Real Change: Becoming More Like Jesus in Everyday Life

Barely into the new year, the struggle is real. The resolutions many people made have already failed or their commitment is waning. Then the mindset starts to set in that this year will be like every other year, and no change will take place. Yet, the reality is that while the struggle is real, the change can be too! It is this very truth found in Real Change: Becoming More Like Jesus in Everyday Life, a new work by Andrew Nicholls and Helen Thorne. With the well-known David Powlison serving as editor, Nicholls and Thorne use the basis of CCEF’s “Dynamic of Biblical Change” course to provide the reader with a 6-session course study guide on how to change for real. With the “Three Trees” diagram as a visual, the 6 sessions walk the reader through how God changes people, from understanding the influences and seeing their sinful hearts to looking to the cross in repentance and faith in Christ, Real Change trains the Christian in the right change, into the image of Christ, and encourages the context for biblical change. Real Change: Becoming More Like Jesus in Everyday Life by Andrew Nicholls and Helen Thorne is the resource to equip churches with the gospel truth that changes lives. It provides those who are wanting to change with the right motive and means to change. With a leader’s guide to help give some direction in each session, the study is designed to be used in groups, particularly in the local church context. The study guide dives into the reality of sin, the complexities of our struggle, and the clarity of the gospel. Additionally, Nicholls and Thorne are sensitive to the time and culture we live in, making it clear that if there are legal matters at play or if there is abuse going on, the respective authorities need to be alerted (Nicholls and Thorne 70, 72). Still, in their sensitivity to those issues, they do not shy away from the seriousness of addressing personal sin. That’s because real change only occurs when we admit we have a real problem. A real problem can only be addressed when believers are real with one another about their struggle and their need for the Savior. Real change needs the accountability of a real church. So, if you’re looking to find lasting and real change this year, resolve to get a copy of Real Change by Andrew Nicholls and Helen Thorne and go through it with others in your church. Be ready to be changed!

This is a study guide for a six-week course on how to change for real, with God's help. The six sessions are titled CHANGE, HEAT, THORNS, CROSS, FRUIT, and REAL CHANGE. They discuss reflecting on the need for change, on ways your circumstances affect your heart, on ways which the desires of your heart drive your responses to the heat of life, on the ways Jesus' mercy impacts your past, present, and future, on the ways Jesus produces good fruit in your life, and how to persevere on a lifelong journey of change. The course is designed to be used by two people, or a small group divided into groups of two. It goes deep into the subjects and provides a lot of food for thought in each session. There are discussions in each session, as well as homework assignments for the time between sessions. I intend to recommend this study to both of the small groups I am part of, as I think it could be very beneficial.

Do you ever feel like you're spinning your wheels, not making much progress in areas where you'd like to see change in your life? Often, change is difficult and slow going. It can be easy to get discouraged and abandon the effort. Real Change: Becoming More Like Jesus in Everyday Life seeks to come alongside believers as they pursue a personal change project, encouraging; instructing; and pointing people to Jesus. Based on the diagram from "The Dynamics of Biblical Change" course offered by the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, Real Change unpacks "The Three Trees Diagram" in six concise lessons, offering questions for reflection, study, and discussion, as well as, an included Leader's Guide. Users will find this guide Scripture-saturated consistent with the authors' stated goal. "This model is not intended to supersede Scripture but to summarize Scripture. Please use the model in such a way that it encourages people to run toward the Bible rather than seeing it as a stand-alone model" (53). For those who are familiar with the CCEF materials from which this derives it's inspiration, Real Change isn't merely a re-hashing of previously published material but takes more of a small group, Bible study approach as opposed to the lecture format of previous material. It's a welcome addition to the Three Trees "family" of resources and should prove edifying as those who utilize it examine their hearts and look to Christ, the Author of all real change.

In this short workbook, the authors present a diagram that illustrates how change happens. The diagram shows two trees, one with fruit and one with thorns. Both trees receive the same heat, but they produce different results because of their different roots. In the same way, our hearts determine how we respond to circumstances and pressures of life. Each chapter highlights one element of the diagram and offers discussion questions and Scripture passages for readers to apply. Practical and succinct, Real Change is a good introduction to how sanctification looks in everyday life.

The title of this new Bible study is what grabbed my attention: "Real Change: becoming more like Jesus in everyday life;" I feel like this is a continual goal of mine. This book is divided into 6 chapters, each one focusing on a broad concept which is then gone into detail and further broken down. Each chapter begins with a sentence or two stating the aim of the chapter. I like this as I know from the start what I am to get out of the reading. In the later chapters there is also a recap, a sentence reminding you of the previous chapters. There are readings, discussions, Bible verses to look up and read and questions to answer in relation to that and homework to work on before the next study. There is also a leader's guide included in the 2nd half of this book. The layout of this book is very straightforward and easy to follow and work through. I really liked how direct it was and it was a nice amount of material included for each section as it was not much that it was overwhelming, but it also wasn't so little that it seemed like not enough; it was a perfect amount for each section. I worked through this book on my own, and I feel like I benefited from this. However, I really think working through this book in a small group setting would be very beneficial as well and maybe I will in the future!