About the Book

"Devotion" is appropriate for small group reflection and discussion as well as for private use.

Book Synopsis

When you hear the word disciple, you may envision people who spend all day praying and converting the masses. Or individuals who have a natural holiness deep inside. The truth is, being a follower of Jesus isn't a job for the perfect or the Christian elite--it's something anyone can and should be. (And even the original twelve disciples were far from perfect!) This thirty-day devotional looks at the traits real, very humandisciples have, using Scripture, first-person comments from teens, and questions that help you think about your own disciple experiences.

When you think of Peter, John, Matthew, and even Paul, they seem to be heroes for Jesus--the ones we're supposed to emulate and be more like. After all, Jesus handpicked them to be his followers and ambassadors on earth, and trusted them with everything when he left, so they must have been really holy men, right?

But if you read the Gospels and Acts closely, you'll notice the men Jesus called into his ministry were often clueless, selfish, afraid, and brash, and made a lot of mistakes during their time as disciples. In other words, they were very human. Just like you. This 30-day devotional peels back the holy veneer and explores the character traits that mark all disciples--things like fear, boldness, doubt, laziness, weakness, sensitivity, brokenness, alienation, hunger, immaturity, strength, and preparedness--and uses Scripture, real-world examples, and questions with space to journal to help you see these "negative" qualities actually qualify you to follow Jesus. Because discipleship isn't something from the first century, and Jesus is calling you to follow him today.

Devotion:

• can be used for personal study or in a group setting
• is ideal for teens and young adults
• contains short readings, with full Scripture passages included, that you can take with you anywhere
• breaks down the real truth behind Scripture to show how it applies to your life today

From the Back Cover

A 30-day devotional journal for junior and senior highers---for small groups or private use Discipleship means being like the Big Twelve disciples, right? But, says author Mike Yaconelli, when you read the Gospels and Acts at face value, the disciples weren't always on top of things. In fact, the disciples were clueless, selfish, erratic, inconsistent, and faithless at least half the time. But Jesus loved them and used them all the more for it. Yaconelli scrubs away centuries of sentimental buildup and shows 21st century teens that there's hope for them, too. This thirty-day journal takes teens on an adventure through thirty character traits that are all marks of a disciple, things like fear, boldness, fearlessness, laziness, weakness, sensitivity, brokenness, alienation, hunger, immaturity, strength, and preparedness. Each daily reading includes an event from Scripture, a pointed description of that day's disciple's trait, a teenager's first-person commentary, the obvious and not-so-obvious truth lesson, Scripture references for extra reading on the trait, and questions that invite kids to ponder and write their own application related to their experience.