Basic Information:
Author: John Mark Comer
Edition: epub on Libby from the San Francisco public library
Publisher: WaterBrook
ISBN: 9780593193822 (ISBN10: 0593193822)
Start Date: 3/17/24
Read Date: 6/3/24
288 pages
Genre: Christianity, Personal Growth, Book Group
Language Warning: None
Rated Overall: 3½ out of 5
Religion: Christianity
Religious Quality: 4 out of 5
Christianity-Teaching Quality: 4 out of 5
Synopsis:
Comer walks you through that we are called to be disciples. Then talks about what that means and then finally pushing you to declare that you are in that way. He distinguishes between rules/laws and the Rule of Life.. The Rule of Life is how you will live.
Recommendation: Jon Jo
When: February 20, 2024
Date Became Aware of Book: February 1, 2024 when Sherri started talking about the author
Why do I want to read this book: Book Group. Also, there seems to be a lot of practicalness in at least the title
What do I think I will get out of it?
Thoughts:
Epigraph
May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi. —first-century Jewish blessing
Dust
Who are you following? This is the central question of life. But not necessarily this book. The question of this book is more along the lines of how are you following Jesus? Am I one of those who continue on with him? Or am I one of those who get discouraged and fall away? Or more likely, one of those who follow only half-heartedly. Comer works on identifying what does it mean to follow Jesus along and then he also offers hints about how to. Who or what am I a disciple of?
Is the life I’m living the life I most deeply desire? Or does this life leave you stale?
Tish Harrison Warren, “None of us comes to what we believe by ourselves. The world has no free thinkers.” We are not as independent as what we like to think we are.
Statements which tend to emphasize the individual, such as Be true to yourself, leads us to believe we are completely in control of our own destiny. This leaves us open to manipulation in ways which we would rebel against if we realized it. Advertising is recognized as a massive exercise in behavior modification. The “world” (as it’s called in the New Testament) is forming us, constantly. But what is it forming us into?
The question is not am I becoming a person, but what person am I becoming?
Interesting: Comer says that there is no problem that an apprenticeship to Jesus cannot solve. The interesting part is that in another book my book group is reading by Rosaria Butterfield, she notes that we Christians have a tendency to say that Jesus is the answer without allowing a person to ask the question.
Comer’s thesis is: Transformation is possible if we are willing to arrange our lives around the practices, rhythms, and truths that Jesus himself did, which will open our lives to God’s power to change.
Apprentice to Jesus
Jesus was a rabbi
Rabbi means master. He makes the case that rather than think of the disciples as disciples they would be apprentices. Every rabbi had his “yoke”—a Hebrew idiom for his set of teachings, his way of reading Scripture, his take on how to thrive as a human being in God’s good world.
How did you become a rabbi? Not through a special school where you have gained knowledge, but by being the student of another rabbi. You learned that rabbi’s way of life, until Your life and teaching were your credentials.
There are times, we as modern Christians make the mistake that the only reason he [Jesus] came was to die, not to live. It is the living is where we learn from Jesus. Interestingly, in yesterday’s service, we sang a song called God, Our Father, We Adore Thee. The second verse makes it sound like the only reason Jesus came was to die:
Son Eternal, we adore Thee!
Lamb upon the throne on high!
Lamb of God, we bow before Thee,
Thou hast brought Thy people nigh!
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
Son of God, who came to die!
We adore Thee! we adore Thee!
Son of God, who came to die!
By thinking of Jesus only as coming to sacrifice for us, it is a sign of disrespect for his life. This is vital, because if to “follow” Jesus is to trust him to lead you to the life you desire, it’s very hard (if not impossible) to entrust your life to someone you don’t respect.
Three goals of an apprentice
Describes how rabbi’s would get disciples. Once you became a disciple of a rabbi, you had only three requirements: Be with your rabbi; Become like your rabbi; Do as your rabbi did. Class was life. To be a disciple of Jesus, Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did
Disciple is a noun, not a verb
The Hebrew word for disciple is talmid, to be a student of a teacher or philosopher. I would argue that the best word for translating talmid into English is the one I’ve been using for the last few pages: apprentice. In Jesus day, learning was not about facts but about gaining wisdom for living and then living it. Being a disciple is who you are, not a title or an activity.
Are you a Christian or an apprentice?
