40 Ways to Get Closer to God by Jerry MacGregor - #review #

Practical Steps to a Deeper Faith

Sometimes faith demands action. This practical book gives Christians ideas for how to adjust their hearts to get closer to God.


Each chapter contains a unique challenge and a brief explanation that puts the challenge in context. Exercises include acts of service to others, extended prayer, Scripture memory, fasting, a day of gratitude, media fasting (no TV or Internet), evangelism, and much more. The challenges are broad in scope, allowing people with varying personality types and learning styles to benefit from them.

GoodReads

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MY REVIEW

40 Ways to Get Closer to God, co-authored by Jerry MacGregor and Keri Wyatt Kent is a book that can well be read in a single afternoon.  And as the start of the process to absorb the information in this book, a quick initial read-through is fine.  But to get the most out of the book (and this is no small order), I believe it would be beneficial to go back and take one chapter a day ... or week, however long is right for YOU to spend on one of the topics in order to absorb each lesson.

Some of the suggested activities made me a little uncomfortable ... not because of anything morally (or otherwise 'wrong') with them, but because they would lead me rather far out of my comfort zone.  This is surprising from one point of view, because the author does not ask you to go from mild-mannered reader to bionic Christian soldier when you close the book.  You take 40 small-ish suggested "God actions", and (my thought) spend as much time as you need to feel comfortable with it, then move onto the next one.

I may follow the suggestions in the book on this slower basis and blog about my results.  If anyone would be interested in joining in such an enterprise, let me know.

I suppose it's 'just coincidence' that I come across a book about spiritual growth when I have just decided my unofficial 'one word' for 2017 is STRETCH, and by that I meant intentionally stepping outside my comfort zone.  Or maybe it's not coincidence at all.

I believe 40 Ways has a lot of valuable information for readers of faith, and look forward to the first (and any subsequent) rereads.

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MEET THE AUTHOR

Jerry MacGregor has written more than two dozen titles, including two books that hit #1 on the bestseller lists in their category. Jerry earned his master's degree from Talbot Theological Seminary and did his doctoral work at the University of Oregon. Jerry lives with his wife in Hillsboro, Oregon, where he is the founder of MacGregor Literary Agency.

-source Biola.edu

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2017 Reading Challenge Information

BetterWorldBook Challenge - chosen based on cover
Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge - "Way/Ways"
One Million Pages Perpetual Reading Challenge - 195 pp
Shelf Love Reading Challenge - October 10, 2016