I'm a big fan of John Mark. His books are articulated well and his writing flows. This book also follows suit with his other books. It's well-written, easy to read, and has a wealth of information about Practicing the Way of Jesus and how to be with Jesus. He asks thought-provoking questions and his explanations are easy to understand and gives lots of thoughts to ponder. I like that he discusses how he came to form his Rule of Life and gives examples of how to create my own.

Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer is one of the best books I have read this year and honestly, in the last decade I think. In his book, John Mark Comer explains well what truly a disciple of Jesus -- or better yet, an apprentice of Jesus, as Comer likes to call us, should live like. Not only that, he lays out what we should do: to be like Jesus, to become like Him and to do as He did -- and how we can do all these. This is an introduction to spiritual formation, writing it plainly enough for all of us to decide on our next right step towards becoming more like Jesus.

This book is very well written and very inspirational, while easy to read and full of truth. I would easily recommend this book to all believing Christians, whether they have been walking with Jesus for a day or a decade. I really cannot recommend this book enough.

"So what now? " If you are considering becoming a follower of Jesus or have newly committed yourself to being so, then this book will hugely help you answer this question. If your life until that point was like me, one of chaos management and little purpose or meaning then the writings in this wonderful book will draw you towards a life with purpose, meaning, intentionality, healing and transformation. Very easy to read but with depth that makes it so easy to relate to. Even if you have been a follower of Jesus for some time, I'd urge to read this book as it draws together the concepts of Spiritual Formation in a succinct way so that you may realise where you need to go on a deeper journey with God. The only criticism, as with the last book is way too many quotes which disjoint the text, but can then lead you to further reading.

Practicing the Way is a boost of fresh spiritual energy. I was a little hesitant making this purchase because I’ve read all of John Mark’s books, and listen to his teachings. I assumed I would be reading similar information, but I was wrong. Practicing the Way was just what I needed to get me wondering about a new Rule of Life for me and my family going into 2024. As always, John Mark, does a brilliant job making 2000 year old tools tangible for today’s generation. I love how he constantly pulls quotes from other saints and authors to drive home his teachings. Practicing the Way is a must read for every Christian, but especially those who may feel they’re being controlled by the daily noise of the world, rather than the Good News of Jesus.
- Zach Brown

A life-giving book on being an apprentice of Jesus.

Reading a book of John Mark Comer is like exploring the map of a familiar landscape. You cannot grasp the fact that there are so many small ways and ancient paths that you never saw or thought of, and now it’s time to step on these paths! It’s time for ‘Practicing the Way’ and walk with Jesus.

John Mark Comer has this gift to transform the things you once felt but could not grasp, the things you thought but could not pronounce into words. Into practical words. Chapter after chapter I find myself nodding at the sentences.

When reading this book it does not stop with words. The book sketches everyday ingredients of faith, and presents a groundwork for every follower of Jesus. In a way that makes you eager to integrate them in your daily life.

A few subjects in this book that I found deeply insightful:
- The practice of the presence of God
- Abiding is a skill
- The view on hospitality

Practicing the way is also a wonderful book to use at your book club, to read and discuss with your small group or local community.

So are you a follower of Jesus, are you curious of becoming one, or a bit tired along that road? Read ‘Practicing the Way’ it will refresh your life.

Conclusion: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Big thanks to NetGalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing an advanced readers copy of this book in return for my honest review.

This book was amazing! JM does an incredible job of bringing the reader in with personal stories and also challenging the reader to grow in their walk with Christ!

A must read for anyone interested in spiritual formation and the real work of being a disciple or apprentice of Jesus.
Probably John Mark Comer‘s best book yet! Highly recommend!

John Mark Comer is an auto-read author for me, and this book is different from all of his others. A gospel primer of sorts, he looks at what discipleship really meant for the first disciples and what it really means for us.

"Practicing the Way" by John Mark Comer is a timely and approachable masterpiece that breathes new life into the contemporary Christian landscape. In a world where faith often becomes confined to intellectual assent, this book serves as a rallying cry for a deeper, more transformative engagement with the practices of Jesus. In an era where many churches struggle to move beyond the surface of religious rituals, this guide is a refreshing call to what it means to adopt the practices of Jesus in order to be formed like him.

Joh Mark takes readers on a challenging journey encouraging them to move beyond the comfort of doctrinal affirmations and into the realm of active, intentional discipleship (apprenticeship). The author's keen and often funny insights combined with passionate prose invite believers to explore the profound richness of following Jesus beyond the boundaries of mere mental acknowledgment.