What makes a Christian? He notes that originally, it meant that you were a little Christ, now it means you subscribe to a set of beliefs. Saint Maximus said in the seventh century, a time not all that different from our own, “A person who is simply a man of faith is [not] a disciple. … The problem is, in the West, we have created a cultural milieu where you can be a Christian but not an apprentice of Jesus. The claim Comer makes and I think is true is that Christ does not call us to a set of beliefs but to follow him, become like him. In IVCF when I was starting my walk, there seemed to be a differentiation between those who called him Saviour and those who called him Lord. I am not sure I got this right, but I think that is how we have derived. There was an advanced conference called Bible and Life for those who were interested in discipleship.
But what are we saved to?
This split between evangelism and discipleship is still dominant in a large swath of Western churches. Comer follows this up with What exactly are we saved to? Are we saved to go to heaven and that discipleship is for the few super Christians? Or are brought into the fellowship of fellow disciples to live out our walks how Jesus would live in our situations? Comer would say the latter.
He also talks about sin and what is the mark which sin says we are missing? Is it perfection? Is it a lack of unity with God? He notes that to Jesus, salvation is not so much about getting you to heaven as about getting heaven in you.
A way of life
Talks about The Way. More than just a belief, but how you live your life.
Kallistos Ware said in The Orthodox Way: Christianity is more than a theory about the universe, more than teachings written down on paper; it is a path along which we journey—in the deepest and richest sense, the way of life.
Whoever means whoever
Comer notes that Jesus said whoever. Not the select few who are super-spiritual. But all, even the common folk, the poor and downtrodden. Just look at his twelve closest followers. We may not feel worthy, the disciples probably did not. Before they believed in Jesus, he believed in them. It is him who will make us faithful followers, not our own willpower.
Goal #1: Be with Jesus
This is the first and most important goal of apprenticeship to Jesus: to be with him,
“Abide in me”
Talks about that Jesus prayer for the Holy Spirit to be given to his disciples. The Holy Spirit is a person and is another kind of person as Jesus is. We are to be at home with Jesus-abiding. What do we do when we are away from life’s necessities? to clarify, this is not about holing up in a monastery but about learning to always be in two places at once. It calls for us to be here on earth and with Jesus. See Brother Lawrence. abiding is not a technique by which we control our relationship with God; but it is a skill. And like all skills, it will take practice to master…
Turning God into a habit
He wants us to turn our thoughts to Jesus, particularly during the times of waiting. He notes the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi says that The undirected mind tends towards chaos. Comer says that when you examine a person’s habits, you will understand what kind of person they are.
“I look at Him, He looks at me, and we are happy”
The most important thing that happens between God and the human soul is to love and be loved. Kallistos Katafygiois
The reward for following Jesus is Jesus
Comer talks about his practice in the mornings. Ideally it is to be quiet, meditate, clear your mind of distractions and concentrate on knowing Jesus and communicating with God. He then uses a phrase from Henri Nouwen where Nouwen says that his mind gets to be like a banana trees filled with monkeys - this is the actuality. The fuller quote from Nouwen is:
In solitude I get rid of my scaffolding; no friends to talk with, no telephone calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, no books to distract, just me—naked, vulnerable, weak, sinful, deprived, broken—nothing. It is this nothingness that I have to face in my solitude, a nothingness so dreadful that everything in me wants to run to my friends, my work, and my distractions so that I can forget my nothingness and make myself believe that I am worth something. But that is not all. As soon as I decide to stay in my solitude, confusing ideas, disturbing images, wild fantasies, and weird associations jump about in my mind like monkeys in a banana tree. Anger and greed begin to show their ugly faces. I give long, hostile speeches to my enemies and dream lustful dreams in which I am wealthy, influential, and very attractive—or poor, ugly, and in need of immediate consolation.
Comer goes on and talks about how this time has been described by several people and the insights it gives. For those of us who do not experience this loftiness in our prayer life, he recommends that we just keep on praying, keep showing up.
Find your secret place
Jesus talks about where to pray, then what to pray. Be alone, be separate. Time to retreat, return and refresh. Picture it as a time of liberation from self.
“You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life”
He says that a disciple to Jesus is to do less, not more. Jesus as the center means that unless something comes from him, it does not need to be done. Eliminate hurry from your life. A psychologist which Comer knows said that most people are too busy to live emotionally healthy and spiritually vibrant lives. There is a calling to lie down in green pastures not to work harder.
Goal #2: Become like him
He paraphrases Benedict's Rules. What Benedict says is To have the expectation of death daily before one’s eyes. The skull is a reminder of where we all are heading. Also a reminder of what is important and to keep that rather than frivolity.
