“Our time is our life, and our attention is the doorway to our hearts.”
- John Mark Comer
I am envious of John Mark Comer (JMC from this point on). I envy his ability to write. I envy his ability to take theological and psychological concepts and make them accessible. And I envy that his home is most likely so beautifully designed that any Frank Lloyd Wright junkie would be jealous.
But along with envy is gratitude. I am grateful for his gift and the discipline he has invested in his craft. I am grateful for minds and writers like John Mark. Sure anyone can write a book, but not many actually do. And even fewer write helpful books.
Books that challenge us to grow and change.
Books that tell the truth but tell it "slant.” Books that make us think a little.
Books that remind us, if only momentarily, of what it means to be human in this time and this space in history.
Haters will hate
But popular writers like Malcolm Gladwell, David Brooks, and JMC sometimes get a bad rep for being reductionistic.
During a quick skim of reviews for JMC’s last book, Live No Lies, I came across one pretty unbalanced two-star review that said:
“Waste of time to read a book that could’ve been summarized in a few pages and made the same point. I wanted to like this book, but it was a major letdown. This book is an example of why so many people hate Christians.”1
Harsh. Yes, many popular-level books do ramble where brevity would be appreciated. What is said in 12 pages could be said in 3. But do you know how difficult it is to understand let alone explain concepts like: theological anthropology, demonology, change theory, or cultivation theory.
All in this current cultural climate of sound bytes, tik toks, and our overly stimulated times?
Out of the droves of contemporary Christian authors, John Mark is one of the most balanced and generous writers today.
He is true to orthodoxy yet pastoral in his approach. He is witty yet intellectual. Yes, his thought and writing tone is deeply Portlandesk. Sometimes his writing is aimed at people who: drink the finest Ethiopian batch brews, read think pieces, and buy thousand-dollar denim in the name of minimalism and simplicity (Oh wait, that's ME!).
But he is worth reading. In fact, I often recommend God Has a Name, to friends wrestling or entering early phases of deconstruction or disillusionment.2
So, a few weeks ago he sent an offer to all of his newsletter subscribers about joining the “Launch Team” for his upcoming book, Practising the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do as he Did.3
The first 1,000 people to sign up would be able to receive a free “uncorrected” proof copy of Practicing the Way, ahead of its official publication date. In return, all we had to do was share our honest feedback with friends, family, and our circles - SOLD.
Practicing the Way: Willard for Dummies
Practising the Way is John Mark’s culmination of the last 10+ years of pastoring, studying, and seeking to create a space and vision for people to live the kind of life that is exclusively on offer in the person of Jesus.
JMC makes the case that often we settle for very low standards of a life marked by discipleship to Jesus.
A Sunday service, maybe a Bible study, some prayer, and if we're really traditional then tithing. We hold onto a religious optimism, say a few prayers, and hope that over time we will become people of peace or that Jesus returns sooner rather than later.
While these are good things, they do not and cannot lead to the life that Jesus and the writers of the New Testament speak of.
The reality is we are all becoming something. Or as the JMC says we are all being formed. "Spiritual formation is not a Christian thing, it's a human thing."
We will either become cranky, overweight, controlling, or anxious. Or patient, healthy, trusting, and people of peace. Or as John Mark writes:
“You are right now, currently, as we speak, being formed by a complex web of ideas, cultural narratives, recurring thoughts, habits, daily rhythms, spending patterns, relationships, family ties, activities, environments, and much more. Just by waking up and going about your life.”4
Across four sections JMC walks you through the three goals of formation:
1) Being with Jesus
2) Becoming Like Jesus
3) Doing what Jesus did
Finally how to apply the "grace-driven effort" of becoming a person of love. Eugene Peterson once stated that we are each, “custodians of our hearts.” Put differently, we are what we do. Of course, we are also a product of our family of origin, culture, race/ethnicity, and exist in a complex web of relationships - but many of us underestimate the role of personal responsibility in our formation into Christlikeness.
As JMC puts it:
“God works, and we work. God has a part, and we have a part.
Our part is to slow down, make space, and surrender to God; his part is to transform us..”5
Over time, intentional effort, and consistency, God shapes and forms us into heavenly creatures that he can trust to rule and reign with him. The question John Mark poses is: “What if that shaping could start today?”
Where do we go from here?
I don’t agree or love all that he has to say but I am grateful for his life and work. In Practicing the Way, John Mark is like a doorway to the deep well of Willard, Peterson, Augustine, Julian of Norwich and some of the best and brightest cultural commentators of the past decades.
John Mark has offered his lifetime and energy to the wider church. As a pastor, a teacher, and a writer. He has created the discipline of reading and wrestling and studying concepts and ideas that shape our times. He’s done much of the heavy lifting for us. And for that, we ought to say “Thanks, John Mark.”
Beginning the Journey
Last week I visited Nano Nagle. A quaint retreat home in Perth hidden in Claremont - a rich and beautiful coastal suburb in Perth. I met with the Director, Catherine. Catherine is a lovely, warm, and welcoming presence. She is honest, she would have to be after 50 years in education as a teacher and principal in some of the most underserviced areas of Western Australia. We discussed what my hopes were in visiting the Centre. “I want to attend to the noise in my soul. I feel like I’ve distracted myself. I just want to find a respite to be with God.” She sat and smiled and offered these words:
“That’s great Caleb. I would just say be gentle with yourself. We are all on a journey.”
That is what John Mark offers in Practising the Way - a gentle invitation to begin the journey of making our bodies, lives, and homes God's resting place - right here and right now.
John Mark Comer, Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace, (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press 2021).
John Mark Comer, God Has A Name, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 2017).
John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way: Be With Jesus, Become Like Him, Do as h did, (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press 2024).
Comer, Practicing the Way.
Comer, Practicing the Way.