Product Description

Evangelical pastor Ed Dobson chronicles his year of living like Jesus and obeying his teachings. Dobson’s transition from someone who follows Jesus to someone who lives like Jesus takes him into bars, inspires him to pick up hitchhikers, and deepens his understanding of suffering. As Dobson discovers, living like Jesus is quite different from what we imagine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7248 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780310247777
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Inspired by A.J. Jacobs's The Year of Living Biblically, evangelical pastor and author Dobson (The Jesus Study Bible) devotes a year to emulating Jesus' life and teaching. His initial commitment to keep kosher, observe Jewish holy days, not shave and read the four gospels weekly expands into an exploration of Judeo-Christian devotional practices. Seeking teachers from several religious traditions, Dobson incorporates Jewish prayers, the Catholic rosary, Orthodox prayer rope and Episcopal prayer beads into his daily devotional life. The book's form morphs from a somewhat choppy daily log into a series of thoughtful reflections on traditions he engages and gospel stories whose messages Dobson aspires to live. Weaving in tales of his fundamentalist roots, work with Jerry Falwell and long-term pastorate, Dobson reflects on the evolution of his religious consciousness: while maintaining a devout prolife stand, he votes for Barack Obama. With dignity and humor, the author addresses his personal struggle with ALS, seeking to model a prayerful response to his degenerative illness on Jesus' approach to suffering and healing. Dobson's strong faith, open mind, humility (I'm a confused individual!) and compassion infuse this offering from a self-proclaimed follower of Jesus. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover
“It may appear from the cover that this is a nice book about growing a beard because Jesus did but be warned- you will quickly discover that Ed's adventure takes him, and us, deep into the heart of grace, mercy and the endless discovery of just what the way of Jesus looks like - which, of course, has very little to do with having a beard.”—Rob Bell, Jesus Wants To Save Christians “Inspiring, insightful, sometimes infuriating, often funny, a little weird (like its author) and a must read for anyone wanting to become a serious follower of Jesus Christ” —Cal Thomas “Highly, highly recommended” —Brian McLaren Evangelical pastor Ed Dobson had a radical idea… “Live one year as Jesus lived. Eat as Jesus ate. Pray as Jesus prayed. Observe the sabbath as Jesus observed. Attend the Jewish festivals as Jesus attended. Read the Gospels every week." Dobson’s transition from someone who follows Jesus to someone who lives like Jesus takes him into bars, inspires him to pick up hitchhikers, and deepens his understanding of suffering. Living like Jesus is quite different from what we imagine. “It may appear from the cover that this is a nice book about growing a beard because Jesus did but be warned- you will quickly discover that Ed's adventure takes him, and us, deep into the heart of grace, mercy and the endless discovery of just what the way of Jesus looks like - which, of course, has very little to do with having a beard.”—Rob Bell, Jesus Wants To Save Christians

About the Author
Ed Dobson, pastor emeritus of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serves as an advisory editor for Christianity Today and consulting editor for Leadership. He holds an earned doctorate from the University of Virginia, was named "Pastor of the Year" by Moody Bible Institute, and is author of numerous books, including Prayers and Promises When Facing a Life-Threatening Illness. He moved to the United States in 1964 from Northern Ireland and now lives with his family in Grand Rapids.

Edward G. Dobson es pastor emérito de la Iglesia Calvary en Grand Rapids, Michigan y presta sus servicios a Christianity Today como editor consejero. Es editor asesor de Leadership. Tiene un doctorado de la Universidad de Virginia y fue nombrado el Pastor del Año por el Instituto Moody Bible. Es autor y coautor de numerosos libros, incluyendo Blinded by Mighty y Starting a Seeker Sensitive Service. El Dr. Dobson se mudó de Irlanda del Norte a los Estados Unidos en el año 1964, y ahora reside con su familia en Grand Rapids.

Customer Reviews

An Inspirational Read
I appreciated how Dobson sprinkled quotes about the reality of how hard it is to live like Jesus throughout the book. One example that made me smile was when Dobson was trying to "honor the Sabbath" but got so eager to wear tassels to remind him of the commandments of God ,that he talked on the phone, used the internet and bought clothes when he was supposed to be resting.

