5
1
Paperback(Reprint)
$19.99
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
19.99
In Stock
Overview
You're one step away from the adventure of your life. John Ortberg invites you to consider the incredible potential that awaits you outside your comfort zone.
Deep within you lies the same faith and longing that sent Peter walking across the wind-swept Sea of Galilee toward Jesus. In what ways is the Lord telling you, as he did Peter, "Come"?
Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways that will change you forever, deepening your character and your trust in God. The experience is terrifying. It's thrilling beyond belief. It's everything you'd expect of someone worthy to be called Lord.
The choice is yours to know him as only a water-walker can, aligning yourself with God's purpose for your life in the process. There's just one requirement: If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat.
In this Christianity Today Award-winning read, bestselling author John Ortberg pushes you to take the last step that separates you from the adventure of your life. And, as a result, you will learn to:
- Recognize God's presence
- Discern between faith and foolishness
- Not only expect problems, but field them when they come
- Reorient your thoughts about failure and see it as an opportunity to grow
- Wait on the Lord
- And, ultimately, connect more deeply with God
Features discussion questions at the end of each chapter to enhance your reflection and spiritual growth. Also perfect for small group discussion.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780310340461 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Zondervan |
| Publication date: | 05/06/2014 |
| Edition description: | Reprint |
| Pages: | 240 |
| Sales rank: | 71,037 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d) |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
John Ortberg is the senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC) in the San Francisco Bay Area. His bestselling books include Soul Keeping, Who Is This Man?, and If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. John teaches around the world at conferences and churches, writes articles for Christianity Today and Leadership Journal, and is on the board of the Dallas Willard Center and Fuller Seminary. He has preached sermons on Abraham Lincoln, The LEGO Movie, and The Gospel According to Les Miserables. John and his wife Nancy enjoy spending time with their three adult children, dog Baxter, and surfing the Pacific. You can follow John on twitter @johnortberg or check out the latest news/blogs on his website at www.johnortberg.com.
Read an Excerpt
If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat Participant's Guide
A 6-Session Journey on Learning to Trust God
By John Ortberg Zondervan
Copyright © 2003
Zondervan
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0310250560
Chapter One What's Water-Walking? Session One There is something-Someone-inside us who tells us there is more to life than sitting in the boat. You were made for something more.... There is something inside you that wants to walk on the water-to leave the comfort of routine existence and abandon yourself to the high adventure of following God. -John Ortberg Questions to Think About 1. What kinds of things do you trust in, especially when life gets stormy, that help you feel comfortable and secure rather than fearful? Be honest! 2. Explain why you do or do not believe that God calls everyone who follows him to step out in faith and do something extraordinary. What does "stepping out in faith" look like? 3. How would you define failure? 4. Thus far in life, what has been your experience with failure? What has failure kept you from doing? What has failure done for you? Video Observations Images of a balloon ride Following Jesus: choosing between comfort and growth Did Peter fail-or succeed? Discovering the power of Jesus Video Highlights 1. When John Ortberg and his wife took their hot-air balloon ride, the competence of their pilot became very important to them. Why is it so important for us to know thecompetence and trustworthiness of whoever pilots our lives? 2. Jesus invited Peter to step out of the boat and walk with him-to do something Peter could not do on his own-and Peter couldn't resist the opportunity. Jesus is still looking for people who love and trust him enough to step out of the boat. What do you find intriguing about stepping out of the boat? 3. What are your thoughts on John Ortberg's comments about failure, particularly that failure has more to do with the way we view the outcome of an event than what actually happened? Large Group Exploration An Adventure in the Dark Let's take a closer look at what happened when Jesus revealed himself to his disciples as they sailed across the stormy Sea of Galilee, because that event matters a great deal to us today. We too have the opportunity to walk with Jesus in places we wouldn't dream of going on our own. Like each of the disciples, we must choose how we will respond to God. Will we sit in the boat, like the eleven disciples? Or will we, like Peter, leave the security of the boat and give God the opportunity to use us in extraordinary ways? 1. When Jesus told the disciples to sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee without him, they obeyed. But what happened as they sailed? (See Matthew 14:22-26; Mark 6:45-50.) 2. What did Jesus say to them, and why is this significant today? (See Matthew 14:27.) 3. From Peter's perspective, recap what happened after Jesus told the disciples who he was. What is significant about Peter's response to Jesus? (See Matthew 14:28-32.) 4. What impact did this event have on the disciples? (See Matthew 14:33; Mark 6:51.) 5. What impact do you think this event had on Peter? Who Deserves the Credit? It's not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena ... who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. -Theodore Roosevelt Highlights from the History of Water-Walking For a very long time God has been in the business of inviting people to be water-walkers. Here are a few examples to consider: Person Water-Walking The Result Invitation Abraham Sacrifice his son Isaac. God honored Abraham's (See Genesis 22.) faith and provided a ram for the sacrifice. Moses Lead the Israelites out of God parted the Red Sea, Egypt, which meant allowing the Israelites to crossing the Red Sea cross on dry land, then with the Egyptian army drowned the Egyptian in hot pursuit. (See army. Exodus 3:7-10 and chapter 14.) Joshua Lead the Israelites across As soon as the priests' the flooded Jordan River feet touched the water with the ark of the of the Jordan River, it covenant carried by the stopped flowing and the priests at the front of the people crossed on dry people. (See Joshua 3.) land. Joshua Instead of going into God made the wall of battle, the