The author of The Life You’ve Always Wanted: The Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People is John Ortberg. Zondervan published it in 2002. Ortberg encourages a deeper relationship with the Lord that affects our entire being. God’s power can bring transformation to our lives in a great way. The thirteen chapters of this book examines the how and why of transformation. This book is about spiritual growth. In the first part of the book, Ortberg made a case against just living for eternity. He motivates the reader to want to pursue transformation. Ortberg said, “The possibility of transformation is the essence of hope” (2002, p. 20). Every moment of a person’s life is an opportunity to learn to live like Jesus. The author engages the reader with a compelling story of an elderly lady named Maple who exampled the heart of what it means to have God’s power in one’s life. The author then sets the groundwork to understand the goal of a spiritual life and the purpose of spiritual disciplines. Ortberg says, “Spiritual
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I often sought the approval of man at the expense of hurting others around me, including myself. The practice of secrecy, or obscurity, was foreign in my life. I did many good things, but I also wanted certain people in my life to validate me because of it. Ortberg said, “When Jesus spoke, he was free from the need to create an impression. He was free to speak the truth in love” (2002, p. 160). It was liberating when I finally realized that I did not need to create an impression to please people around me. Ultimately, I realized that Christ approved of me regardless of what I accomplished in life. I was able to effectively lead in areas of ministry without an unhealthy concern of others opinions. This transformation produced results in my life that allowed me to experience an incredible freedom for the past seven years of my
I often sought the approval of man at the expense of hurting others around me, including myself. The practice of secrecy, or obscurity, was foreign in my life. I did many good things, but I also wanted certain people in my life to validate me because of it. Ortberg said, “When Jesus spoke, he was free from the need to create an impression. He was free to speak the truth in love” (2002, p. 160). It was liberating when I finally realized that I did not need to create an impression to please people around me. Ultimately, I realized that Christ approved of me regardless of what I accomplished in life. I was able to effectively lead in areas of ministry without an unhealthy concern of others opinions. This transformation produced results in my life that allowed me to experience an incredible freedom for the past seven years of my