I will admit that I am a Brian McLaren fan. After getting into the “New Kind of Christian” series, I had to pick 
this one up. The read wasn’t too bad. I missed the narrative style that he uses in his other books. None the less, I enjoyed most of this book. “This new focus is an acknowledgment that we have lost the path and are seeking to rediscover our faith as a way of life, shaped and strengthened by ancient practices.” I am a big Lectio Divina fan, so this intrigued me right away.
There were a few key ideas that I locked onto.
“We must rediscover our faith as a way of life, not simply a system of beliefs. Without a coherent and compelling way of life, formed in community and expressed in mission, some of us begin losing interest in teh system of beleif, or we begin holding it grimly, even meanly, driving more and more people away from our faith rahter than attracting them toward it.”
“the gap between the character they want to have and the character they are actually developing, which is reason number 1 for investing energy in a book like this. Spiritual practices are actions within our power that help us narrow the gap”.
As I read this book, I couldn’t help but be drawn to Brother Lawrence’s “Practicing the Presence of God.” It just seems like we need to reclaim the simple and profound disciplines of our past.
Be forwarned though, this is the first book in a series of 8 that will be released over the coming years. If nothing else, Brian has reclaimed the ancient practive of marketing.
Filed under: Books
