As a follower of Jesus, it is very good to be reminded often that His ways, methods, priorities, and focuses were subversive, yet loving. Upside down, yet completely level. Courageous, yet submissive. His pace is peace. His call for us to take up our crosses and follow Him is satisfying to the soul.

In "The Narrow Path: How the Subversive Way of Jesus Satisfies Our Souls", Rich Villodas calls the followers of Jesus to embrace the countercultural, upside-down- kingdom way of living. On this path, using teachings from Christ's Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 & 6, we see that the last shall be first, the weak become strong, the poor are given the kingdom, treasures are stored in Heaven instead of on Earth, forgiveness and love are bestowed on our enemies, the meek inherit the earth, and we are slow to anger and retaliation. Along this narrow path, seeking righteousness in humility, we are promised satisfaction in our souls.

The Beatitudes and this entire sermon recorded in Matthew was done in the presence of around 5000 men, women, and children. During its time, it was regarded as mind-blowing and completely counter-cultural. IT STILL IS. Paul warns us in Romans not to conform to the patterns of this world, but to be transformed through the daily renewing of our minds. This book was a beautiful renewing of my mind and heart. Rich writes with a compelling voice, spurring us on the journey as we walk this narrow road together, providing a reminder that we can have hope for today and tomorrow.

A very special thanks to Rich Villodas, NetGalley, and WaterBrook & Multnomah for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A breath of fresh air! Exactly what the American church needs to hear right now. If you feel alone in your faith and spiritually homeless this is the book for you.

Rich Villodas writes another amazing book with his newest release, The Narrow Path: How the Subversive Way of Jesus Satisfies our Souls. In his easy-going and relatable style, Villodas outlines what it means to define the narrow way of Jesus and what it means to love well. He uses various illustrations from the Sermon on the Mount, and brings clarity to the question we sometimes ask of ourselves, "are we settling for less"? Villodas has two main goals with this book: to remind you that Jesus' narrow path is one that will offer you a lifetime of what you truly desire, and an outline of how to stay on the path so that you can experience the deep fulfillment that can only come from knowing Jesus and walking in obedience to Him. One of my favorite quotes from the book says, "As you follow Jesus down the narrow path, he will transform you into someone whose words are trustworthy and intentional". Also, "To seek God's kingdom first means to view God in a new light - one marked by compassionate care". Habits order our lives. Get yourself a copy of this wonderful resource that gently and unapologetically guides you with insight into how to walk the narrow path of Jesus.
Thank you to NetGalley and Waterbrook -Multnomah Publishers for the advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

In the book The Narrow Path, author and pastor Rich Villodas provides a path through the narrow gate Jesus discusses in Matthew 7. This book seeks to convey two things: the narrow path of Jesus is what we desire and to help us stay on the path to experience the fulfillment only Jesus offers. After describing the broad path that is easy, Villodas uses the words of Jesus with the sermon on the mount, to provide a guide on the subversive way of Jesus to show that the narrow path requires trust. To practice this subversiveness, Villodas calls out nine areas to challenge readers to truly practice the teachings of Jesus: witness, anger, words, desires, money, anxiety, judgements, decisions, and enemies. An ever-deepening relationship with God requires freedom from the interior and cultural idols that lead us away from wholeness, peace, joy, and trust in God. The wide path is consumption wisdom while the narrow path is Jesus. A book pertinent to the Christian faith, The Narrow Path is a valuable resource for exploring Matthew 7 and the sermon on the mount, as central portions of Scripture that challenge believers to live more fully in the wholeness of Jesus and towards others.

Short and helpful book unpacking the sermon on the mount. Arguably the most succinct and practical of Jesus' sermons this book is a challenging read on actually putting the things Jesus spoke into practice. It is broken into easy readable chapters and includes a lot of practical advice for following the words of Jesus now! Thank you Rich and thank you Net Galley for an advance copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed that it walks us through the Sermon on the Mount with Grace and love. I will definitely share this with others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC.

A very good primer on the Sermon on the Mount, and how we as followers of Jesus might obey His teachings with integrity. It's accessible and challenging at the same time, and gave me a lot to think about. Highly recommended!

(I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I have really enjoyed Rich Villodas' writing from reading his first book, how he communicates on Instagram, and through his sermons. So I was very excited to see another book from him be released. I thought the content he covered while breaking down the sermon on the mount, was helpful and easy to comprehend. He does a great job explaining his points so that it doesn't feel like he's talking over or under the reader. For me, it's just right!

I thought the way the book was organized was set up well. I thought his chapters talking through different topics from the sermon on the mount were well executed. I appreciated how his commentary didn't include a ton of additional info, he just hit on key understandings. Overall, I enjoyed the book and I think it would be a great one for others who are looking to further apply the teachings of Jesus' most famous sermon to more areas of their life.