Our culture is based upon amusement. Live like the eulogy you want to have. See David Brooks on resume vs eulogy virtues.
Spiritual formation isn’t a Christian thing
Comer says that we all have been formed, are formed and are being formed, whether we are Christian, some other religion or non-religious. It is part of human nature. Benedict says that the question is Who am I becoming? Look at elderly people and see what the product of formation is.
Formation defined
Formation as a Christian is being formed like Jesus. This includes the process-a very long process. Formation is done to us, not what we do. The main characteristic of Jesus is love. Formation will cause us to be more loving. That is the image of Christ. This is intentional, done day by day.
No accidental saints
Three losing strategies
The three are: Willpower-it is needed, but not the strongest of reeds to rely upon; more Bible reading-knowledge is needed but is not the end of the road; being zapped-just does not happen. They all do work, but we, ourselves, are hampered by two things
Problem #1: Sin
Both sin as what we do and the condition we are in. Comer sees sin as the illness of the soul and salvation as the remedy. The word Saved in Greek is the same word used as healed. Confession is the pathway to healing. We hide instead of bringing issues out in the open.
Problem #2: You’ve already been formed
The problem is that we are not a blank slate, but have already been molded into ways which are non-Jesus like. He talks about the stories which mold us-particularly by our materialistic culture. We are not creatures where money is the ultimate good. Pick which narrative you believe carefully. What we do, we become. The next point is related: we become like the people we spend time with.
we must carefully discern the ways that we’ve been formed (or malformed)—not by the kingdom but by our last names, our family lines, our political tribes, or our zip codes.
All Christian formation is counter-formation. I think this is similar to what CS Lewis says about friendships-that it is a rebellion/subversive. Because friendships are exclusive by nature and does not incorporate society, but are a barrier to society. In the same way Christian discipleship rejects the ways of our society and focus’ on the way of Christ.
Flannery O’Connor once advised, “Push as hard as the age that pushes against you.” The Habit of Being.
Each moment of each day is like a liturgy, a sacred ritual designed to shape our hearts.
A working theory of change
essential question: How?
He does not claim this is a universal truth, but more of it has practical application in many situations. the role of truth is central to our spiritual formation
First there is teaching. This is not just information, but puts a vision of truth in us. the best teaching does more than just inform us—it gets into our heads with a vision of the good life.
Tozer famously said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” The Knowledge of the Holy Comer goes on and notes that a distorted vision of God, leads to malpractice-my word. the more religious [a person] become, the worse they become. Because we become like who we believe God is.
information alone is not enough to change. How we practice this information makes the difference, not the correct thinking, but correct thinking which leads to correct doing. Comer says that Jesus when he talks in the Sermon on the Mount indicates these were to be practiced, not just good ideas. Jesus begins and ends the Sermon on the Mount with a call to practice. And yet, very few of us think of following Jesus as a practice This sermon is bracketed by this expectation Mat 5:19: whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven and Mat 7:24: Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock..
But becoming is not an all at once thing, but a matter of training, building upon past practices to reach new ones. Comer makes the point that becoming Christ-like is not a matter of trying, but training. He talks about that the Sabbath is the day to establish ourselves for the coming week. I’m saying we need to practice the Way of Jesus, not just go out and try to do it
Being Christian is not Lone Ranger. Rather we need/require community. Community is the incubator of our walk. The question for a community is not how do they worship or perform, but does the community move its people to a higher level of discipleship.
And then there is the Holy Spirit. He is the source of our transformation. The practices are what allow the Holy Spirit to work through us. Christlikeness in our inner being is not the result of the right application of spiritual disciplines, finding a “good church,” or mastering the right technique of living—it is always a gift of sheer grace. Grace, as Bonhoeffer notes, is not easy or cheap. You will never work harder for anything in your life than Christlike character, and nothing else will ever feel like such an unearned gift.
As said before, this will take time, a long time. Also there will be suffering.
Terrible, wonderful news: You are not in control
Our culture, through technology, says that things are easy, fast and controllable. Comer says that formation is the opposite: hard, slow and we are not in control. Technology gives the illusion we are in control. Comer paraphrases Ellul. We are called to Follow Jesus, not to change-that comes with the following.
This seems to leave something out, such as the desire to change and the need to take the steps to follow.
Goal #3: Do as he did
“fishers of men” was an honorific for great rabbis, because the best teachers had the power to capture the minds and imaginations of their listeners.
