Tag: Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer

Following Jesus

Have you ever had a friend who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer? Someone who persisted with an invitation until you said “yes” just so she’d stop asking? For me, it was a friend many years ago who kept hounding me to attend a half-day silent retreat with her. Nothing about it appealed to me. Why would I spend precious hours without my kids to go somewhere and not talk to anyone? No worship music? No teaching? No small group discussions? No thank you. I mean, what was the point? Despite my resistance and many valid excuses, she finally wore me down.

On the morning of the retreat, I dropped off my toddler and baby with my mom and drove to a  retreat center nestled in the hills nearby. Parking my car adjacent to a lush garden and getting a glimpse of the panoramic views, I could feel my resistance beginning to fade. Ministry leaders welcomed us with fresh coffee and warm smiles (another good sign). They shared a short devotional and prayed for our morning of being alone with the Lord. Before sending us outside they gave each of us a printed reflection guide that included ideas for how to structure the time.

For a newbie like me, the written guide gave me a starting point, enabling me to relax and even enjoy the silence. I didn’t realize how much I needed to slow down and let my soul catch up with me. Being solo without interruption enabled me to examine what was on my mind and to share my heart with the Lord. Once I’d poured out my angst and worries, I had mental space to hear from God. Walking on dirt paths among the trees, I was present enough to marvel at  the beauty of creation and to  be reassured of God’s sovereignty over all things. I drove down the hill feeling refreshed, grounded, and inspired to sign up for the next silent retreat.

I smiled thinking about those retreats as I opened my Practicing the Way Reading Reflection Guide not long ago. Each week of the study includes a different practice to try on our own.  Session 01 “Following Jesus” encourages developing a daily prayer rhythm– the practice being with God intentionally through silence, solitude, and prayer. In a world of constant inputs, screens, and scrolling, the act of pulling away to be quiet before the Lord may feel intimidating or unappealing. We’re so used to the constant stream of distractions that we no longer feel comfortable being alone with our thoughts.

While I thrive being busy and feel energized by having a full plate, I also understand the value of solitude and silence– even if it’s just ten minutes first thing in the morning. This spiritual practice is more about abstinence (not doing) than action; more about training ourselves in the way of Jesus than trying harder. Setting aside a time for intentional quiet will enable us to engage God’s presence; to make space to consider our thoughts, and to share them with the Lord. It’s a chance to invite a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit so that He can equip us and guide us in the day ahead. Practicing solitude and prayer open the door for intimacy with God, producing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as we engage others.

In a world that prizes multi-tasking and productivity, silence and prayer feel counter-cultural. Maybe you’ll be tempted to skip this practice, but you’ll be missing a key part of the discipleship journey we’re on together. How can we “practice the way” without practice? Silence, solitude, and prayer may feel awkward and uncomfortable, but we’ll never grow if we don’t try. Think of this week’s practice like filling your car with gas or charging your electric vehicle’s battery. We can’t refuel or recharge while the car is in motion. The same is true for our souls.

Need more convincing? The gospels show Jesus prioritizing solitude and prayer throughout His ministry:

  • Mark 1:15: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
  • Luke 5:16: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
  • Luke 6:12 “ One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”
  • Matthew 14:23: “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,”

So, if we’re sincere in our pursuit of being with Jesus, becoming like Him, and doing as He did, then solitude and prayer are the place to start. This week be intentional about spending between five and sixty minutes alone with Jesus daily. Be patient with yourself and tell God about any feelings of frustration, impatience, awkwardness, or discomfort you experience. Create space in your schedule to put the words of Psalm 46:10 into practice: “Be still, and know that I am God.” If possible, aim to do it first thing to set the tone for your day.

This week you’re also being invited to complete the “Spiritual Health Reflection” at practicingtheway.org/reflection. Again, you might be tempted to skip this, but you’ll be missing out if you do. This exercise leads you through a series of questions to consider where you are in your spiritual journey and helps you choose one area where you’d like to grow. Don’t think of this as a ranking system to rate your level of spiritual maturity, but a thermometer to gauge where your heart and mind are in this season. The time to reflect will help you to chart the course ahead as we continue learning about spiritual disciplines that can expand our capacity to receive God’s love.

*This post is part of a series based on Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer (Waterbrook Press, 2024) and weekly practices described in the eight session study guide. Order your copy of Practicing the Way using this link or buy it anywhere books are sold.

If you’re participating in a group in person at CPC Danville, copies of the Reading Reflection Guide  are available at Focused Living AM and PM and in the church office. If you’d like a digital PDF to download, please reply in the comments.

Practicing the Way of Jesus

The familiar “ding” of an incoming text message heralded an intriguing invitation: “John Mark Comer is speaking at a church in the south bay tonight. I have two free tickets if you want them. Please let me know asap.” Without hesitating, I shot back, “YES!”

