I didn't care for this book. it was very confusing and difficult to understand. I think there should of been a more simple format.

I discovered this book as part of the launch team when it first came out, when I was hungry to do more in my church's worship spaces and really connect and engage my congregation. I had recently been part of developing Stations of the Cross interactive worship experiences, and it was the kind of thing that I wanted to do more of. This book whet my appetite for the things I wanted to do, but what I remember wanting most was to have some more skin on the material. I wanted to see more deeply how these things worked instead of what they did, if that makes sense. I was hungry going into this book, and this book was like a steak cooking on the grill - it made me hungrier, but I'm not sure I ever got around to really feasting.

I approached Aaron’s book because I am a long time fan of his wife Shauna’s writings. I am so glad I decided to read it! Aaron’s book challenges the way that the modern evangelical church thinks that it means to be a practicing Christian. It challenges Christians to break the current formula of Church; an entertainment and teaching provided by a minister. It challenges others to a focus on God and practicing our faith as both individuals and a body of believers. It is an invitation to believers to practice a faith based life through daily and community liturgies. Adopting ancient practices to bring us together in a modern world.

This book was a great guide to a deeper walk of faith with more intimacy with Christ. I had never read Niequist before but am already looking forward to reading more. This is for anyone who wants a little more deep study.

I love how this book encourages practices within a community. It gives a very practical explanation of how they formed the Practice at Willow Creek. It inspires readers to look towards possibilities of starting a similar practice in our own communities. It’s a fast easy read. I felt the information just flowing off the page. I finished the book in a few hours. I did feel like the author could have gone into a little more detail about the practices they included in the Practice. However there are plenty of books on the subject so finding deeper explanations is not at all difficult. I enjoyed this book and am interested to look into the practice to learn more.
I received a digital copy of this book from netgalley. I was in no way required to write a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

This book is about spiritual growth. Jesus didn't just ask us to believe in him and be done, but reminds us that God is present with us and invites us alongside him in kingdom work. Aaron invites us to explore various disciplines from a variety of denominations and cultures to grow our experiences with God and learn more ways to experience God. He shares his church's attempts of connecting with God by learning new practices from diverse people, historical and contemporary styles, and both inward and outward expressions of faith.

The Eternal Current is written for a certain audience, but it is thoughtful, eloquent, and very forthright in the author's beliefs and the questioning of his beliefs.

Niequest's journey through doubt and how practices rooted in traditions beyond the evangelical expressions he'd grown up with brought him back to faith will speak to many who believe in Jesus but are struggling with church and their lives of faith. He joins others like Richard Foster who explore the many different strands, expressions and practices of Christianity, packaging them for current generations.

I LOVE the Niequist family and their books, and The Eternal Current is no exception. Aaron beautifully describes our union with Christ. And, the cover is excellent. Thank you for allowing me to review this, and I will be recommending this book to many others!

This book released at the perfect time! Many of us who grew up in evangelical, non-denominational churches have become interested in liturgy and traditional church practices as adults. We're tired of the "cool church" hype and the whims of celebrity pastors. We want to feel connected to brothers and sisters in Christ around the world today and those of the past. Baptism, communion, and the readings of prayers and Scripture can be an anchor to us, no matter life's circumstances, time or place. The author describes his faith journey and gives us a hopeful way forward as we journey along the eternal current. I loved this book.

The Eternal Current has helped give words to the restlessness that I have felt in my soul for the last few years. In his work, Aaron Niequest, presents the reader with the idea that Christianity is not just an assent to a particular set of ideals or theologies. Instead Christianity is also an invitation to step into the River and feel the Current. This is done through adopting a lifestyle that is practice based instead of faith based.

Most of the examples of practices in this work are ancient Christian traditions carried out by various people of various backgrounds around the world for the thousands of years; however, Aaron gives personal insight which includes stories of his own understanding of these practices.

The book is a quick read and I consider to be a helpful resource for all Christians looking for something different. Especially those interested in spiritual formation and the possibility of a more active relationship with God and others; or those who are interested in various ancient and modern spiritual practices.

I decided to read this book after I heard Aaron Nisquiet’s interview on Annie Downes’s podcast. Throughout this book I found the same tone that caught my attention that day, and I think the title of this book is very appropriate for this author and the subject.

A current might be strong and wild, but also consistent and peaceful. This consistency let’s us not be far from what we were meant to be, and the peace that er can’t put into words means we belong to Someone greater than us, wiser than us, and stronger, but also meek and gentle.

I have been following The Practice Tribe at Willow Creek for quite some time. I found it fascinating that a church that is your typical contemporary church would invite a liturgical service into their midst. Aaron Niequist said that his heart grew weary of four rocks songs and a hymn on Sunday mornings. He was tired of the pep rally and yearned for his heart to be pastored.

Tucked in the pages of this book are ancient practices that makes us better worshippers. They invite us to give our whole selves to God and let him rake us over and rebuild us. Worship is meant to become a prayerful, intentional space.

I have hundreds of highlighted notes from this book. I loved so much of me. It challenged me. One of the things Aaron said that stuck with me is that many of us have a wealth of knowledge about the river, but few of us have ever swam in it. “Contemplation becomes an attentiveness of spirit that shifts the seeker from an ordinary reality to the Kingdom of God.”

I want to write a note about it from every single page. If you are looking to deepen your faith and think more widely about what God is doing with his kingdom around you, read it.

*I was a little hesitant to read this when I saw that Aaron had been on staff with Rob Bell, but I read on anyway. It was lovely discovering with him.

