Discipleship

Review: Footsteps of Faith

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Cover image of "Footsteps of Faith" edited by John D. Roth

Footsteps of Faith, John D. Roth, editor. Herald Press (ISBN: 9781513815169) 2025.

Summary: A 40-day devotional on what it means to live in Jesus’ footsteps, published for the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism.

This year marks the five hundredth anniversary of the Anabaptist movement. Anabaptism has always been marked by a focus, not on creeds, but following in the footsteps of Jesus. For example, my own congregation, in the Anabaptist tradition describes its mission in this way: We are a group of friends and neighbors with whom you can pursue God’s love, become more like Jesus, and build God’s Kingdom through word & deed. Living as disciples of Jesus together, in love of God and neighbor, and living a faith evident in deed as well as word has always been central to Anabaptism.

Footsteps of Faith richly reflects this focus on following Jesus. Editor John D. Roth has collected forty devotional reflections drawn from the gospels. They are written by people in Anabaptist churches throughout the world. The devotionals are grouped in eight sections:

  • The Promise of a New Creation
  • Announcing the Kingdom
  • The Kingdom Taught
  • The Kingdom Lived
  • The Upside-Down Kingdom
  • On the Road to Jerusalem
  • Resurrection
  • Walking in the Resurrection

The devotionals are two to three pages in length. Each begins with a biblical text, and a couple verses from that text highlighted. Following the reflection, each writer offers some questions for reflection and a concluding prayer.

Each takes one incident in the life of Jesus. Linda Dibble, for example, considers the anger of Jesus as he cleansed the temple and the place of righteous indignation acted upon when power is abuse, afflicting the marginalized.

Cindy Alpizar, from Costa Rica reflects on Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well, the deep wells of sadness in our lives, and how Jesus breaks through barriers in beautiful conversation, filling us with living water. Then Desalegn Abebe, from Ethiopia, reflects on Jesus healing of the demon-possessed man. Rather than spiritualize it, he writes of how Jesus delivered him and others from the shackles of demons. Vikal Pravin Rao, from India writes of the reality of how faithfulness to Jesus divides families.

Thus, these testimonies from global believers bring to life passages that seem culturally distant for many of us. In addition, they remind us of both Christ’s great love the cost entailed in following in the footsteps of Jesus. It’s not always a sweet walk in the garden. but it is always worth it!

Finally, the concluding devotion focuses on Jesus’ commission to his disciples. Agos W. Mayanto concludes in a statement that sums up five hundred years of Anabaptist tradition:

“The decision to bind oneself with the missionary God–the Creator, Savior, and Sustainer who reconciles the entire universe with himself–is also the path of discipleship, walking in the way of the Master Teacher Jesus in the midst of the world in full obedience, attentive to his voice, moved by his Spirit, and following his example. The sixteenth-century Anabaptist Hans Denck once said, ‘No one can truly know Christ unless he follows him daily in life.’ Therefore, in the process of discipleship, we must heed the words of the Master Teacher Jesus Christ, ‘teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). It is impossible to be a disciple of Christ without a commitment to live in harmony with his will” (p. 193).

This is a rich representation of Anabaptist faith from a global community of writers. It is a wonderful resource that may be used at any time. However, it seems especially fitted for Lent and into Eastertide. And given the communal character of Anabaptists, churches might choose to do this communally.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Finally, thanks for visiting Bob on Books. People aren’t reading blogs like they used to, so I appreciate that you spent time here. Feel to “look around” – see the tabs at the top of the website, and the right hand column. And use the buttons below to share this post. Blessings! [Adapted from Enough Light, a blog I follow.]

Review: Households of Faith

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Cover image of "Households of Faith" by Emily Hunter McGowin

Households of Faith, Emily Hunter McGowin. InterVarsity Press (ISBN: 9781514000069) 2025.

Summary: Instead of blueprints of the biblical family, casts a vision of families as apprentices in love together.

