A love-letter (with more than a twinge of lament) to the church, and a pretty fine commentary on Ephesians to boot.

Listening was a little harder than I expected, I think because this is more theological than life-application. Still, a thorough, informative and often poetic walk through of Ephesians from a stance of living in the truth that Jesus is alive

Really enjoyed this.

This is the fifth book in Peterson's spiritual theology series, though you can pick up any one by itself, they do not build on each other. Like the previous four, this one is fantastic. In this one, Peterson takes us on a tour of the book of Ephesians, introducing us to the church in Ephesus. The church community is at the center of this book, it is not too much to say that the way we grow up in Christ is to join others in community who are also moving towards that goal.

I highly recommend this book, or any of these books by Peterson. Peterson was a pastor and writes like one, any of these books could be a beneficial read for any Christian. They are a bit more demanding then much of the fluff that litters the shelves of Christian bookstores. That said, Peterson is no hip megachurch pastor with a book deal writing easy-to-swallow best-sellers. His books come out of a lifetime of ministry, a lifetime of engaging with real people in the real challenges of life. Plus, he is just a fantastic writer. I think I read Peterson slowly because the writing is so good. You can scarf down a burger and fries at McDonalds to briefly appease your appetite; reading Peterson is like enjoying a bountiful, five course steak dinner.

What to say? Vintage Peterson. Yet another proof for the case he makes to be my favorite writer.

I love the Church. I have loved the Church for decades. The Church is the Bride of Christ, and the gates of hell will not prevail against her.

In my years, there have been many who criticize the church (small c church), and not without good reason. Yes, it's messy. Yes, it is imperfect. But it is still the Church, when taken in all together.

Eugene Peterson's study in Ephesians in Practice Resurrection is stunning. He takes this little epistle and shows us how it applies to the Church and everything she does (or should be doing). At the same time, he shows us how God works, both in individual lives and in the life of the Church.

There is so much good knowledge in this book that I will most definitely read it again, more slowly, more studiously. On the first reading, though, the part that hit me the hardest was his discussion of Martin Buber's book, I and Thou, as he discussed the role of the Christian in family and workplace.

Buber came up with three different types of relationships. I-It, Us-Them, and I-You. Most people deal with relationships in an "I-It" mindset. Other people are objects to be used to my advantage. There are far too many of us who are trapped in an "Us-Them" mindset, especially people who claim the name of Jesus in our current culture. The only proper relationship mindset is "I-You," personalizing people, not objectifying them. We even tend to attempt to deal with God in an "I-It" mindset.

Obviously, I can't even begin to do this justice. Eugene Peterson has such a beautiful way with words, that any attempt I make to paraphrase them would sell them short.

I'll leave this review with my favorite quote (so far) from this book.

"The extensive commodification of worship in America has marginalized far too many churches as orienting centers for how to live a more effective life for God."

I could not agree more.

Eugene Peterson has some great points on the book of Ephesians and the call and function of the Church. It just takes him a long time to make them.

I have found all of the books so far in this series to be tremendously helpful and illuminating in learning how to walk in the way of Christ. Peterson makes the path before us clearer and more hopeful, while still being transparent about the difficulties. It’s rare to find Christian teaching that is both so thoughtful and practical This book was focused on the book of Ephesians as a guide for “growing up in maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” It emphasizes the importance of the church community in this growth and the joint effort needed to become new people. I found the last few chapters in particular to be quite profound. Highly recommend the series.