Apprenticeship with Jesus: Learning to Live Like the Master
Ask a crowd of Christians whether they believe in Jesus as Lord
and Savior, and all hands will go up. Ask the same crowd whether
they live like Jesus, and most of those same hands will come down.
Why is this? Why is it so hard to bridge the gap between belief and
real life?
Respected author, professor, and psychologist Gary W. Moon thinks
it has to do with our hyper-intellectual but non-experiential
method of living the Christian life. In this winsome book Moon
provides a thirty-day apprenticeship with Jesus, whereby readers
will actively practice being with Jesus day in and day out. Each
day's reading uses compelling stories and scripture to illustrate a
point and closes with a suggested apprenticeship activity.
From the Back Cover
Are you ready to really live your faith?
Ask a crowd of Christians whether they believe in Jesus as Lord and
Savior, and all hands will go up. Ask the same crowd whether they
live like Jesus, and most of those same hands will come down. Why
is this? Why is it so hard to bridge the gap between belief and
real life?
Our way of living the Christian life is often more about intellect
than experience. In this winsome book Gary W. Moon offers a
thirty-day apprenticeship with Jesus, a journey in which you can
actively practice being with Jesus day in and day out. Each day's
reading uses compelling stories and Scripture and suggests an
apprenticeship activity to help you bring your faith into real
life.
"A joy-filled resource for fleshing out the details of ongoing
companionship with the Author of our salvation. Putting this book
into practice day by day will substantially re-form the inner core
of your life."--Richard J. Foster, author, Celebration of
Discipline
"Gary Moon is a friend, a guide, and a fellow apprentice. I wish
every follower of Jesus could have Gary's wisdom on the most
important subject in the world--where do we find life?"--John
Ortberg, pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian; author, Faith &
Doubt
"Gary provides wise guidance for our journey toward Christlikeness
that is full of spiritual depth and good humor. What a delightful
combination!"--Ruth Haley Barton, president, Transforming Center;
author, Sacred Rhythms
Gary W. Moon (MDiv, PhD) is vice president and chair of integration
at Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, Georgia. He also serves
as the executive director of the Renovaré International Institute
for Christian Spiritual Formation. His most recent books include
Falling for God and Spiritual Direction and the Care of
Souls.
Top Highlights
“I believe Lewis Smedes offers the most likely answer to those questions—as well as to why Jesus was infrequently quoted by Paul.3 According to Smedes, Paul’s writings are driven by one consuming theme. One hundred sixty-four times Paul makes reference either to our being ‘in Christ’ or to Christ’s being ‘in’ us. Apparently, the apostle believed there was something even more important and transforming than the moral teachings of Jesus. It was the great mystery revealed. It was the present possibility of entering into union with Christ—the center and condition of authentic human existence.” (source)
“Dallas Willard has taken a close look at this elephant of nontransformation in the sanctuary. According to him, ‘Christianity can only succeed as a guide for current humanity if it does two things: 1) take the need for human transformation as seriously as do modern revolutionary movements, and 2) clarify and exemplify realistic methods of human transformation.’ He adds, ‘My central claim is that we can become like Christ by doing one thing—following him in the overall style of life he chose for himself.’” (source)
“Trusting Jesus Christ means you want to be with him as much as possible.” (source)
“The central teachings of both Jesus and Paul underscore God’s invitation for us to leave our natural habitat (the world of self-rule) and enter into a whole new realm of existence (the kingdom of God-rule). While Jesus liked to talk about ‘the kingdom’ and Paul preferred to use phrases such as being ‘in Christ,’ they were describing the same thing: interactive friendship and obedience to Christ, in which we gradually learn to be more like him by being with him—learning how to stay as close to Christ as branches are to their vine. The whole enterprise looks much more like a classical apprenticeship than our modern programs of decision-driven evangelism and fact-wrapped discipleship.” (source)
Product Details
- Title : Apprenticeship with Jesus: Learning to Live Like the Master
- Authors:
- Moon, Gary W.
- Willard, Dallas
- Publisher: Baker
- Publication Date: 2009
- ISBN: 9781441210869
Gary W. Moon (MDiv, PhD) is Vice President and Chair of Integration at Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, Georgia. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Renovaré International Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation. His most recent books include Falling for God and Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls.