Author Susan Phillips writes about the with-God-life that is formed in time and intention. The book has meant much to me because of its rootedness in the deep and slow ways of Jesus. She discusses ways to build practices and rhythms of time with Him, our great Cultivator.

I struggle with the pressures to produce, fix and solve. That can easily become my way of understanding my faith, too. Instant results!

This book invites readers into the lasting ways of holiness, the way of our Jesus. It is long, beautiful and often slow.

Scott Parker recommends A Long Obedience In The Same Direction by  Eugene H. Peterson.

I am not a prolific reader, but when I read a great book by a great author I usually latch on to it for a long time. I also tend to read several other books by the same author. I have, over the years stayed pretty much in the lane of those authors for my reading. Eugene Peterson has become a favorite of both Faith and myself. When I was asked for a recommendation for a “Summer Read” for this blog post I took out a number of my “go to-s” and stacked them on a cabinet in my office and reflected on much of the goodness of each of the books by some of my favorite authors. Most of them small volumes, all with a devotional flare with a heavy concentration of Spiritual direction or formation. I landed on highlighting “A Long Obedience” because I think it’s a great one for our day. Witten in 1980 and revised in 2000, it’s as appropriate for today as it was in 1980, now 40 years ago. Here’s what a few have said about it:

 “A long obedience is the only path of discipleship to Jesus and this is a message we desperately need to hear and implement today”  Dallas Willard

“Eugene Peterson’s special gift is to stand beside us and keep our feet on the ground as he lifts our hearts to God and our minds to Godliness.”  J.I Packer

“Ours is a time and a world that needs to hear in fresh ways all that the Word might mean if we would only listen. Eugene has listened. In this book he tells us all that he has heard about those fixed facets of that unchanging Word.”  Michael Card