Apprenticeship/discipleship is a four stage process:
- I do; you watch
- I do; you help
- You do; I help
- You do; I watch
All of this is for us to do as Jesus did. you are an apprentice of Jesus, your end goal is to grow and mature into the kind of person who can say and do all the things Jesus said and did.
Jesus the prototype
All of Jesus’ life and teachings are how we were meant to live. Miracles are not a proof of Jesus’ divinity, but as an extension of who he is. most Western Christians read the stories about Jesus, especially the miracle stories, not as a template for how to live but as “proof that Jesus was God.” Comer points out the prophets did miracles and so did his disciples. They are not God.
Implication is that we are not to rely on our talent to do God’s work, but on the Holy SPirit. What is Jesus’ ministry?
Rhythm #1: Making space for the gospel (i.e., hospitality)
Talks about how eating with one another was a means of setting boundaries. Who you ate with was a boundary marker. That is why when Jesus is noted for eating with tax collectors and sinners, he was showing a disregard for society boundaries. Commer says the Greek word for hospitality is philoxenia-lover of strangers or foreigners. Nouwen notes that we are a world full of strangers-Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life. He also quotes Ronald Rolheiser in Sacred Fire: A Vision for Deeper Human and Christian Maturity as saying when we act like God, we feel like God. (Not that we are God, but I think we feel like we are doing as God would do on earth.
Then he quotes Rosaria Butterfield about hospitality. We read a bit of this in her book The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. But she has a whole book on hospitality called The Gospel Comes with a House Key. Comer notes, as Butterfield did in her Secret book, that conversations around a dinner table are places where the gospel can be shared. Comer says two things:
We already do this-we eat, it is just a matter of extending it.
Anyone can invite another to share a meal.
Rhythm #2: Preaching the gospel
He notes that he has a minor allergic reaction when there is a crass presentation of the gospel. Sort of like what we experienced on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where someone had a recording of the Bible going.
How do you share in a pluralistic society without turning off those who you want to share in the love of God? He notes that everybody is actually preaching a gospel whether it is the liberals talking about gay rights or conservatives banning abortions or atheists proclaiming there is no god or those who do not want to hear the gospel or those who are sharing the gospel. Remember we share Good News, not a message of hate or doom.
We live in a society where we do not have close friends. Be hospitable. Be a friend. Share. Be there for people. Live a life of beauty.
Rhythm #3: Demonstrating the gospel
Jesus did not just preach the gospel of the kingdom; he embodied it. Word and deed
Moltmann talked about miracles being the healing of the natural order, not the intrusion. Moltmann said: When Jesus expels demons and heals the sick, he is driving out of creation the powers of destruction, and is healing and restoring created beings who are hurt and sick. Comer breaks this down into areas.
Healing. Wonder what Comer’s background is?
Deliverance. From evil/demons
Prophecy.
Justice. This is central to God’s heart. Jesus “put it to rights,” as the Brits say. That’s what justice is—making wrong things right, crooked things straight. It can mean disadvantaged yourself so others can have the care they need.
This is all done through the work of the Holy Spirit. But does this mean we just wait around until something nudges us into action? Every person we meet is a God opportunity—to love and to serve…. Every moment is pregnant with possibility, if only we open our eyes.
“The joyous burdens of love”
Comer notes that we are not told to do everything, but we are tasked to do something. So this gets to the question of What’s your task? Your “joyous burden of love”?
Usually this falls within two areas: your area of employment and the good works you are called to do.
The opposite of contemplation is not action, but reaction-Comer. Reaction is when you are constantly being a ping-pong, going back and forth without direction. Contemplation gives you that direction. Action comes from knowing what God wants you to do which comes out of contemplation.
Ministry is done by whatever we do the way we imagine Jesus would do it if he were us.
How? A Rule of Life
For all of us, before we set out on any journey, we need at least two things: (1) a compelling vision of our desired destination, and (2) a plan for how to get there. He proposes that we plan for our spiritual lives. This is not so much like a budget, but a guide to help us nurture and allow God to work within us. We must arrange our days
The trellis and the vine
Rule of Life. Comer notes, this is singular, not plural, more attuned to how a trellis guides a vine, than as a cage to restrict a wild animal. It is a schedule and set of practices and relational rhythms that create space for us to be with Jesus, become like him and do as he did, as we live to align with our deepest desires.
