Unpackaging The Jesus Life

It’s profound that the initial followers of Jesus were never called, “Christians.”  They were called, “followers of the way” (see Acts 9:2, 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).  Evidently the new ways Jesus offered were so significant compared to their own futile ways that their name even reflected the direction in which they chose to travel in life. They followed the Jesus ways. The followed, the Jesus ways because the Jesus ways led to actually experiencing the Jesus Life.Today, in our tolerant, afraid to offend anyone at any cost way of living, we have lost the way that leads to life. We’ve become the tired ones; the weary ones; the burned out on religion ones that Jesus came to help. Over the next several days and blog entries, I’m going to give you an overview of each of the ways I describe that we need to live—to return to actually reclaim and recover what we’ve lost. If it’s life we want and most desperately need, then we will need to return to the one and many ways that Jesus lived his life. First, let me address the obvious question I’m getting:  Are there just eight ways we need to follow in order to live the abundant life you describe in your book? No, there are many ways that Jesus lived his life out for us to see as a model—as a way for us to live. In my book, I do not discuss some of the most obvious; most written about or sung about ways. For example, I do not talk about reading your Bible or praying or witnessing or going to church. There’s a plethora of books and sermons on such things I simply did not want to add my voice to this already crowded bookshelf. What I did in my new book, The Jesus Life was to explore eight ways that I ‘ve not seen written about, rarely talked about or spoken about—yet they are as obvious as the nose on your face. It does not take a degree in rocket science to be a follower of Jesus and to actually start living a better life than you’re living at the moment. But it will require a course correction. In the book I talk about the easy goal of simply trying to improve your life by 25%. Think of this way, what letter grade would you give your marriage, your closest friendships, your family life, etc. ?  What if it was possible to improve your life from a “D” to a “B”. That’s what I’m talking about in the book. Get the book. Start reading it and let’s have a discussion about it on the blog. Along the way, I’m going to offer a few incentives to encourage us to begin to follow the ways of Jesus. For example during April, we’re offering $50 gift certificate to a grocery store to be best written or video story that explains having a family meal together and what happened in the meal time. The rules are explained on our homepage www.pottersinn.com under “buzz.” Throw your questions to me and I gnaw on them and give you some feedback—the best I can about the life I think we’re all so desperate to live. But first, you have to get the book. Why don’t you order a few extra right now during the book’s release at Amazon.com and give them away to a few people you like and one or two you’re struggling with right now (the honest chapter on difficult relationships will help you here). And let’s get started living a life that is more in the way Jesus lived than how we’re doing it at the moment. --------------------------Here's the Amazon link to buy your copy now and get started:http://www.amazon.com/The-Jesus-Life-Authentic-Christianity/dp/143470064X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332966572&sr=8-1