A Habit Called Faith: 40 Days in the Bible to Find and Follow Jesus

by Jen Pollock Michel

Overview

Today's neurological research has placed habit at the center of human behavior; we are what we do repetitively. When we want to add something to our life, whether it's exercise, prayer, or just getting up earlier in the morning, we know that we must turn an activity into a habit through repetition or it just won't stick. What would happen if we applied the same kind of daily dedication to faith? Could faith become a habit, a given—automatic?

With vulnerable storytelling and insightful readings of both Old and New Testament passages, Jen Pollock Michel invites the convinced and the curious into a 40-day Bible reading experience. Vividly translating ancient truths for a secular age, Michel highlights how the biblical text invites us to see, know, live, love, and obey. The daily reflection questions and weekly discussion guides invite both individuals and groups, believers and doubters alike, to explore how faith, even faith as small as a mustard seed, might grow into a life-defining habit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781540900531
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/16/2021
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	823,778
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Jen Pollock Michel is the award-winning author of Teach Us to Want, Keeping Place, and Surprised by Paradox. She holds a BA in French from Wheaton College and an MA in literature from Northwestern University. An American living in Toronto, Jen is a wife and mother of five. She is the lead editor for Imprint magazine, published by Grace Centre for the Arts, and host of the Englewood Review of Books podcast.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 15

Introduction: A Believer in Belief 17

A Note to the Reader 25

"God, I don't know if you exist, but I'm going to act like you do." Mark Lawrence 27

Day 1 Lend Me Your Ears 31

Day 2 Oh, the Places You'll Go 35

Day 3 Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall 39

Day 4 No Do-Over 43

Day 5 To Have and to Hold 47

"This is real. This is truth. I don't have any rational way of explaining why this is real and true except that it is." Ian Cusson 51

Day 6 The Moment Called Now 55

Day 7 Practice Your Lines 59

Day 8 His Name Is Jealous 63

Day 9 Fieldnotes from the Wilderness 67

Day 10 Signs and Wonders 71

"From that point I knew: just like water is wet and birds can fly, Jesus is real." Shannon Galván 75

Day 11 There's No Place Like Home 79

Day 12 Five Words of Faith 83

Day 13 Worrying for God's Reputation 87

Day 14 The Question of Appetite 91

Day 15 No Mercenary Affair 95

"I planned a lot of things in my life. Being a Christian was never one of them." Kevin Feiyu Li 99

Day 16 No Cherry-Cheeked Santa Clous 103

Day 17 Heart Surgery 107

Day 18 The With-God Life 111

Day 19 The Laboring God 115

Day 20 The Bookends of Blessing 119

"If you will save me, then I will live for you." Mika Edmondson 123

Day 21 Where We Left Off 127

Day 22 That Wine Will Preach 131

Day 23 On Getting Fidgety 135

Day 24 A Ringing World of Praise 139

Day 25 The Great Mystery 143

"I started to realize how the gospel changes everything." Premi Suresh 147

Day 26 God's Gift of Bread 153

Day 27 Identity Verification 157

Day 28 The Dawning of Day 161

Day 29 Born to Be Free 165

Day 30 Dead Man Walking 169

"God, if you're real, heal me." Kim Demchuk 173

Day 31 Hail to the Chief 177

Day 32 Undercover Boss 181

Day 33 Last Will and Testament 185

Day 34 The Hard Work of Staying Put 189

Day 35 The Helper 193

"He called me to love what I used to hate and hate what I used to love." Deborah Smith 197

Day 36 The Lord's Prayer 201

Day 37 The Gospel Garden 205

Day 38 The Finish Line 209

Day 39 Closing Arguments 213

Day 40 Revelation 217

"God had picked me up, taken me from being his opponent, and put me on his side." Darius Rackus 221

Epilogue 225

Group Discussion Guide 229

Notes 237