Dobson's confessions of failing miserably when he attempted to fast and go camping were hilarious. He was trying to experience the same story of when Jesus was in the dessert for 40 days and was tempted.


Here are some things I learned from this book:
* The true meaning of "The Kingdom of God."

* Various ways to pray. Dobson uses scripture to pray. A concept that makes beautiful sense. I've also incorporated the saying, "Lord have mercy on ___________, " when I don't really know what to pray, but I know God can help.

* I've been a Christian all my life, but I've never learned much about other practices. Through his year of Living Like Jesus, Dobson taught me about the Catholic rosary, Episcopal prayer beads, and Orthodox prayer rope.

* He also gets brilliant advise for the concept that most Christians have a problem with: praying to Mary.

During the year of living like Jesus Dobson went into bars where he was able to casually talk with customers. Yes, he drank a beer when he went into these bars. His conversations with the bar tender and customers were amazing. They asked all kinds of questions and perhaps Dobson planted some seeds. I applaud his efforts.

During this year, Dobson leads a group of people on a tour to Israel. I have no idea if I will ever get to visit the Holy Lands, so his descriptions of the places he takes his tourists sounded beautiful.

As you can imagine from the concept of this book, Dobson is an amazing individual. I would love to hear him speak some day. In the book, he shares examples of two sermons he preached that would have been fun to hear. In one, he used live goats and in another, he carried a large, heavy cross on his back.

Inspired by this book, and the scripture, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing some people entertained angles without knowing it. " (Hebrews 13:2), I've started a campaign to help a neighbor/family who I don't know, but who is struggling with their health and finances this Christmas season.

Promises and Confusion
I made a game effort to like this book, but the author didn't make it easy for me. My fondness for his premise, and my interest at his many and varied discoveries, was offset by his tendency to wander off on tangents and apparently forget what he was doing. There is a great deal to recommend this book for a committed Christian reader, but actually getting through it will require an effort of will.

Inspired by A.J. Jacobs, pastor Ed Dobson decides to try and recreate the life of a First Century Jew, much like that Jesus might have lived. With the help of several books, a local rabbi, and every resource he could draw on, he struggles to find out what that life might have been. A year of his observations and insights are a real eye-opener into what it means to take Scripture seriously.

The problem is, we don't know much about Judaism in the First Century. A.J. Jacobs set about to live out the Mosaic Law, which is written down. Dobson has to figure his way along based on sketchy records, informed suppositions, and a close reading of Scripture and the Talmud. So a great deal of what Dobson undertakes can charitably be called tentative, and his failing health makes him compromise on even that.

For instance, Jesus talks a great deal about prayer, but not much of his prayer is recorded. So Dobson experiments with the Catholic rosary, which was invented in the Sixteenth Century, and Episcopal prayer beads, which were invented less than thirty years ago. While I enjoyed reading what Dobson learned from the experience, that isn't likely to be how Jesus lived. That could be the centerpiece for a sequel instead.

And Dobson appears discomforted by how much people fixate on how he decided that voting for Obama over McCain was in keeping with living like Jesus. If he's confused about why so many Christians consider this an issue, he might consider that he himself dedicated most of a chapter to his reasoning. Perhaps if he doesn't want his voting to become a public controversy, he might not want to discuss it in public.

Not that this isn't a good book. His insights about handling money, about dealing with strangers, and how much the world is oriented against a Christ-centered life are spot on, as are his discoveries made while visiting other faith traditions. But Dobson promises one book, writes another, and seems to have three or four others waiting inside his text to actually be written. I look forward to reading those books when he gets around to writing them.

The Year of Living Like Jesus
I have read The Year of Living Like Jesus and I believe that it does not matter whether Pastor Dobson really lived like Jesus, as the Pastor has said Jesus was much better at it than him but what we learn from the book and from his year of life. You need to read the whole book at least twice to get an understanding of the whole content. We all are free thinkers and have minds to be able to do better each day and to take from the book what we need to live in a better way. I really enjoyed the book simply for the reason that it made me question my own beliefs and where they come from and whether they are biblical or not.