Evangelicalism has given families a great amount of attention in recent years. Much of that has come in the forms of models and blueprints for the “ideal” Christian family. Some of this has outlined very specific role expectations for fathers and husbands, wives and mothers and for children. That is not the approach of this book. Emily Hunter McGowin writes:

“With this book, I hope to speak a word to Christian families of all kinds that is neither a rigid, unattainable ideal nor an uncritical, feel-good placebo. I am not promoting a particular blueprint of family to which all Christians are expected to conform, nor am I trying to obliterate the notion of family as outmoded and useless. Instead, I am seeking a new paradigm for the family within the framework of the church and the kingdom of God, rooted in the Scriptures and the best of the church’s traditions, that I hope will be empowering and encouraging as we learn to live as households of faith today” (p. 10)

McGowin begins with a survey of the material on family in scripture. What she finds in the Old Testament is not a particular form (and often some pretty flawed examples). Rather the function of families is epitomized in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 as places where one learns to wholeheartedly love God by keeping his commands. Similarly, while the New Testament sometimes offers versions of Roman society’s household codes, the real goal is how to live as disciples of Jesus within society’s expectations.

Then she focuses on Jesus. Rather than specify gender roles, he calls people first to follow him. Their loyalty to him may divide families. While not obliterating family ties, Jesus cares for his mother as he dies by entrusting her to the Beloved Disciple. This is something new. He is not a family member! Furthermore, Jesus’ preoccupation was with the kingdom of God. In Jesus, it has already come but is not yet consummated. Churches, as households of God reflect, albeit imperfectly, God’s gracious rule in their life and to the world.

So, what then of our biological families? They exist within this larger family that includes singles, the divorced and widowed as well as families with parents (grandparents?) and children. For all, this experience of “family” is toward the goal of forming people as disciples, what McGowin calls “an apprenticeship of love.” This is true for parents and children. Rather than just making children “launchable,” McGowin argue for the priority of forming them as people who are learning to love like Jesus.

Beyond this ideal picture, what does this look like in a fallen world? The second part of the book addresses that question. She addresses honestly the dysfunctions that inflict wounds upon families, both internal and societal. Then she speaks of the hope for healing within the gospel as sin and trauma are faced. Some of these problems are huge. McGowin offers realistic examples of living as apprentices of love; what one can do as one also lives in the “not yet” of Jesus kingdom.

Not all will marry. McGowin devotes a whole chapter to singleness and marriage. She notes the balanced way scripture handles this that honors singleness within God’s household. Then she turns to the challenges of childrearing. She reminds us that children belong to God and themselves rather than being ours. We raise them within a larger family of disciples joined together in this apprenticeship of love. We wonder whether we can do this. The call, she says is not to perfection but faithfulness. And in this, God meets us.

Patterns of practice may help us. Not as blueprints but as rhythms around which family life moves. In her final section, McGowin addresses three sets of practices helpful in forming apprentices of love in family. One is sabbath, which includes getting enough sleep and play and wonder. The second is living in the reality of our baptism. We care for our bodies and places. Baptism calls us into storytelling and timekeeping. Baptism initiates us into a narrative of life. Finally, eucharist bids us into reconciled relationships around table fellowship. We live eucharist in shared meals as family and in hospitality with others as well as ongoing reconciliation

What I appreciate about this book is that it situates the family within the bigger Jesus story. It’s the story of God’s kingdom, both already present and not yet. Rather than rules, roles, and blueprints, McGowin offers an expansive vision. And yet the core idea is simple to express (if not always to practice). Families together (and the whole household of God) are apprentices of love. Jesus wants to form us as people of steadfast, sacrificial, and holy love and there is no better place to learn it than in the school of family life. McGowin’s honesty and her willingness to share both struggles and practices makes this a rich and accessible resource.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Finally, thanks for visiting Bob on Books. People aren’t reading blogs like they used to, so I appreciate that you spent time here. Feel to “look around” – see the tabs at the top of the website, and the right hand column. And use the buttons below to share this post. Blessings! [Adapted from Enough Light, a blog I follow.]

Review: Discipleship: Living for Christ in the Daily Grind

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Cover image of "Discipleship: Living for Christ in the Daily Grind" by J. Heinrich Arnold

Discipleship: Living for Christ in the Daily Grind, J. Heinrich Arnold (Foreword by Henri J.M. Nouwen. Plough (ISBN: 9780874868760) 1994.

Summary: Discipleship: Living for Christ in the Daily Grind is a collection of forthright counsel on various aspects of following Christ.

One of the questions I wrestled with as a young follower of Christ was “now that I’ve begun following Jesus, how do I practically live this life?” Often, it seems that the answer was “read your Bible and God will show you.” I longed for a more mature believer who might walk alongside and offer practical counsel for questions like, “How do I know I am fully converted?” “And if so, why do I sin and what do I do about that?” “How do I remain pure in thought and action as a healthy young man?” “How do I discern and walk in God’s will?” “What is my place in God’s mission?” “What are my gifts and how should I use them?” “How do I cultivate a relationship with God and what is that really like?”