David Brooks once defined commitment as “falling in love with something [or someone] and then building a structure of behavior around it for those moments when love falters.” Or Bonhoeffer telling his friends that "Let your marriage sustain your love.” Let the way we live sustain our life in Christ.
You already have a Rule of Life
You already live by something, the questions are what and is it in alignment with how God wants you to live. The best way to tell is to take a kind of spiritual self-inventory; an honest assessment of your life. … A Rule of Life is an invitation to a very different definition of freedom than that of the modern world—an invitation to embrace the constraints that, if you give yourself to them, will eventually set you free. This falls into the area we are being formed whether it is conscious or if it is being inflicted on us.
Guarding and guiding
I used to weigh potential behaviors with the question, Is this sinful or not? But now that I better understand the gospel and its possibility of “life that is truly life” with Jesus, my new question is, Does this move me toward Jesus or away? The idea of the Rule is does it move you closer or away from Jesus? This not only means saying yes to good things, but also no to those which are not within your calling, let alone the bad things out there. It’s the same with a Rule: “You have to pick carefully.”
Four things a good Rule will do for you
1 It will help you turn vision into reality. Good intentions do not move you.
2 It will help you experience peace as you live in alignment with your deepest desires. … Stephen Covey once said, “We achieve inner peace when our schedule aligns with our values.” … To live a life of peace in the digital age will demand a kind of resistance. That resistance is to be focused. The Rule of Life helps to maintain that focus.
It will help you live at the right pace.
It will help you balance freedom and discipline. The Rule is not a mandate, but it allows both freedom and discipline. Not sure how. He does not really elaborate.
Most of the time, when you’re living rightly, you don’t even feel it; but when you drift, you feel it pull you back to center
The practices defined
What I’m calling “the practices,” most people call “the spiritual disciplines.”
Comer then goes into what they are NOT:
#1 They are not a barometer of spiritual maturity. … Love is the metric of spiritual maturity, not discipline. He notes that discipleship is a means to an end, not the end. Seems like love and being the image/ambassador of Christ is the result of discipleship.
#2 They are not a gloomy bore
3 They are not a form of merit. He quotes John Ortberg as that discipleship is a means of appropriating grace, making it real to us
#4 They are not the Christian version of virtue signaling. They are for internal, not external viewing
#5 They are not a means of control. By control, he means that we do not control the outcome. Pain/discomfort can still be part of our lives.
The practices are disciplines based on the lifestyle of Jesus that create time and space for us to access the presence and power of the Spirit and, in doing so, be transformed from the inside out
Definition: A discipline is any activity I can do by direct effort that will eventually enable me to do what I currently cannot do by direct effort.
Practices are part of our transformation.
Jesus modeled a set of core practices that we will cover next: disciplines like Sabbath, Scripture, prayer, and fasting. Scholars call them the “classical disciplines”—not just because they date back to the ancient world but because they are the core disciplines for following Jesus, for all people, for all time.
The nine
Comer says there are no official lists as everything Jesus did could be emulated. But at his organization, there are these 9:
#1 Sabbath. We need rest, a full day of rest. The busier we are, the more we need this lull to become invigorated to be who God wants us to be.
#2 Solitude. Foundational. Nouwen wrote, “Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life.” … Isaac the Syrian said, “Speech is the organ of the present world. Silence is the mystery of the world to come.”
#3 Prayer. Prayer is what you do when you are in your quiet place. Comer breaks down prayer into four parts: Talking to God, … Talking with God … Listening to God … Being with God. Ronald Rolheiser: “You have to show up for prayer and you have to show up regularly.”
#4 Fasting. In fasting, you are literally praying with your body, offering all that you are to God in worship. It is not to “get” something by sacrificing as some books seem to lead you to believe. It is yielding from your body to God.
#5 Scripture. Lectio Divina. ALl forms of digesting God’s word work together.
#6 Community. John Ortberg: “generally sin alone, but we heal together.” Traveling companions.
#7 Generosity. Giving brings joy.
#8 Service. Every day is full of opportunities to follow Jesus’ example, and give your life in service.
#9 Witness. We are not commissioned to save anybody, but to tell the Good News.