I’d been reading Comer’s books and listening to his sermons and podcasts for a few years and had found his perspective to be fresh, inspiring, and biblical. So, driving an hour away on a Tuesday evening to see him in person was an easy “yes” for me. He was speaking on his latest book, Practicing the Way, which builds on his two previous books, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry and Live No Lies.

Although he was well known by the audience, Comer behaved nothing like “famous” Christian speakers I’d seen in the past. There was no pacing in the back, avoiding eye contact, or making an entrance flanked by security after the lights dimmed. As guests arrived and hunted for seats, he milled around near the front row looking a bit shy and awkward. Several people seemed to know him personally and he greeted them with warmth and enthusiasm, which made sense when he mentioned later that he’d lived in the area as a child.

His message gave us a taste for the contents of his book, encouraging believers to live as apprentices of Jesus who centered their lives around being with Him, becoming like Him, and doing as He did. He invited listeners into a deeper, more authentic relationship with the Lord.

Clutching my signed copy of Practicing the Way as we headed to the parking lot, I was eager to read more about themes he’d shared with us that evening. I dove into it later that week and found it challenging, thought-provoking, and inspiring. One of Comer’s biggest assertions is that, “Much preaching of the gospel today does not call people to a life of discipleship. Following Jesus is seen as optional—a post-conversion ‘second track’ for those who want to go further.”1 He describes a dynamic I lived in younger days and  have seen in Christian circles my whole life; for many people there is a disconnect between believing in Jesus and actively engaging in a relationship with Him.

Comer points out that the word “Christian” is used only three times in the New Testament while the word “disciple” appears 269 times. He explains that a disciple is “a student of a teacher or philosopher—not just a learner but a practitioner of an embodied way of life, one who is diligently working to be with and become like their master.”2 Throughout the book, he invites us to view ourselves as apprentices of Jesus, “to walk alongside him in a posture of listening, learning, observation, obedience, and imitation.”3

Finishing Comer’s book a month later, I felt a mix of inspiration and resistance. His words felt jarring at times, but truthful. He encourages us to practice our faith using disciplines that many of us see as relics of history (including fasting and taking a Sabbath weekly). Yet he shows how the practices move us from the passivity of good intentions to intimacy with Jesus that produces spiritual fruit and deep joy. Drawing from Scripture and faithful people in earlier generations, Comer encourages readers to expand their capacity to receive God’s love and to respond with action. The book guides us to practice what Paul describes in Romans:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2, NIV)

I’ve been making incremental changes in my life and spiritual practices ever since I read the book several years ago. It’s been encouraging to recognize transformation in myself that has affected  how I engage God and others. Still, one thing that’s  nagged at me is Comer’s regular emphasis on community and the importance of doing many of the practices with others. Living in such an over-scheduled, fast-paced community, I feared that no one would want to read the book or be open to evaluating and changing the rhythms of their lives. I’ve prayed about it on and off, trusting God would bring an opportunity when the time was right.

So, imagine my delight when our church pastoral team posed the idea of inviting multiple ministries in our congregation to read Practicing the Way, learn about spiritual disciplines, and try putting them into practice together this fall. There will be opportunities to read, study related Scripture, hear teaching, and expand our comfort zones alongside others. It will be awkward and uncomfortable at times, but if we can push through and trust the Lord, there will be abundant opportunities for life-giving experiences and spiritual growth.

Practicing the Way isn’t simply a book, curriculum, or program, but an invitation to a way of life with Jesus at the center. Like me, you may have moments of resistance along with way. You may read something challenging and just need to sit with it for a while and pray. Rest assured, this isn’t an all or nothing pursuit. Nor is it an attempt to push those who read it to do every practice or to have identical faith journeys. It’s an opportunity to make an intentional shift in focus that invites the Lord to move in your life in new ways.

If you’re up for joining me in this endeavor, pray for a mindset of curiosity, wisdom, and discernment as you approach the material. Also, pray for the hearts of others you’ll be learning alongside. Let’s be open and expectant together, inviting the Lord to use what we learn in the next few months to help us be with Jesus, become like Him, and do as He did.

Order your copy of Practicing the Way using this link or buy it anywhere books are sold.

If you’re participating in a group in person at CPC Danville, copies of the Reading Reflection Guide will be given out at Focused Living AM and PM and are also available in the church office. If you’d like a digital PDF to download, please reply in the comments.