For over forty years J. Heinrich Arnold served as a leader in the Bruderhof movement until his death in 1982. Over that time he counselled many on various aspects of living for Christ “in the daily grind.” Plough Publishing, the publishing arm of the Bruderhof movement has collected the instruction of Arnold on various aspects of discipleship, organizing it by topics. The editors drew much of the material from letters to individuals. And in it, Arnold addresses all the questions I mentioned and many more.

First of all, Arnold has a clear and penetrating vision of the gospel. He writes:

“Anyone who has not been troubled by the scandal of Christ’s sufffering and his complete humilistion is ignorant of the meaning of belief in him.”

Second, I notice how forthright, to the point of bluntness, many of his statements are. He explains why in a letter quoted in a section on Sincerity:

“It is important to be straightforward and honest about your true feelings. Rather be too rude than too smooth, to blunt than too kind. Rather say an unkind word that is true than one that is ‘nice’ but untrue. You can always be sorry for an unkind word, but hypocrisy causes permanent harm unless special grace is given.”

For instance, his writing about sex exemplifies that forthrightness:

“Sex has no purpose apart from marriage. Outside of marriage it is sinful. The Bible demands chastity before it and outside of it; that is very clear. So if you have not always followed the chaste and pure way, then you must find forgiveness in order to stand upright before God. But Jesus wants to give you that forgiveness.“

Throughout, he points people to Christ’s provision and God’s care. To a young person, he concludes his letter thus:

I wish you the protection of God in all you may go through. May the pierced hands of Jesus hold you firmly as you hold firmly to him.”

No sugarcoating. Rather, the promise that God will meet one in trying times and hold one firmly.

The readings fall under three main headings: the disciple, the church, and the kingdom of God. We move from the personal life of the disciple to the community in which the disciple lives to the big picture of God’s bracing vision for the world. His words equally challenge young disciples and leaders. He tells leaders their authority is not over people for whom they humbly care. Their authority is over the spirits! Connected with that, he reminds leaders that their battle is not with people but with evil spirits, a word that seems important for our time.

The call to discipleship is for life. While I wish I had this book as a young man (or Arnold in person!), I’m glad I have it now. Arnold’s writing challenges and encourages young and old alike, beginners and leaders. Sometimes his incisive words are the faithful wounds of a friend that heal. At other times, his word offer spiritual and moral clarity needed in our murky times. And always he keeps central the main thing of Christ, his cross, his kingdom, and our future hope.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Five Spaces

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Cover image of "The Five Spaces" by Dustin White.

The Five Spaces, Dustin White. The Brethren Church (ISBN:9781732268180), 2019.

Summary: Understanding the church’s spaces of discipleship, a study of how the church may leverage the different relational spaces we inhabit.

Dustin White, a former church planter, asks the question, how do we account for the stunted faith of so many despite the church’s efforts? Drawing upon the work of social scientist Edward T. Hall on the different relational spaces in which we operate, he proposes that we make the “right moves in the wrong spaces.” He devotes the book to understanding the church’s spaces of discipleship. Specifically, White identifies five spaces, taking a chapter to elaborate each of these.

The first of these is “one to one,” the space of intimacy. By this, White means intimacy with Jesus that arises from carving out time, listening prayer, and study. It struck me as unusual that White didn’t include one to one human relationships, including mentoring or peer to peer relationships.

Secondly, he identifies the space of close relationships with a few, modeled by Jesus relationship with Peter, James, and John. He calls this the “discipleship incubator” space. He identifies three movements of confrontation, incubation, and empowerment. Specifically, White believes this occurs through intentional groups meeting and sharing life over eighteen months or so. During this time, they bless others, eat together, listen to the Holy Spirit, learn from Jesus, and identify where they see God at work in their lives.

Thirdly, he discusses groups of up to twelve, which he describes as “faith collectives.” Home groups are an example of this relational space. But they need to be relational spaces, not dominated by a leader. By contrast, great faith collectives involve conversation over food, information from God’s Word, and mutual encouragement.

The fourth space is the worship space, corresponding to the seventy in Jesus’s ministry. In this chapter, he raises the provocative question of whether churches ought to be any larger than seventy-five people. The reason for this is that such spaces are ideal for connection, inspiration, and equipping, and this is lost in larger groups.