One of the book's strengths lies in its ability to bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and contemporary living. Drawing inspiration from the timeless practices of the early Christian church, John Mark skillfully and practically adapts these principles to the challenges of our modern society. The result is a comprehensive and accessible guide that equips readers with practical tools to give God space to transform their lives.

The book is particularly resonant for the current Western, especially American, church context. In a culture often marked by superficiality and a tendency towards consumer-driven spirituality, "Practicing the Way" stands as a beacon of hope. It unveils a roadmap for churches to move beyond the trappings of religious nominalism, Christian Nationalism, and secular influence and instead cultivate a community centered around authentic discipleship.

What sets this book apart is its ability to inspire without imposing. It avoids a one-size fits all prescriptive tone, allowing room for personal exploration and growth. The narrative is both convicting and compassionate, inviting readers to embark on a transformative journey rather than prescribing a rigid set of rules.

"Practicing the Way" is not just a book; it is a guide for a paradigm shift within the contemporary Christian experience. It challenges readers to move from passive believers to active practitioners of the faith, offering a compelling vision for a church that embodies the teachings of Jesus in a tangible and radical way.

All said, John Mark Comer's "Practicing the Way" is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper, more authentic connection with their faith. It’s a road map for how to go from discipleship 1,0 to discipleship 2,0 and beyond. My enthusiastic endorsement stems from its power to rekindle the flame of genuine discipleship and to guide the Western church towards a countercultural (both secular and Christian), more vibrant and transformative apprenticeship of Jesus. This book is not just relevant; it is essential for the spiritual vitality of our time.

I have looked forward to getting my hands on this book since the day I heard about it and it most definitely did not disappoint! In his unmistakable and iconic writing style John Mark Comer perfectly blends the right amount of humor with the serious topic of discipleship to create what will likely be considered his Magnum Opus. Not only does he explain the importance of practicing the way by apprenticing Jesus, he breaks down the how into simple steps and the why behind it all. A must read for anyone who wants to grow closer in their walk with Jesus.

A very enjoyable and easy read from John Mark! He has a gift for making complex concepts clear. Not necessarily any new "information" if you have followed his teachings and writings for the last 5+ years, but this book encapsulates the philosophy and the practice of following Jesus in one place. This is a great book for anyone looking to follow Jesus in a way that will continue through all of life.

Thank you to WaterBrook & Multnomah (Penguin Random House)/NetGalley for the ARC.

John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way is based on the premise that all of us are daily being formed by our habits and beliefs. This book is, above all, a call for Christians (or really anyone) to examine their life and ask what it is you are being formed by. Practicing the Way describes a lifestyle where one is, as Comer labels it, an “apprentice” to Jesus. Rather than your faith just being a statement you make professing your belief in order to get to heaven, apprenticeship to Jesus is daily living your faith, resulting in a transformation by God’s love and peace into being a more loving and peaceful person.

I really enjoyed this book and enjoy Comer’s writing style. His short, simple sentences and paragraphs make it easily digestible. There is some history given as well as background/translation on a few Greek words used in the original Biblical manuscript. His book is also full of quotes/references regarding spiritual formation from other theologians, pastors and psychologists. I also appreciated that he takes into account that each person’s walk with Jesus will look different based on personal likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses and season of life. He gives guidelines and suggestions for this lifestyle of apprenticeship but there are no hard and fast rules.

This is a book I will read again when released 1/16/2024 and plan to share with others. I would recommend Practicing the Way to anyone interested in what Christianity is or those who are Christians and want to renew or strengthen their faith.

In comparison to other John Mark Comer books, this one took me the longest to read and I think that’s because I felt like I had a lot to sit with and reflect on. Comer’s practicality, synthesis of thoughts from theologians throughout the centuries, and use of the scriptures to talk about the Way may sound intimidating, but it all felt very straightforward. His chapters on surrender and sacrifice particularly gave me a lot to sit with and then take to the Lord. I’d highly recommend this book for anyone who feels like they are stuck in their faith; Comer beautifully discusses that there is so much more to life with Jesus than we tend to believe in our mundane, busy lives. A quote I sat with for a while:
“Apprenticeship to Jesus is about turning your body into a temple, a place of overlap between heaven and earth - an advance sign of what one day Jesus will do for the entire cosmos, when heaven and earth are at long last reunited as one.”

I’m probably not the target audience for a book like this, but I do enjoy reading Christian theology. Your dude is a savior of humanity? That’s awesome. He calls you to do good works, expecting nothing in return? Fabulous! People have asked me more than a few times why, being Jewish, I support a lot of Christian causes, and it’s simply that while I love my Jewish brothers and sisters, we are a very small people. We can’t have the kind of impact that Christian causes can have, so I support who is providing for the greatest needs.

This is the type of book that calls people to be the type to serve those most in need.

