You define three stages of play. Will you briefly outline those for us? I was almost tempted to write an entire book on this one thesis alone, so the reader now gets two books for the price of one. Based on the research of Irish philosopher Charles Handy and others, I think the best way to understand life is not in terms of generational cultures, but as three ages. The First Age is from 0 to 30, where the question is, “Where do you go to school?” The Second Age is from 30 to 60, where the question is, “Where do you work?” The Third Age is from 60 to 90, where the question is—well, that’s the question: What is the question of the Third Age? We’ve made it, “Where did you retire?”, but this book proposes a new way of looking at all three ages.

Why do we as Christians fall so easily into the mind-set that the harder we work, the more God is pleased with us? What the Reformers called “works righteousness” is heavy with us. We are constantly throwing our rightness and righteousness on the scales rather than relying on God’s free gift of grace. We want a plan to work on, rather than the improv of play, because we prefer control to trust. What if the Holy Spirit leads us where we do not wish to go? Yet that is precisely a test of whether or not we’re living in the stream of the Spirit. If we’re only going in directions we wish to go, then who is in charge of our lives? There is another reason why we would rather “work at it” than “play it out.” Metaphor is the mother, not the maid, of thought. And our metaphors of “following Jesus” need reframing. For example, biblical faith is less about following footsteps than filling feet and walking in shoes. To follow in someone’s footsteps is work. To fill someone’s feet, or walk a mile in someone’s shoes, is play.

Are a play ethic and a work ethic ever compatible? When a coach says that a member of the team “came to play,” it’s the highest compliment that can be given. And it means that the athlete is giving his best and using his powers to the max. To “play” a sport or an instrument, or to “play” at life, is to live life full throttle.

How has living a well-played life been a challenge and a blessing for you? I was brought up with an acute case of the Protestant work ethic, with its requisite deferred gratifications. To move from a work paradigm to a play paradigm has been one of the greatest journeys of my life, and has led to a lightness of being that I hope to never lose. In putting Godplay into practice, I have discovered William Wordsworth to be right. In the work of getting and spending, we lay waste our powers. In the play of giving and creating, we shepherd, share and replenish our powers.

How is the discussion guide in your book designed? One of the best ways to read this book is in small group settings. We hope that the questions and interactions will encourage further conversation, not just for the small group itself, but for weeks and months to come. We designed the discussion guide to be somewhat of a “print app.”