Thoroughly enjoyed the thoughts and ideas in this book. I just wish more communities had gathering like The Practice. I wish more had the attitudes expressed in this passage -"Just as each member of a church is one part of the body, I wonder if each church tradition needs to be understood as one part of the bigger body of Christ. Each is absolutely critical , but each on its own is only one part of the story. Fundamentalist Christians remind us that God’s truth is profoundly important . Catholic Christians remind us that we are called to work for good in the world. Evangelical Christians remind us that we need to be saved. Episcopalian and Anglican Christians remind us to keep our hearts and minds open to all the things God is doing on earth, even things that might surprise us." This attitude would go a long way in showing those in this world the love of Christ. This summer, I visited many churches of different denominations, and it was so refreshing. The practices described in the book hit the high points of the varying denominations. Particularly, the Eucharist and confessions in the more "high" services.

I found this to be a very thought-provoking book. Many concepts I had already been grappling with myself, but other concepts and ideas have given me pause. I'm sure that the ideas presented in The Eternal Current will stay with me for quite a while as I process through them to form my own opinion. I am grateful to the author for addressing a "new" thing in some spiritual circles and causing me, and I'm sure many others, to stop and think about the way we pursue our relationship with God and how we take His message to the world.

In a world that seems to be so polarized, I really appreciate the message that this book contains as it rallies Christians to unite and learn from one another with the intent of focusing on the eternal. This book found me at the perfect time. I needed to hear how each viewpoint and practice has its place and purpose in the Christian faith.

*ARC provided by NetGalley

From the first time I heard about this book, I knew I wanted to read it. Aaron writes about his experience starting The Practice at Willow Creek. He goes into depth about his exploration of liturgy. Also what worked and didn't work in this church project. It was a solid work covered in grace. I really liked it, and already shared it with our youth pastor.

In the introduction of The Eternal Current, Aaron Niequist sets up an analogy he will return to repeatedly throughout the book, that of God's kingdom being a River with the intent towards "healing and restoration of all things," and that we are all invited to jump in and swim.

If I'm honest, while I appreciated the analogy at the start, I wish Niequist didn't return to that language in every chapter; it seems heavy handed to over-emphasize the analogy (we might be "lost in the religious weeds" or "trapped in one small pond," maybe we are "fully submerged," perhaps we notice "God's River of blessing and healing flows constantly").

That critique aside, Niequist has a compelling story about his journey of faith. He grew up unable to question, believing that those outside his small faith practice were getting it wrong and weren't truly Christians. While serving at a church, disillusionment and frustration led him to examine his faith more deeply. Eventually he is able to explore what it would look like to form "a practice-based, discipleship-focused, neo-liturgical, ecumenical, Eucharistic gathering." He is encouraged to form the Practice on Sunday nights at the church where he leads worship so that he can delve deeper into relationship with others exploring their faith.

I appreciated his thoughtfulness as he explained the core framework of every gathering of the Practice and expounded on the importance of community and participation. It struck a chord with me as I recalled when I served on a hiring committee at a former church; as I learned more of the nuts and bolts of a typical staff week, particularly what took place outside of Sunday mornings, I understood the intentionality and realized that was what led to the effective, vulnerable Sunday gatherings.

From Niequist's stories, the Practice must have been a powerful, meaningful experience. The shared prayers, questions, and modeled exercises detailed in the book offer practical support for others seeking to grow similarly.

(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

The Practice is a service and a community that embraces the idea that “A Sunday service is not the main event but rather a training ground to help all of us become people who can live the way Jesus would if he were in our place.” Because of that we should engage in practices together that prepare us to walk in this world as followers of Jesus. Every service is centered around liturgy and practice and sends you with a charge to live out what you’ve just learned. It’s this idea of a practice based faith that Aaron Niequist writes about in his book The Eternal Current.

The book begins by walking you through Aaron’s journey and the Practice service. If you’ve had the chance to visit the practice this is a great look behind the curtain at what drives this service. If you’ve never been to the practice (which you should if you can), this a great picture of what a practice based service looks like.

The wider story of the book is focused on what Aaron calls swimming in the eternal current. We have all received an invitation to swim with Jesus in this river of faith. We are called to follow him by swimming and not just believing. For many of us this consists of keeping strictly to our way of doing and believing, but the truth is the river has been flowing for a long time and our tradition is merely a part of it. While there’s so much richness in this book, the best way for me to sum it all up is that Aaron’s vision is that we would embrace our traditions alongside the traditions of our other brothers and sisters in Christ and learn how to swim more deeply in the current. We need to move beyond the motions of Sunday worship and simply believing the truths of scripture. We need to join together and embrace Jesus’ way of living.

While Aaron’s words aren’t necessarily new or revolutionary, he joins a long history of other pastors and authors who are making the same call to swim in the Eternal Current. The great thing is that his book comes with the experience of living out what he writes, and you too, if you are in the Chicago area can go and experience the practice as well. I hope that you will pick up this book and take the challenge to swim in the Eternal Current. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Eternal Current
How a Practice-Based Faith Can Save Us from Drowning
by Aaron Niequist
WaterBrook & Multnomah
WaterBrook
Christian , Religion & Spirituality
Pub Date 07 Aug 2018
I am reviewing a copy of The Eternal Current through WaterBrook and Netgalley:



We are reminded in this book that staying centered on the Kingdom keeps us in the current as well as having a practice based approach allowing us to stay in the current. We are reminded too that we are not going to stay in the current if we have empowerment only on Sundays, we are reminded too that the Community keeps us in the current.


In this book we are encouraged too learn how to build God's Children. We are reminded too that we need to understand where God already is. We are encouraged to meet God in centered prayer.


I give The Eternal Current four out of five stars!



Happy Reading!