A few tips
1 Start where you are, not where you “should” be. Margaret Guenther: Unrealistic goals just leave us discouraged and disillusioned.” … to craft a Rule, you have to be very honest about where you are in your discipleship and what you’re capable of in this season. Understand your current limits and work from there. Step one: We must find God in the contours of our actual lives
#2 Think subtraction, not addition. Following Jesus is not an add on to what you are doing, but a stripping down, away from the extraneous stuff of being the image of God. Some teachers separate practices of “engagement” (disciplines of doing like justice, worship, study, and so on) from practices of “abstinence” (disciplines of not doing like Sabbath, silence, fasting, and so on
3 Take a balanced approach. See chart
4 Take into account your personality and spiritual temperament. Do not fight against it, but use what God has given you. Comer notes that Gary Thomas says there are nine spiritual temperaments: Naturalists, Sensates, Traditionalists, Caregivers, Enthusiasts, Contemplatives, Intellectuals, Ascetics, Activists
5 Take into account your season of life and stage of discipleship. Don’t fight against your season; work with.
6 Keep a healthy blend of upstream and downstream practices. Downstream are those which we naturally fit into; upstream is those which cause us to grow (i.e., those which we struggle with). Need lots of downstream and a few upstream at a time. We need both. Follow both joy and pain/
7 Follow the J curve. When you attempt to grow in a new skill (from playing the piano to practicing Sabbath), you often get worse at it before you get better.
#8 Do this in community. We in the West tend to think individualistically. But we need the support of our community.
9 There is no formation without repetition. Small actions leads to major changes.
Bridgetown Church-Comer founded this church in Portland. I noticed that almost all of the staff are young.
Find your inner monk
Following Jesus doesn’t work as a hobby. It is not an extra activity, but the main event in life, if not the only thing. We must come to realize that following Jesus is the main point of life.
Not that we go into seclusion, but there are times which we need to retreat and be along with God for extended times.
Take up your cross
Comer notes that crowds were attracted to Jesus. Most turned away as Jesus explained the requirements. Do I want to follow him?
Surrender
Following Jesus always requires you to leave something behind. Luke 9:23. And then there is Bonhoeffer saying When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. Surrender/Discipleship: lifelong process of deepening surrender to Jesus.
Thomas Keating beautifully said, “The chief act of the will is not effort but consent.” From his book Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel.
Comer himself notes that I find myself caught in the cross currents of desire…I want Jesus’ life, but I don’t want to die..
The cost of (non-)discipleship
There is a cost to following Jesus. But Comer says that you also need to count the cost of not following Him. Both ways are hard. in our attempts to avoid the difficult path of discipleship, we make our life harder. Can we really be happy apart from the life God has for us?
Goethe, “The Holy Longing,”
So long as you haven’t experienced this: to die and so to grow,
you are only a troubled guest on the dark earth
Begin again
Failure is part of discipleship. We are not perfect and we are trying to follow perfection in Jesus. Frank Laubach said of his many failures each day to practice the presence of God, “One can begin all over instantly at any moment.” I prefer the WIlliam Law saying that each morning is a resurrection.
Salvation is not only a one time thing, but also by its nature on going. We are continually being saved from ourselves, from our failings. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, who said that “sin happens when we refuse to keep growing.”
Steps to Growth:
You must daily hold before your mind and imagination the beauty and possibility of life in the kingdom of God.
Once your heart is consumed by a vision of Jesus, you must begin, right where you are. Take one small step, immediately
Take it slow
When you fall (and again, we all fall), repent, yes, but don’t get sucked into self-recrimination or shame. Fall back on God’s mercy. Let him pick you back up
How to become a saint? Dallas Willard’s answer is “By doing the next right thing.” What is the next right thing for me?
Now, you must decide: Do you want to become an apprentice of Jesus? Do you want to practice the Way
Extras
The Practicing the Way Course
A Rule of Life from Practicing the Way
A community of rest in a culture of hurry and exhaustion, through the practice of Sabbath.
A community of peace and quiet in a culture of anxiety and noise, through the practice of solitude.
A community of communion with God in a culture of distraction and escapism, through the practice of prayer.
A community of love and depth in a culture of individualism and superficiality, through the practice of community.
A community of courageous fidelity to orthodoxy in a culture of ideological compromise, through the practice of Scripture.
A community of holiness in a culture of indulgence and immorality, through the practice of fasting.
A community of contentment in a culture of consumerism, through the practice of generosity.
A community of justice, mercy, and reconciliation in a culture of injustice and division, through the practice of service.
A community of hospitality in a culture of hostility, through the practice of witness.
The nine practices
The Rule of Life Builder
Begin now by going to practicingtheway.org/ruleoflifebuilder Has a free digital tool
Gratitude
List of people whom he is indebted for writing this book.