Finally, he explores the “crowd space” involves the “missional expression” of the church. This arises from his assertion that mission is the prime identity of the church. I wish he would have interacted with John Piper’s assertion that worship is the primary purpose of the church. Piper contends mission exists because worship doesn’t. I think holding these together important. White asserts mission involves compassion and measures impact (although he doesn’t specify how this is done). Specifically, he identifies three spaces for mission: neighborhood, work, and “third spaces.”

I discussed this in a book group that included several church leaders. Though compact, the book gave us much to discuss, not least, his fivefold schema for the church’s efforts in making disciples. This understanding of the church’s spaces for discipleship, and that they are relational spaces is a vital contribution.

At the same time, we noted that some of his analogies did not work with chapter content, notably the running analogy in the chapter on worship. In addition, greater specifics on “how do you do that?” would be helpful.

This is an interesting schema and I hope others build on this, if not White, who has pivoted, at least for the present, into a fly-fishing ministry. White offers a fresh proposal, built on the model of Jesus, one worth developing in our churches.

Review: Workplace Discipleship 101

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Workplace Discipleship 101, David W. Gill. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2020.

Summary: A practical guide to living as a follower in one’s workplace focused on how we get ready for our work, impact our workplace, and beyond our workplace.

As a teenager who had been raised in a Christian home and church, one of the things I struggled with in high school was making the connection between Sunday, and Monday through Saturday. Had it not been for the Jesus movement and later, the collegiate ministry I was involved with, I may have walked away from Christianity. To say Jesus is Lord but then live six days a week as if he has nothing to do with them seemed just a wee bit inconsistent. Atheism seemed more consistent and less hypocritical.

David Gill writes out of a similar conviction. Observing that we spend the largest part of our waking hours at work, Gill contends it only makes sense for those of us who follow Jesus to learn how we may do so during those hours. He then proceeds to give us a book (part of Hendrickson’s “Theology of Work” series) grounded solidly in a theology of both discipleship and work and incredibly practical in its applications.

The book is organized in three parts. The first considers how we might “get ready for our work.” He begins by inviting us to commit to be a workplace disciple and share it with someone else who won’t let us evade that commitment. He then writes about prayer, both crisis prayers and ongoing prayer with models of workplace prayers and even how to use the Lord’s prayer in praying about our work. He addresses the other side of our communication with God in listening to Him in scripture, understanding it as centered around Jesus and God’s mission in the world, and then offers ways to engage the scriptures personally and in groups. He urges us not to go it alone but to have a “posse” of the like-minded and offers helps for forming such a group. Finally, Gill believes we need to be lifelong learners, and particularly commends the importance of reading (I knew there was a reason I liked this guy). He makes extensive suggestions of books to get us started on a theology of work.

Having gotten us ready for work, the second part of the book speaks of our impact as Christians at work. First of all it means aligning our work with God. After looking at God the worker, he makes recommendations about understanding our gifted passions and pursuing them as disciples of Christ. Our model as imitators of Christ is a big part of our impact, living with the qualities of righteousness, peacemaking, and joy. He encourages us to be light in our workplaces, bringing the unique insights and questions that our shaped by our reading of scripture, with humility but without apology. We don’t have to say, “the Bible says,” but simply, “what do you think of this?” As we live in these ways, we will have chances to share our faith. As we listen to others, they will be ready to listen to us. Gill suggests various ways we might initiate but concludes “that the best time to share the gospel is when someone asks you about it and wants to hear your answer” (p. 163). Sometimes we will be confronted with wrongdoing or conflict in the workplace, and the challenge here is to be overcomers. He talks about how to identify serious wrongdoing in the workplace and how to address conflict with humility, courage and prayer.

The final part of the book moves beyond our workplace with a number of ideas of how we may contribute the gifts and skills we use in the workplace to the benefit of the wider church. His last chapter is on rest and the importance of sabbath in our lives as workers. He contends that intentional efforts to schedule and set aside sabbath, vacations, date nights, and periodically, longer sabbaticals, is crucial to gaining control of our time.

The text is broken up with periodic “chalkboards” summarizing key points and chapters conclude with a “to do” list and questions for reflection and discussion. This makes the book ideal for use in a church or workplace group. It also includes a postscript for pastors, urging them to address the workplace life of a congregation, including visiting people on the job.

