Devotion.: A Raw Truth Journal on Following Jesus

By Michael Yaconelli and Mike Yaconelli

Book Overview

When you hear the word disciple, you may envision people who spend all day praying and converting the masses. Or individuals who have a natural holiness deep inside. The truth is, being a follower of Jesus isn't a job for the perfect or the Christian elite--it's something anyone can and should be. (And even the original twelve disciples were far from perfect ) This thirty-day devotional looks at the traits real, very humandisciples have, using Scripture, first-person comments from teens, and questions that help you think about your own disciple experiences.

When you think of Peter, John, Matthew, and even Paul, they seem to be heroes for Jesus--the ones we're supposed to emulate and be more like. After all, Jesus handpicked them to be his followers and ambassadors on earth, and trusted them with everything when he left, so they must have been really holy men, right?

But if you read the Gospels and Acts closely, you'll notice the men Jesus called into his ministry were often clueless, selfish, afraid, and brash, and made a lot of mistakes during their time as disciples. In other words, they were very human. Just like you. This 30-day devotional peels back the holy veneer and explores the character traits that mark all disciples--things like fear, boldness, doubt, laziness, weakness, sensitivity, brokenness, alienation, hunger, immaturity, strength, and preparedness--and uses Scripture, real-world examples, and questions with space to journal to help you see these "negative" qualities actually qualify you to follow Jesus. Because discipleship isn't something from the first century, and Jesus is calling you to follow him today.

Devotion:

can be used for personal study or in a group settingis ideal for teens and young adultscontains short readings, with full Scripture passages included, that you can take with you anywherebreaks down the real truth behind Scripture to show how it applies to your life today

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310255597
• ISBN13: 9780310255598
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.4" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up

Customer Reviews

A great pickup

I bought this because I am a youth leader and though it would be something to pull ideas from. I was quite suprised how truly good this book is. I Have find myself really getting deeper with this. This is my second book by yaconelli, and he does not disappoint. He is very real and transparent. This book has given me many ideas of discussion with the youth I work with.

Christian Book Previews

Devotion. A Raw-Truth Journal on Following Jesus is a youth thirty-day devotional that will change the life of any person who actively reads and journals their way through it. Mike Yaconelli was a pastor and youth worker with an obvious sense of the emotional, physical, and spiritual situations youth face. In this book he challenges youth to think and reflect on thirty traits exhibited by the New Testament disciples. Some of the traits included are: boldness, daring, confusion, discouragement, doubt, alienation, fear, generosity, hatred, ordinary, overconfidence, sensitivity, shrewdness, strength, and weakness. Each devotional includes a paragraph or two defining the day's word, a scripture portion, a here-and-now story illustrating the word, a TOP 10 list request, and a journal section to complete. "Ordinary means average, usual, plain, common, and typical. In other words, nothing special...and nothing spectacular...Disciples are just ordinary people who follow an extraordinary Lord...When it comes to following Jesus, being ordinary is one of the main qualifications." This book is totally geared to youth. You find yourself turning the book every which direction to read the "Fact for the Day," or to follow a quote from the bottom up the side. The illustrating is marvelous. Yet I was challenged as an adult as I read the different situations he presented. Challenged--but encouraged. An unbeatable combination for a great read. This is my first book by Mike Yaconelli, but it won't be my last. He was an awesome writer who told it like it is and leaves you wanting more. ? Linda Demorest, Christian Book Previews.com