So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore: An Unexpected Journey (Kindle Edition)

by Wayne Jacobsen (Author), Dave Coleman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
I left my church after 12 years and felt I needed to be in a church until I read your book and discovered it was not about going to church but being the church. And that is to be done everywhere I go and in everything I do. I am now fellowshipping in a small house group and feel at home. This book will definitely inspire you to be the church and not just go to church. Ronda, Mother and care-giver, Canby, Oregon --Lifestream.org

This is an exceptional story that will make you laugh, cry and be in awe of the love that Father has for all his children! It will challenge you to rethink what church is all about! Chris, Student, East Tennessee State University --Lifestream.org

Product Description
Jake Colsen, an overworked and disillusioned pastor, happens into a stranger who bears an uncanny resemblance (in manner) to the apostle John. A number of encounters with John as well as a family crisis lead Jake to a new understanding of what his life should be like: one filled with faith bolstered by a steady, close relationship with the God of the universe. Facing his own disappointment with Christianity, Jake must forsake the habits that have made his faith rote and rediscover the love that captured his heart when he first believed.

Compelling and intensely personal, SO YOU DON'T WANT TO GO TO CHURCH ANYMORE relates a man's rebirth from performance-based Christianity to a loving friendship with Christ that affects all he does, thinks, and says. As John tells Jake, "There is nothing the Father desires for you more than that you fall squarely in the lap of his love and never move from that place for the rest of your life."

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 365 KB
• Print Length: 191 pages
• Publisher: Windblown Media (September 2, 2008)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001EGQLRU
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #352 in Kindle Store (See Bestsellers in Kindle Store)

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  #4 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Literature & Fiction > Fiction
  #5 in	Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Fiction > Religious Fiction
  #8 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book for All Christians, Even Those Who DO Want to Go to Church!, June 22, 2007

By	O. Brown "Ms. O. Khannah-Brown" (Twopeas, WA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore (Paperback)

*****
This book is perfect for people who have been alienated by the Christian church and/or by Christians, but also for people who are happy with the Christian church. It is actually a book about how to be in love with Jesus, and how that can manifest in today's church environment. I am sharing this book with everyone I know who is a Christian, and will read it again myself.

It doesn't matter what your denomination is or what your beliefs are; if you want to return to a "first love"-type relationship with Jesus, buy and read this book. You will not be able to put it down.

It is written as a novel, with a mysterious character who may be the disciple John, and a burnt-out pastor as the main character, Jake. Pastor Jake's life is suspenseful over the four years that the novel takes place, and the changes that take place in his life and in his thinking are riveting.

I read this in one day and am sharing it with my daughter, friend, and husband on our vacation. It will deliver an experience---a memory recreated in the present, if that makes sense---of the closest moments you have had with God.

If you are offended by or disillusioned with Christians, and especially if you are out of church altogether, it will help you to deal with what has happened to you. It may or may not bring you back to the institutional church, as this is totally irrelevant to the book---it's about how we've substituted church for Jesus, and in doing so, missed the best thing of all.

Highly recommended.
*****

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss the forest for the trees, October 7, 2008

By	mwgrigs (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore (Paperback)

I finished the book in about two days. A very good and intriguing read. Perhaps the greatest thing that I have taken away from the book is a reminder of both the complexity and simplicity of Father's love.

I have read several of the comments written about this book, and I can't help but wonder if the majority of them have still missed the central message of the book and the gospel itself: Everything is about the Father's love.

A search of scripture will quickly reveal that the Father is much more interested in our unqualified fellowship with him than making sure that our ecclesiology is correct.

I read the book and immediately wanted my wife and all others I know to read it too. My hope was that they would get the same revelation that I did. Unfortunately, Father doesn't work that way. Father understands that this thing called "Christianity" is a journey not a destination. As He leads us, He desires intently that we remain in fellowship with him. His holiness is not subverted merely because we we forsake structure and seek him as a loving father, rather his holiness is magnified the tighter we cleave to him.

Paul wrote in Galatians that is was for freedom that Christ set us free. Not so that we can be burdened again with the yoke of the law; or as this book alludes, institutional religion. To be sure, in nearly every body of believers there are those who love the Lord with abandon and who deem it a privilege to be on this journey, seeking more and more about His person. But there are also those who seek their own gain and labor to perpetuate the institutionalism of the establishment. Serving the "church" for the sake of the "church." Doing away with "church" was not the goal of this book; rather it was about focusing on Father's love and leading--however that may look.

Let's not miss the proverbial forest for the trees. Gal 5:6 (NIV) "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." If we remain focused on Father's love for us, then our motives, actions, speech and direction will follow his leading and will be centered upon him. We won't need regulations, bylaws and rules because the driving factor is Father's love. When we miss the mark (sin) his forgiveness and grace readily abound. We then use our forgiven, grace-infilled lives as testimonies of Father's love.

If a fictional book can shift our focus to Father's love--great! If a Sunday morning service can shift our focus to Father's love--awesome! If a movie, car accident, children's book, documentary, tragedy, illness, or whatever can shift our focus to Father's love than praise be to God! The goal is Father's love. Period.

Look for Him to reveal His love as you read this book and know that He has promised that He will reveal it to you. Blessings on your journey!

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crucial book for the struggling Western Church, July 13, 2006

By	Jeff Marshall "Jeff" (South East Asia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore (Paperback)

A must for all tired, oppressed, work-driven, bored Christians who lead a joyless existence. Many know that a drastic change is needed in their Christianity, but few know what to do or what the real problems are. Many will be blessed and encouraged by this book, others will be furious and denounce it as heretical or rebellious. If you are happy with your church, thank God and don't read this book. Others fed up with dead religiosity will read it and rejoice. Those who have marvelled at the life and vibrancy of Christians in places like China after reading books such as "The Heavenly Man" by brother Yun will find this book helpful in their path of pursuing more of Jesus.