Evaluation:
As a Christian of 50+ years, I found myself faced with approaching this book in one of two ways. The first, is that I have heard and practiced most of this either now or sometime over the years. So it is easy just to skim, rather than digest. The second is to use this book as a reminder of what it means to be walking in the Way. One other note: this book is probably oriented towards those who are younger, considerably younger than I am, both from the formatting and most of the examples. It still has things to say to me.
Comer goes through how to be a disciple of Jesus-he uses the term apprentice. He notes that many were attracted to Jesus, but just admiring or even being part of the movement did not make you a disciple as the gospels note that many of his followers no longer followed him. This book looks at, what does it mean to follow him?
The author takes his cue from Augustine and Benedict in developing a Rule of Life. He points out this is not Rules, but Rule. The idea is that this is more of a way of living than a set of rules to live by. Benedict developed something similar in his directive for the monasteries he was in charge of. Like Benedict, Comer has developed these as a means to move the believer to being a disciple.
What Comer has developed will probably resonate with the current generation. When I compare it to books like Benedict’s Rule of Life or Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship. But then not much can match up with the vision and challenge these books lay down. Practicing the Way will speak to you to be more than a pew sitter and become a disciple along the way of Jesus.
Notes from my book group:
What did you learn from this book about how to live your life?
Comer starts off the book with a series of questions. How would you answer them? Are you following Jesus? Who or what am I a disciple of? Am I one of those who continue on with him? Or am I one of those who get discouraged and fall away?
Do you agree with Tish Harrison Warren’s statement of None of us comes to what we believe by ourselves. The world has no free thinkers.
Comer notes that we are shaped by the world we live in. He then asks a question which leads to it is not am I becoming a person, but what person am I becoming? Is his basis for the question correct? How do you answer his question?
Comer notes that Jesus not only came to die for our sins, but to show us how to live. What did you learn about how to live from this book? He asks the question, what are we saved to? How do you answer this?
Why does Comer use the word apprentice rather than disciple?
Comer sets three goals: Be with Jesus; Become like him; and Do as He did. How do you achieve these goals?
How do you master the skills of apprenticeship Comer talks about?
David Brooks talks about the difference between a resume and a eulogy. How would you describe the difference? What would you like your eulogy to be?
The author says that the best teaching does more than just inform us—it gets into our heads with a vision of the good life. What good teaching have you received? What did it look like? How did it affect you?
Comer postulates that the Sermon on the Mount was meant to be lived out. Do you agree? If so, how do we do that? What challenges does Jesus’ sermon make? If not, how should you interpret this Sermon?
Comer makes the point that becoming Christ-like is not a matter of trying, but training. How do you train to live like Christ?
The Sabbath is emphasized.. Why does Comer say the implementation of a Sabbath is important? How does it fit into the training needed to emulate Jesus?
Another emphasis is the place of community. How does a community fit into an individual’s walk?
The third emphasis was the Holy Spirit. How does Comer say that the Holy Spirit works in making a believer more Christlike? How does controlling growth work into this?
Comer’s hypothesis is that all of Jesus’ works, including miracles and healing, are to be emulated by believers. How does Comer come to this conclusion? What would being like Jesus mean to you? How would you emulate Jesus?
What is hospitality according to Comer? Why does Comer emphasize hospitality as a way to live out the Christian life? How does this fit in with Rosaria Butterfield’s thoughts in The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert? He says that Every person we meet is a God opportunity—to love and to serve…. Every moment is pregnant with possibility, if only we open our eyes. How can we open our eyes?
What is the Rule of Life? How does it differ from religious rules and laws? Have you been able to think through what your Rule of Life is? What do you want it to be?
What does he define as a practice or discipline? What are the disciplines which you practice which help you along the Way?
Why does Comer consider Sabbath, Scripture, prayer, and fasting as core disciplines? Describe each discipline. He also adds solitude, generosity, community, service and witness. Are these add-ons or part of being a well rounded Christian? Do you need to engage in each one of these? Is no, why not? If so, how can a human do all of these well?
In his chapter called a few tips, he has nine tips to add those along the Way. Which ones did you need to see?
What is spiritual maturity? How can you determine if you are maturing? What does Comer say are not signs of increased spiritual maturity?
The Parable of the Sower talks about seeds which are planted and which sprout to full maturity. Comer talks about the crowds which fall away. What attributes are there of those who decide not to follow Jesus? How can you guard against being part of the crowd which falls away? Have you decided to continue on the Way after reading this book? If so, what changes have you decided to make in your discipleship?