I have a degree in church history (mostly American, mostly evangelicals, mostly their influence on politics and society) and this is probably the most convicting book I’ve read calling Christians to remember who their savior is, what he called them to do, and giving them the agency and authority to do it.

He structures this not unlike an introduction to religion course, but it is clearly for Christian’s who’ve lost their way, who’ve bought into Christian culture rather than theology. He pulls excerpts from the Bible, puts them in context, provides perspective and instruction, imagining how the people in the first century would have heard these words. It’s hard not to read these and be in awe. Jesus’ words compel believers to do and be certain things in the world, and at a time when the world is quibbling over words and their meaninglessness, the disintegration of “truth,” and how we are all to coexist, these words feel like a hammer finally righting a ship tossed amongst the waves.

If you’re a Christian, I highly recommend this book, and if you’re not, this does a great job of explaining what a world with Christian followers of the way could look like.

JMC did a great job on his practicing the way series, and he didn't let us down in his book. I highly recommend this book, it's one of my favorites! This will be a book I will look back on!

This is a book for you if you are looking to deepen your relationship with God and to build spiritual disciplines.

John Mark Comer's Practicing the Way, is a beautiful crescendo in his literary work, approaching some of the same issues Dallas Willard addressed in The Great Omission - The lack of understanding of what being a disciple of Jesus is in the western church. Like some of his contemporaries, He often draws upon the vast stores of wisdom from saints of the past.

Comer’s examinations of discipleship, the nature of the gospel (what are we saved to?), and the spiritual disciplines are careful, thoughtful, and in the case of the spiritual disciplines, wonderfully concise. Though the spiritual disciplines are a key component of the book (and his non-profit), He takes the right approach by not trying to deliver a comprehensive deep dive into each discipline. Finally, I really like his humble and compelling tone throughout the book. On several occasions, he offers up a winsome invitation not to be a religious convert, but to become an apprentice of Jesus, empowered by the Spirit to be transformed into His image in this life. I wanted to drop my nets and anything else in my hands all over again to sit at the feet of the master and learn. I hope you will too.

JMC does it again. I love the way he approaches walking with Jesus and pushes up against cultural Christianity with such compassion and grace.

Summary of this book- apprenticeship to Jesus is growing and maturing into the kind of person who can do and say things that Jesus said and did

The layout includes the following: the three goals of apprenticeship to Jesus (be with Jesus, become like Jesus, do as Jesus did), JMC’s definition of discipleship, the change involved in the spiritual formation practice, a call to practice (train) our minds that doesn’t just happen in an instant but in a life time, and more!. The book ends with practical application of developing a rule of life and how culture shapes our lives.

This book is full of scripture, questions to reflect on your own life, and resources to help apply the lessons from the book.

I think this book would be great for the mature Christian or someone who has just started walking with Jesus

Excited for this book to be released on 1/16/2024. Thank you to NetGalley and WaterBrook and Multnomah publishing (penguin random house)for the ARC!

Comer is no Dallas Willard, but it's good to have another book on spiritual formation. Very user friendly. Could spark a lot of conversation with new believers or in a small group church community.

If you're interested in learning more about Christian Spiritual Formation, there's no better intro than this. JMC does a masterful job of summarizing a ton of the best that the Spiritual Formation movement has to offer in an extremely readable, and pretty short book. If you have followed along with John Mark's teaching at Bridgetown Church over the years, and all of the stuff being posted now to his podcast, much of this won't be new to you. But it's still worth checking out.

If you want to learn how to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do the things he did then this is a great place to start.

Thank you to Waterbrook/Multnomah and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

"Unfortunately, many of us still view following Jesus as a means to an end– a ticket to heaven, to nice feelings, to a successful, upwardly mobile life, and so on.
We still don't get it: He's the end."

In Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer takes his many years of experience as a pastor, knowledge as a practitioner of spiritual formation, and development as a disciple of Jesus to create a book that helps new believers navigate discipleship as well as encourages seasoned believers into the Spiritual Disciplines. He methodically breaks down the duties and calling of disciples of Christ, and encourages the disciple into further development by breaking down common misconceptions about growth.

"You see, Jesus is not looking for converts to Christianity; he's looking for apprentices in the kingdom of God."

This book is a must-read for new and old followers.

As a lead pastor, my leadership team and I will be going through this book as well as new followers of Jesus. I cannot wait to implement this text in our discipleship process and learning in our church!

As a follower of Christ, I took notes on every page, dog-eared too many pages to go back to, and will add this to my yearly reading list during my summer breaks.

I so deeply desire to be a "resilient disciple" as described by Comer, and I believe this book provides a pathway for just that.

5 Stars.