Most churches do very well in sharing information and fairly well in providing opportunities for involvement. However, according to Willow Creek Association network of thousands of churches, “63 percent of the most active and committed church members are so discouraged with church and its inability to support their faith that they are considering leaving the church.” I believe what’s missing is intimacy with Christ.
So, here are some resources for believers who want to go beyond information about Christ, and involvement for him, to intimacy with Him. We’ll be exploring men and women whose devotional writing is still popular after hundreds of years for . . . connecting with Christ. (If you’re not a believer, please click here to learn about having a love relationship with him.)
Connecting with Christ
Act 2:42 reveals format of the first small groups:
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
This study guide addresses seven ways Christ followers become one with him. It’s comprised of scriptures and devotions from Francis of Assisi, Francis of Sales, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila and Thomas ‘a Kempis.
Listen to first four chapters from my discontinued podcast:
Charpter 4: Solitude and silence
Jesus: His Life and Lessons
No agenda. No commentary. No doctrine. No dogma.
Just 100 percent Jesus with Gospels in chronological order and his teaching by topics. A perfect gift for anyone seeking to learn more about Jesus. Buy one for yourself and another for a friend.
Foreword by Mary DeMuth
Browse
• Introduction
• Life: The story of his birth
• Life: The story of his death and resurrection
• Lessons: On love
• About the translation, World English Bible
Buy
• Paper back $14.99
• Ebook $4.95
Imitation of Christ: Classic Devotions in Today’s Language
(Worth Inspired, 2016)
The classic devotional by Thomas à Kempis arranged and organized into 90 devotional readings.
“The Imitation of Christ is one of the great spiritual works of the Church. Six hundred years later, it remains not just a classic, but a road map to the life the Lord wants each of us to live.”
Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan: Archbishop of New York
About the book
• About Thomas à Kempis
• Read an excerpt
• My exclusive interview with Thomas à Kempis
Buy and review: available as ebook, hardcover and leather bound
• Amazon hardcover leatherbound
• Barnes & Noble
• Christianbook all formats
• Lifeway all formats
Intimacy with Christ: Classic Devotions by Brother Lawrence, Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, and More
(Christian Literature Crusade, May 2021)
The writings of Bernard of Clairvaux, Brother Lawrence, Catherine of Siena, Francis de Sales. Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, and my favorite, Thomas à Kempis modernized in a 60-day devotional book.
Browse Free excerpt of Preface
Buy CLC Publications
Wishing you God’s best as you connect with Christ
Is the podcast a recording I’ll receive in email or a blog? These are questions on an Oregon foggy day.
I’ll be posting it on my Facebook so you can just click! I hope you enjoy it!