Comer quotes Saint Gregory of Nyssa as saying sin happens when we refuse to keep growing. Is this truth? How come this is true? Or not true?
How has this book caused you to wonder about your walk with Jesus?
How do you want your life to change because you read this book?
Many of these questions are either from or adapted from LitLovers.
Why the title of Practicing the Way?
Did the ending seem fitting? Satisfying?
Every book has a world view. Were you able to identify this story’s world view? What was it?
Why do you think the author wrote this book?
What would you ask the author if you had a chance?
What “takeaways” did you have from this book?
How did this book affect your view of the world?
Of how God is viewed?
What questions did you ask yourself after reading this book?
Talk about specific passages that struck you as significant—or interesting, profound, amusing, illuminating, disturbing, sad...?
What was memorable?
New Words:
Luchador: Lucha libre wrestlers are known as luchadores (singular luchador) often come from extended wrestling families who form their own stables.
- Lincoln’s Christianity by Michael Burkhimer
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
- Live No Lies by John Mark Comer
- A Meal with Jesus by Tim Chester
- Evangelism in the Early Church by Dr. Michael Green
- Stranger in the Midst by Nan Fink
- Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas
- The Rule of St. Benedict
Good Quotes:
- First Line: Who are you following?
- None of us comes to what we believe by ourselves. The world has no free thinkers. Tish Harrison Warren, Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep, p82
- Christianity is more than a theory about the universe, more than teachings written down on paper; it is a path along which we journey—in the deepest and richest sense, the way of life. Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way
- The undirected mind tends towards chaos. Mihály Csíkszentmihályi
- The most important thing that happens between God and the human soul is to love and be loved. Kallistos Katafygiois
- Transformation is possible if we are willing to arrange our lives around the practices, rhythms, and truths that Jesus himself did, which will open our lives to God’s power to change. Chp Dust
- Each moment of each day is like a liturgy, a sacred ritual designed to shape our hearts. Chp Problem #2: You’ve already been formed
- What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. AW Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy
- Every person we meet is a God opportunity—to love and to serve…. Every moment is pregnant with possibility, if only we open our eyes. Chp Rhythm #3: Demonstrating the gospel
- Let your marriage sustain your love. Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
- The chief act of the will is not effort but consent. Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel.
- So long as you haven’t experienced this: to die and so to grow, you are only a troubled guest on the dark earth. Goethe, “The Holy Longing”
- sin happens when we refuse to keep growing. Saint Gregory of Nyssa
- Dust
- Apprentice to Jesus
- Jesus was a rabbi
- Three goals of an apprentice
- Disciple is a noun, not a verb
- Are you a Christian or an apprentice?
- But what are we saved to?
- A way of life
- Whoever means whoever
- Goal #1: Be with Jesus
- “Abide in me”
- Turning God into a habit
- “I look at Him, He looks at me, and we are happy”
- The reward for following Jesus is Jesus
- Find your secret place
- “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life”
- Goal #2: Become like him
- Spiritual formation isn’t a Christian thing
- Formation defined
- No accidental saints
- Three losing strategies
- Problem #1: Sin
- Problem #2: You’ve already been formed
- A working theory of change
- Terrible, wonderful news: You are not in control
- Goal #3: Do as he did
- Jesus the prototype
- Rhythm #1: Making space for the gospel (i.e., hospitality)
- Rhythm #2: Preaching the gospel
- Rhythm #3: Demonstrating the gospel
- “The joyous burdens of love”
- How? A Rule of Life
- The trellis and the vine
- You already have a Rule of Life
- Guarding and guiding
- Four things a good Rule will do for you
- The practices defined
- The nine
- A few tips
- Find your inner monk
- Take up your cross
- Surrender
- The cost of (non-)discipleship
- Begin again
- Extras
- The Practicing the Way Course
- A Rule of Life from Practicing the Way
- The nine practices
- The Rule of Life Builder
- Gratitude
- Notes
References:
- Publisher's Web Site for Book
- Author's Web Site
- Amazon-Book
- Amazon-Author
- Barnes and Noble
- GoodReads-Book
- GoodReads-Author
- Christianity Today review
- YouTube
- Theology in the Raw podcast
- Justin Gravitt blog
- Pierce Taylor Hibbs review
- Practicing the Way website
- The Practicing the Way Course
- The Rule of Life Builder
- Right Now Media (subscription required)
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