What distinguishes this book from many I have read is that it is at once solidly grounded in a theology of work (without the author showing all his work!) and at the same time extremely practical and applicable. The challenge of this book is not figuring out what the author is saying or how to put it into practice. Rather, will one practice and live into the clear steps of discipleship laid out by the author? Again, having a posse will add to the impact of this book as you urge each other on the path of workplace discipleship.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review: The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation

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The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation, A. J. Sherrill (Foreword by Chuck DeGroat). Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2020.

Summary: Explores how the Enneagram may be used as a tool for self-understanding that may serve as a guide on one’s discipleship pathway.

There is a spate of books on the Enneagram, which seems to be one of the latest “hot” things. Equally, there is a good deal of pushback around the use of the Enneagram, considering it more of a “New Age” or pagan approach that may lead Christians astray. One thing I appreciated about this book from the get-go is that A.J. Sherrill is cautious about both of these extremes. He writes:

People often ask me how I defend the Enneagram against such accusations. I tell them not to get sucked into defending it. One either finds it helpful or doesn’t. It is neither salvific nor soul-destroying. It’s simply a tool. From that standpoint it can be leveraged just as Paul leveraged “an unknown god” in Acts 17 to spur his listeners on to accept the claims of the gospel. God uses every square inch. If God can use an unknown god to amplify the name of Jesus, God can use the Enneagram.

Sherrill, pp. 13-14.

He goes on to mention four agreements he asks workshop participants to make:

  1. Remember you are not a number.
  2. Refuse to become branded as the Enneagram person, church, or organization.
  3. Resist the urge to type another person.
  4. Reclaim the Enneagram as a means and not an end.

Sherrill believes that the Enneagram is a tool to help offer self understanding that allows for the formation of our personality growing out of rooting our identity in Christ. He goes into each of the types of the Enneagram, the characteristic fault or sin of each, the lies we believe, and the truth we need for our personalities to be shaped by that identity in Christ. Sherrill argues that self-understanding rooted in Christ must lead to discipleship, which is the distinctive message of this book.

Sherrill believes that the self-understanding that comes from learning about one’s type enables us to move beyond a cookie-cutter discipleship to something that reflects both the flat sides and redeemed strengths of each type. He offers “downstream” and “upstream” spiritual practices that reflect each type. For example, for Fives (my type) he suggests downstream practices that go with the flow of the type of inductive Bible study and reading (both things I in fact love doing). The upstream practice for Fives is service projects on a regular basis to get out of our heads and use our hands. It’s probably why working in a garden, pulling weeds, or even digging post holes can be quite satisfying. For each type, Sherrill also includes a day or season of the church year that fits the type.

Sherrill proposes that while we cannot “type” biblical characters, we may find aspects of our types in them and so better understand how people like us encounter God. For example, he points to Nicodemus as an Investigator, like those of us who identify as Fives. We walk with him as he visits Jesus at night to investigate his teaching in John 3. In John 7:51, he vocalizes his thoughts with the chief priests and Pharisees, taking a risk. By John 19, he helps prepare the body of Jesus for burial, the act of a close follower, identifying himself closely with Jesus. Nicodemus needs time to process what he has heard, and then act, first vocally and then bodily.

One of the most interesting proposals in this book is that the Enneagram also may serve as a tool in evangelism, given the interest in the Enneagram in wider cultural circles including the corporate setting, in work teams for example. The Enneagram builds on the biblical insight of a world both beautiful and broken, exposing our need for redemption and transformation. We all have “holdings,” ways we try to stabilize reality so that we can cope with it, ways that reflect our brokenness. The Enneagram creates bridges for exploration with people turned off by or inured to churchy language but who are coming to realize that in some way, they are part of what is not right in the world.

The book concludes with a chapter on developing a rule of life based on character aspirations and practices that fit one’s type. Then the conclusion reiterates Sherrill’s approach of neither rejecting or making the Enneagram all encompassing. It isn’t Jesus, it won’t save our marriages, serve as a parenting guide, increase our profits, or save us. It can help us become Christ-like, give us insights into our relational dynamics, help us understand the uniqueness of our children, help us lead more effectively, and open conversations with those who do not yet know Christ.

This isn’t the best book to introduce one to the Enneagram or help one discover one’s own type. Sherrill offers an overview of the types and an appendix with some helpful background. He mentions other helpful works along the way, including Suzanne Stabile and Ian Cron’s The Road Back to You (review), which I would commend as the best place to begin if you want to understand the Enneagram. The gap this book fills is addressing how the Enneagram may be used in Christian discipleship, how it helps us not only understand ourselves but also how we may, as unique people follow Jesus as we seek the glory of God and the good of the world.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.