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“Practicing the Way�� is a gentle introduction to Christian spiritual formation. If you are new to the topic, it will give you a solid overview. You may also find your next book to go deeper because John Mark Comer quotes liberally from many classics on spiritual formation.

I want to preface this review by saying that I have benefited greatly from John Mark Comer's past work. Garden City, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, and generally Comer's teaching on living as a "non-anxious presence" all helped me navigate personal and relational challenges in the past. Through Comer I was introduced to Edwin H. Friedman's work where the non-anxious presence language originated.

Unfortunately, this particular book, Practicing the Way, fell short in quite a few areas. While it was pleasant reading, it left me with mixed feelings. Several times when my interest was piqued, “Yes, now he’s about to get to the good stuff!�� the topic would shift once again.

I understand that Comer has a companion video series that goes into more depth on the actual practices. My wife enjoyed a Women’s Prayer Study at our church that went through that video series. I wish more of that material had made it into this book…the title is “Practicing the Way�� after all!

The plethora of quotes left me with the impression that John Mark Comer has read a lot of books on spiritual formation. Dallas Willard was probably quoted more than anyone else, except perhaps Jesus himself (it’s pretty close between those two), with perhaps the Apostle Paul a distant third. As for the long tail, I’d guess over a hundred authors are quoted at least once. Comer does seem aware of his propensity to quote heavily. At one point he writes, “I haven’t quoted from Dallas Willard in a few pages, so let me make up for lost time,�� before unloading a Willard quote that takes up half a page.

It wouldn’t be impossible to turn this into a great book:

1 - Remove 80% of the quotes. Keep only the top 20% that really drive the point home.

2 - Use the space saved from quotes to share more personal stories and practical DIY info. You get the impression Comer has great stories, he just decided not to share them. Why not? Personal stories are a good way to go deeper while keeping the book readable and engaging.

3 - Give Rob Bell more credit in the Introduction. The structure of the Introduction (and by extension the entire book) is nearly identical to Rob Bell’s 2005 Nooma video “Dust.�� Comer frequently quotes Bell word-for-word in this Introduction. Weirdly (or not, if you’re familiar with the Rob Bell taboo in evangelical circles), Comer fails to give Rob Bell credit except with two cryptic endnotes. When “borrowing�� this much material from someone else, the right thing to do is acknowledge it. Even if that person is a pariah in your tradition.

The first two points are only technical problems, but the third point hits me at a deeper level. It just leaves me feeling a bit empty and disappointed with Comer and evangelicalism in general.