A few ways to begin…
Hello everyone! As you know, we’re meeting for the first time on Sunday, March 9th. (More info here) We’ll gather in the chapel to hear the heart behind this experiment, worship together, and begin practicing the way of Jesus. Please join us. Everyone is welcome! The only requirement is that you have a deep desire to engage with Jesus and learn the unforced rhythms of grace. We don’t exactly know where God will lead each of us, but it has the potential to change everything.
Before the 9th, please take a few minutes to read this chapter from Mark Scandrette’s “Practicing the Way of Jesus”. Mark beautifully articulates why practice and prayerful action are central to the life of a Christ-follower, and he shares stories of how his community actually lives it out. Our journey will look different here in Chicagoland, but the heart is the same. You’ll LOVE his passion and creativity.
And then, if you’d like to go deeper, check out the two books below.
Really excited to go on this journey with you all,
Aaron and the Practice team
Living in Christ
There is truly no one who has formed our understanding of spiritual formation and the Kingdom of God more than Dallas Willard. And Living in Christ’s Presence is one of the final teachings Dallas gave at the end of his life with John Ortberg. Absolutely brilliant. If you’ve never read Willard, this is a great place to begin.
“Jesus is calling us to our part of seeking the Kingdom of God with all our heart. That is our first priority: seeking the Kingdom of God. Now, when you seek something, you look for it everywhere…. To seek the Kingdom of God is to look for it to be present and for it to be an action, and then identify yourself with that action. (Matthew 6:33) Find out what God is doing where you are and identify with it.” (Dallas Willard)
Practicing the Way
You’ve already read the first chapter, but I highly recommend picking up the whole book. Not only does he offer a compelling vision of life with Christ, but Practicing the Way of Jesus is packed with stories and stories about how they actually, practically, experimentally, creatively, and courageously live it out.
“The invitation to follow the way of Jesus doesn’t help us cope with the busy lives we have or support our quest for the American dream. It does offer us a radical alternative to the ways of this world that are making us hurried, weary and tired.”“Practicing the way of Jesus begins with having an imagination for life in the kingdom of love, desiring that life, and then taking steps to live into that reality through tangible changes in how we live in our minds and bodies.” (Mark Scandrette)