Engaged

"There is no better way to live than as a disciple of the Lord Jesus. But how do I actually do that? Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis offers a simple but not simplistic path for those who desire to embark on the greatest adventure of thus life." - Fr. John Riccardo, Executive Director of ACTS XXIX Forty days after His Resurrection from the dead, Jesus gathered His Disciples and "commissioned" them to go out into all the world and spread the Gospel to all nations. Many of them were illiterate fishermen. Not one held a degree from an advanced Rabbinical school. And yet these men took the Christian message and shared it with the whole world. With faith, they changed history and have led billions of people to salvation. We too are enjoined to cultivate disciples. However, before we can make others disciples or spread the message of salvation, we ourselves need to become disciples - students of the Gospel. Before we can become students, we must answer the call to be a follower of Jesus. And before we can become a true follower of Jesus, we have to understand who Jesus is. Engaged: The Call to Be Disciples contains 130 short reflections offering practical instruction on what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It begins by reflecting on the simple question: Who is Jesus Christ? Fr. Akrotirianakis discusses the costs and benefits of being a disciple. His reflections on prayer and stewardship build to the final section on rallying and sustaining confidence in our Christian walk. Although written by a Greek Orthodox priest, this provocative work offers inspiration for Christians of all denominations of what it means to believe, belong and follow. Father Stavros N. Akrotirianakis is a Greek Orthodox Priest who serves St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Tampa, Florida. He has also authored the books Let All Creation Rejoice: Reflections on Advent, the Nativity and Epiphany; The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy Week and Pascha; Blessed is the Kingdom, Now and Forever: Reflections on the Divine Liturgy; and Let Us Be Attentive: Reflections on the Sunday and Feastday Scripture Readings of the Orthodox Church. He writes a daily reflection called "The Prayer Team" which can be found at www.prayerteam365.com