  1. John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way, Waterbrook Press 2024, 16.
  2. John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way, Waterbrook Press 2024, 11.
  3. ibid

Instructions of the King: Matthew 11-13

Matthew’s gospel continues revealing the heart and character of Jesus through His teaching and interactions with others in chapters 11-13. Sandwiched between stories of Him pronouncing woe on the unrepentant and clashing with the Pharisees about their legalism, Matthew includes a short paragraph of teaching that may be familiar to you: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV)

A “yoke” is a farming implement—a curved wooden beam placed across the necks of two animals so that they can bear the weight of pulling a load together. For years, I failed to understand the depth of this illustration. Frederick Dale Bruner explains, “A yoke is a work instrument. Thus when Jesus offers a yoke he offers what we might think tired workers need least. They need a mattress or a vacation, not a yoke. But Jesus realizes that the most restful gift he can give the tired is a new way to carry life, a fresh way to bear responsibilities… instead of offering escape, Jesus offers equipment. Jesus means that obedience to his Sermon on the Mount [his yoke] will develop in us a balance and a ‘way’ of carrying life that will give more rest than the way we have been living.”1

 Author and pastor John Mark Comer clarifies further: “Every rabbi had his ‘yoke’—a Hebrew idiom for his set of teachings, his way of reading the Scripture, his take on how to thrive as a human being in God’s good world. How you, too could taste a little of what they’d tasted.”2  Comer says a rabbi’s life and teaching were his credentials; his disciples traveled with him and learned from him through daily experiences. Later in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus compares His yoke with the Pharisees’: “They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” (Matt 23:4, NIV) Highlighting their hypocrisy, Jesus contrasts their legalism with living according to His upside-down kingdom.

I love how Pastor Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matthew 11:28-30: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”3

Perhaps you’re familiar with the saying, “We become what we behold.4 Where we focus our attention determines how we view ourselves, other people, and the world around us. What we see shapes who we are and what we believe. So, if you’re wondering why you’re feeling anxious, insecure, afraid, jealous, angry, or overwhelmed, more often than you’re living “freely and lightly,” consider where you fix your gaze most of the time.

In my recent post, “Origin of the King: Matthew 1-4” I quoted C.S. Lewis, who describes Jesus as the “rightful king” who has landed on earth to re-claim “enemy-occupied territory.”5  Followers of Jesus live in the tension of residing in an evil-soaked world while maintaining a kingdom-focused mindset. We win the battle for our attention by engaging Jesus daily for wisdom, strength, peace, and rest. “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” isn’t just an inspirational phrase for a coffee mug, it’s a call to walk closely linked with Jesus in all that we do. The rest He gives the weary and burdened is a soul-level state of being, not a weekend away from the pressures of life.

One of the teaching ministers at my church recently gave a sermon contrasting mindsets reflecting the kingdom of the world and the upside down kingdom of God:6

Kingdom of the World Mindset Kingdom of God Mindset
Spending every bonus or raise on a bigger house, newer car, or more toys, because that’s what “success” looks like.

 

 Choosing to give sacrificially, even when you could upgrade your lifestyle. Extra funds are given sacrificially and generosity is viewed as an eternal investment.
Filling every night with sports, Netflix, or hobbies, with no space left for serving, rest, or community.

 

 Structuring your week so there’s room for prayer, worship, and hospitality, even if it means saying no to activities everyone else assumes are essential.
Cutting ties when people annoy you, disagree with you, or don’t benefit you.

 

 Choosing forgiveness, reconciliation, and patience — staying committed to love even when it costs you comfort.
Complaining, blaming, or numbing with entertainment when life gets hard.

 

 Turning to prayer, Scripture, and hope in God’s promises; showing joy and trust that confuses the world.
Raising kids with the main goal of good grades, athletic success, and getting into the right college — because that’s what everyone else… is chasing.

 

 Raising kids with the goal of knowing Jesus, loving others, and living faithfully — even if that means turning down opportunities, slowing the pace, or choosing different priorities than every other family on the block.

These ideas may sound unrealistic, overwhelming, and convicting to you. Instead of dismissing them, will you ask God to reveal one that you can surrender to Him so you can recover your life and experience real rest?

Studies show that engaging Scripture four or more times a week is the key to life transformation. 7 Since the yoke of Jesus is laid out in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), reading it regularly is a simple way to open yourself to soul rest and the unforced rhythms of grace. Are you willing to give it a try?

You can follow along with our study by ordering your copy of Tara Leigh Cobble’s Knowing Jesus as King.

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  1. Fredrick Dale Bruner, Matthew: A Commentary Volume 1 The Christbook, Matthew 1-12; Grand Rapids MI, Eardmans, 2004 as quoted in John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, Waterbrook, 2019, 86-7
  2. John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way, Waterbrook, 2024, 4
  3. Eugene Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, Navpress, 1993
  4. Attributed to William Blake’s 1804 poem “Milton” inspired by Psalm 115:8
  5. C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Geoffrey Bles Publishing, 1952
  6. Caleb Bonifay, “What Does it Mean to be Holy?” CPC Danville, Aug. 31, 2025
  7. “Bible Engagement and the ‘Power of 4’: A Key to Spiritual Growth”, Center for Bible Engagement