Does your Christian experience feel hollow? Does it feel like something is lacking? Perhaps, as pastor Greg Sidders discovered, the reason your faith feels empty is that you're avoiding the bold claims of Christ. What would happen if you truly followed his call? In The Invitation, Sidders examines seven "discipleship statements" from the Gospels to draw Christians into deeper relationship with Jesus. You'll discover that by drawing closer to Him and His radical teachings your faith will grow and you'll start to experience the abundant life you've been searching for.

When Jesus called his disciples, his invitation was simple: "Follow me." But what Greg Sidders soon found after deciding to follow Jesus is that this simple invitation is harder and scarier than it sounds. In The Invitation he invites readers to venture beyond risk-free Christianity and live as true disciples. He takes readers on a spiritual journey through seven passages in which Jesus describes what his disciples will do, challenging readers to live the adventure of following Jesus.

Greg Sidders, a former journalist, is the senior pastor of White Pine Community Church in Maine. He and his wife, Robin, have three sons. This is his first book.

Greg Sidders leads the reader through a spiritual transformation as The Invitation reveals the "exhilaration of simply following Jesus." As 21st century Christians in America, it is easy for us to let our faith to become stagnant. "There are 'maximum commitment' Christians and 'minimum requirement' Christians" (p. 36). Sidders shares how to be a "maximum commitment" Christian—to follow God despite the allure of sin.

We are called to drop the baggage that is slowing us down and to run after Christ. When we are "running to Jesus, not from him, [then] we find the life we were created to live" (p. 14). The Invitation is effortlessly paced and easy to follow. Greg Sidders, a former journalist, is now a pastor at White Pine Community Church in Cumberland, Maine. He brings his prose from journalism and his theology from seminary for a perfect marriage of artistry and truth.

One of the stories Sidders shares in The Invitation is when he was at a ropes course. After climbing a tall wooden pole, he was supposed to jump to a rope hanging about ten feet away. Although he was harnessed, he felt terrified. "If I said I believed in the rope but opted out of the jump, would my faith in the rope be genuine?" (p. 27). It is not enough to believe the rope is sturdy, you must believe it enough to take a leap of faith. The Invitation is a wonderful book, written for Christians regardless of their spiritual maturity. It challenges readers to take a leap of faith and not be satisfied to remain pre-leap Christians. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a deeper relationship with God. – Ben Schmitt, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

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