Jason Mitchell - No Easy Jesus: How the Toughest Choices Lead to the Greatest Life

Its rare to find someone who can talk about the call of Jesus on our lives in a way that doesnt feel burdensome. Jason Mitchell has attained that balance. In No Easy Jesus, you will get the sense that Jason is on the journey of following right along with you. He will challenge you without weighing you down. He will inspire you to take Jesus up on the two-word invitation that hes been extending for centuries: Follow me. My prayer for you is that you will read these pages and be inspired to follow Jesus with more passion and greater joy.

KYLE IDLEMAN

Author of Not a Fan and Grace Is Greater

No Easy Jesus offers a spring for the thirsty soul. For anyone struggling with faith, church, or life, this book offers a gritty yet inspiring look at what it means to follow Jesus. You need to read this book.

MARGARET FEINBERG

Author of Fight Back with Joy

Nothing great is ever easy. We know this, and yet when it comes to matters of faith, we lose hope when the way is not easy. No Easy Jesus helps us reconcile the hurts, fears, and challenges of life with the true fullness of life in Christ. Read this one!

JENNI CATRON

Author of The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership

No Easy Jesus is a simple book about the hard call to follow Jesus. Through powerful stories and memorable sayings, Jason Mitchell shares the tension between the uncomplicated yet uncompromising invitation that Jesus offers to all of us. It is an easy thing to raise a hand, walk forward in a service, or sign a decision card, but it is a hard thing to follow Jesus every day. However, Jason reminds us that Jesus is right there with us on the journey.

CALEB KALTENBACH

Author of Messy Grace

In a style that is both raw and gritty, Jason Mitchell leaves behind the typical hollow slogans we are often fed and instead offers up advice that will lead to true life change. Strikingly transparent and honest, Jason shares from his own personal experiences as well as from the experiences of those he has traveled with through life as a pastor, leader, and friend. Dont let this entertaining book fool you intertwined in the stories is the challenge to live the life of following Jesus that will bring true transformation.

DAVID ASHCRAFT

Senior pastor, LCBC Church

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No Easy Jesus: How the Toughest Choices Lead to the Greatest Life

Copyright 2017 by Jason Mitchell. All rights reserved.

Cover illustration of relax flat icon copyright Liudmyla Marykon/Shutterstock. All rights reserved.

Designed by Daniel Farrell

Published in association with literary agent Don Gates of The Gates Group, www.the-gates-group.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version,NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Names and other identifying details of some individuals have been changed to protect their privacy.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Tyndale House Publishers at or call 800-323-9400.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN 978-1-4964-0219-6

ISBN 978-1-4964-1444-1 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4964-0219-6 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-4964-1445-8 (Apple)

Build: 2017-02-13 18:03:20

For Jenny

No one has shown me what it looks like to follow Jesus more than you have.

You pursue when others would run.

You open up when others would close down.

You give when others would grab.

You love when others would leave.

You are resilient and strong and beautiful in every way.

Thank you for refusing to settle for whats easiest when whats best is out there for the taking.

HERES WHAT I BELIEVE about belief: People can believe they believe something that they may not actually believe.

Do you believe thats true?

Need a few examples?

Let me ask you some questions about what you believe:

• Do you believe its important to eat right and exercise?
• Do you believe that spending time with your family should be a high priority?
• Do you believe that saving money is something you should do?

I dont need to hand out an official survey to know what percentage of Americans would say they believe those things are important. Almost everyone would say they agree that they hold those beliefs, and yet survey after survey indicates that those beliefs have little bearing on how people actually live.

• I believe that eating right and exercising are vital, but the appetizers are two-for-one today, and the gym is too far away.
• I believe that spending time with my family is most important, but I just accepted a promotion that requires me to work evenings and weekends.
• I believe that saving money is necessary, but I just went into more debt to upgrade to a newer vehicle.

A few years ago, I read an article by a psychiatrist who revealed that some of his patients believed things that had no basis in reality. One patient believed he could fly. Another patient was convinced she had been switched at birth and was actually part of the English royal family. Her belief was so genuine that she had developed a British accent. What stood out to me as I read the article was that the psychiatrist didnt use the word beliefs to describe these claims by his patients that had no basis in reality. The word he used was delusions. The truth is that beliefs that have no connection to reality, even if theyre sincere, arent beliefs at all; theyre delusions.

If the reality of my life doesnt align with what I say I sincerely believe, then I need to step back and honestly ask myself whether I believe what I say I believe. Most of the frustration I have with myself comes when my behavior doesnt line up with my beliefs. Thats especially true when it comes to my relationship with Jesus. I know that most Christians believe that they believe in Jesus, but belief is more than just intellectual acknowledgment or mental assent. The invitation Jesus offers is for us to follow him. Following Jesus is what happens when our lives align with what we say we believe about him.

Its rare to find someone who can talk about the call of Jesus on our lives in a way that doesnt feel burdensome. But Jason Mitchell has attained that balance in this book. It might be because hes so honest along the way. Throughout these pages, you will get the sense that Jason is on the journey of following right along with you. He gets personal, baring his soul in incredibly vulnerable ways at times. And its that vulnerability that gives you the sense that you have a friend sharing his heart with you, cheering you on, saying, Lets go after the life of Jesus together. Im running after it, and I want a running partner.