Israelites were Jericho fall down so that to march around the the Israelites could overtake walled city of Jericho the city-the first with the ark of the key barrier to entering covenant for six days, the Promised Land. then march around the city seven times on the seventh day and blow horns and shout when the trumpet sounded. (See Joshua 6.) Twelve spies Believe that despite the Ten of them refused to frightening obstacles in believe God and his Canaan, God would be promises and perished faithful to give the in the wilderness. Israelites the Promised Land and all of its goodness. (See Numbers 13-14.) Rich young ruler Give up his material He refused and went possessions and follow away saddened. We do Jesus. (See Matthew not know what took 19:16-22.) place in his life. Small Group Exploration Topic A Where Do We Place Our Trust When We Are Afraid? God knows how fearful we are, and he sometimes uses uncomfortable, real-world challenges to cause us to choose where we will place our trust. John Ortberg explains it this way: "The decision to grow [spiritually] always involves a choice between risk and comfort. This means that to be a follower of Jesus you must renounce comfort as the ultimate value of your life." Let's explore what God says about fear and choosing where we place our trust. 1. What happens when we place our trust in "boats" of our own making instead of placing our trust in God? (See Psalm 49:1-13.) 2. What did David realize about finding security in God rather than in things? (See Psalm 20:6-7; 118:6-9.) 3. What do the following verses reveal about God? a. Psalm 18:1-3 b. Psalm 56:3-4 c. Jeremiah 17:7-8 4. What has God said to his people over and over again, and why do you think he repeated it? (See Genesis 15:1; 21:17; Joshua 8:1; Daniel 10:12.) Topic B What Happened When These People Got Out of Their Boats? The Bible records the stories of many people who had to choose whether to trust God and step out in faith. Let's explore what happened to two men who, like Peter, decided to trust God and leave behind the security, comfort, and safety they had tried to provide for themselves. Moses 1. What happened when Moses-the adopted son of the Pharaoh's daughter-took matters into his own hands when he saw an Israelite being mistreated by an Egyptian? (See Exodus 2:10-15; 3:1.) 2. How did God appear to Moses, and what did he want Moses to do? (See Exodus 3:1-4, 9-10.) 3. How did Moses respond when God presented the invitation to step out of the boat? (See Exodus 3:11-13; 4:13.) 4. Finally Moses took the plunge and returned to Egypt to urge Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. What happened as a result of God's power and the shepherd's water-walking obedience? (See Exodus 12:31-37.) Gideon 5. Where was Gideon trying to find comfort and safety when God approached him? (See Judges 6:11.) 6. Gideon was afraid to take the challenge the angel of the Lord presented to him. How did God respond to his fears? (See Judges 6:12-18; 7:9-15.) 7. How did God use this "insignificant" farmer who finally decided to obey and trust him? (See Judges 7:16-24.) The Pluses of Water-Walking It is the only way to real growth. It is the way true faith develops. It is the alternative to boredom and stagnation. It is part of discovering and obeying our calling. The water is where Jesus is! Group Discussion 1. Fear of failure is one reason many of us don't step out of the boat. Some people view Peter's walk on the water as a failure, but John Ortberg points out that there were eleven bigger failures sitting in the boat. In what ways does our perception of failure affect our willingness to start water-walking? Think about It Failure is not an event, but rather a judgment about an event. Failure is not something that happens to us or a label we attach to things. It is a way we think about outcomes. -John Ortberg 2. How much does our view of God's character and competence influence the degree to which we are willing to trust him and, in faith, to accept his calling and take risks? 3. Would you agree that sometimes the "boats" we create-whatever gives us an illusion of control, whatever or whomever (besides God) we are tempted to put our trust in when life is stormy-might actually be more dangerous than water-walking with Jesus? Why or why not? 4. If we keep choosing not to step out of our boats, what happens to us? To people around us? To our relationship with God? Personal Journey: To Do Now 1. In If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat, John Ortberg writes, "I believe that there is some aspect of your life in which God is calling you to walk with and to him, and that when we say yes to his calling, it sets in motion a divine dynamic far beyond merely human power." In what ways might God be calling you to get out of your "boat" and step out in faith? 2. Usually anyone who begins water-walking has to face personal fear. What deep fears keep you from really walking with and obeying God, from stepping out in faith and with his help doing what you could never do on your own? List fears that are specific to the calling you wrote down for question 1. 3. Looking back on your life so far, when have you said no to God's call? When have you said yes? Why? What happened as a result of those choices? 4. Which small or large steps can you begin taking this week to get out of your boat a little each day? Personal Journey: To Do on Your Own You've learned a few basics about water-walking and have been encouraged to think about your choices, your boats, and the opportunity to water-walk. It's easy to seek comfort and create boats, isn't it? That's why so many people choose that path. But God is calling you, as he calls every believer, to put your faith in him and start getting out of your boat a little more each day. Set aside some quiet time to think about the following questions. There are no right or wrong answers, and nobody needs to know your responses, unless you choose to discuss them with someone. What's important is that you take time to reflect on some issues that you explored today, issues that may cause you to become uncomfortable or even a bit angry-at yourself, God, or someone else.
Continues...
Excerpted from If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat Participant's Guide by John Ortberg Copyright © 2003 by Zondervan
Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Table of Contents
| Chapter 1 | On Water-Walking | 8 |
| Chapter 2 | Boat Potatoes | 13 |
| Chapter 3 | Discerning the Call | 22 |
| Chapter 4 | Walking on the Water | 30 |
| Chapter 5 | Seeing the Wind | 48 |
| Chapter 6 | Crying Out in Fear | 60 |
| Chapter 7 | That Sinking Feeling | 77 |
| Chapter 8 | Focusing on Jesus | 94 |
| Chapter 9 | Learning to Wait | 105 |
| Chapter 10 | How Big Is Your God? | 112 |
From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of
Related Subjects
Customer Reviews
Explore More Items
