning with a foreword by fellow soul-seeker Alanis Morissette, Onward Forward is an invitation to fully engage with life, to embrace “the good, the bad, and the shitshow,” and to run toward our truest selves with abandon.

Author Biography

Brian Jeansonne is a native New Orleanian and a lifelong student of religion, metaphysics, and philosophy. Brian holds a degree in psychology from the University of New Orleans and received his certification as a spiritual director through Sustainable Faith. Brian began his career as a pastor, serving for twenty-one years while continually seeking answers to profound questions. In 2020, he decided to step away from pastorship to work more intimately with fellow sojourners as a life coach and soul care director. This life-changing choice coincided with his ALS diagnosis. Today, he spends his working hours writing at a pace of sixteen words per minute, using his eyes, often accompanied by his dog, Luna, in his lap. Brian lives in New Orleans with the rest of The Jeansonne 7-Kristy plus their five kids: Micah, Jonah, Nate, Lucas, and Zoe Moon.

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