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No More Dragons: Get Free from Broken Dreams, Lost Hope, Bad Religion, and Other Monsters
Becoming a dragon is a dangerously subtle process. You make a long chain of bad choices. The chain gradually wraps around you. Layer by layer, it begins to take on the aspect of scales. One day you glance at yourself in the mirror and a monster is staring back at you. You aren't who you used to be. You aren't who you want to be. You're not who you were created and designed to be. Instead, you're a dragon. When Jim Burgen was nineteen years old, he realized how easy it had been to become a dragon. He knew he didn't want to be one anymore . . . but how? No More Dragons is the story of our common, hopeful journey from dragonhood back to personhood. As Pastor Burgen narrates the remarkable process of reclaiming himself from himself, he implores modern church goers to shake off the trivialities of churchiness in favor of the substantive questions that make a spiritual “Is Jesus the only one who can undragon people?” “Why don't I like most churches?” “Where is God in difficult times?” “How do you shed decades of gnarly scales?” Some choices will lead you to a better life. Some will kill you. Some choices will add a new layer of scales to your dragon, and some will slough them off. No More Dragons is about asking Christ to deliver you and learning how to obey him.
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2014
56 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
About the author
Jim Burgen
8 books20 followersJim Burgen is the lead pastor at Flatirons Community Church in Boulder, Colorado. A graduate of Milligan College and a youth ministry veteran, Jim has a passion for worship and teaching. His heart's desire is to see the line between the two blurred. "I believe that we were created to be worshipers," Jim says, "God loves authentic worship and the world is starving for it." Jim is the author of two books for students: What's the Big Deal About Sex? and What's the Big Deal About My Parents? He and his wife, Robin, are the parents of Alison and Jordan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 8, 2016
In the summer of 2008, I heard Jim speak for a week at a youth conference. One morning as he was speaking, my life changed forever. I came home, was baptized and Jesus and I have been best pals ever since. In the years that followed, I heard Jim speak on a few more occasions. Stumbling upon this book took me back to sitting a gymnasium with my youth group during the best week of the summer. A lot of the stories were ones I had heard before, I teared up and laughed just the same as I did then. There were new stories too, that caused similar reactions. As always, I'm in awe at Jim's boldness to talk about the messy issues of life/faith and his ability to put faith and everything else that comes with following Jesus into simple, easy to grasp words and notions. I'm so, so happy I stumbled upon this.
February 17, 2015
funny. serious. authentic. real. what church is supposed to be, written from a pastor who deals with real issues, and doesn't shy away from them - balancing truth and grace... Loved it.
March 10, 2018
Totally Worth It!!! I recommend this book to those longing to have an intimate relationship with God. I love that the author shows how Jesus doesn't condemn that one is forever a sinner. There is HOPE. Christians who are so judgmental and critic should read this book. Church of our Lord is meant to be a place of welcoming and healing.
February 17, 2025
Really enjoyed the metaphor the dragon and the easy to understand teachings of this pastor.
November 5, 2016
Jim Burgen is someone whose authenticity rings true to me. His sermons, his witness. Check out this book if you're struggling with un-dragoning yourself. (It'll make sense, I promise.) It draws from Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader story.
July 12, 2014
Great book by a honest man. I can't wait to try Flatirons.
March 12, 2017
When I saw this at my church library, the title immediately called to my mind the scene from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, so it made me happy to see that he actually talked about it 2-3 pages in. The symbolism is very potent, one that really sticks in people's minds.
The tone was almost too casual for me, especially at the beginning. But Jim's storytelling is easy and flowing and always has a solid point. And he tackles many issues that we face today with grace and truth. He especially goes into great detail about mental disorders and living with them. The section that his wife wrote where she talked about her depression is really powerful.
4 stars, 0 dragons!
The tone was almost too casual for me, especially at the beginning. But Jim's storytelling is easy and flowing and always has a solid point. And he tackles many issues that we face today with grace and truth. He especially goes into great detail about mental disorders and living with them. The section that his wife wrote where she talked about her depression is really powerful.
4 stars, 0 dragons!
September 29, 2024
I’ve been a listener of Pastor Jim Burgen’s sermons through the Flatirons Community Church podcast for over a year, but had no idea he’d written a book. His testimony and wisdom make for a great tool for anyone wanting to better understand the Gospel and the necessity of both truth and grace existing together. Anyone, whether exploring a relationship with Jesus, brand new to the faith or seasoned in their faith can benefit from reading “No More Dragons”. I did listen to this, but Jim is not the narrator. I would recommend listening to one or two of Jim’s sermons to get his voice in your head before you tackle the audio simply because the narrator isn’t passionate like Jim is. His tone lacks the energy that I know was intended when Jim put pen to paper.
September 21, 2019
Whether you know Jesus, you’re curious about Jesus, or you’ve never even heard of the guy, you should read this book. It’s real, it’s raw, and it’s full of the grace that God gives us to save us from our sins without omitting truth. Let Jim speak into your life with this book and watch how God changes you. Absolutely in love with it.
December 11, 2021
I guess I would call this a personal testimony.
The title comes from the episode in C. S. Lewis' Voyage Of The Dawn Treader where the boy Peter finds himself transformed into a dragon and needs to appeal to Aslan (allegorically, Jesus) to rescue him from being a dragon and to literally rip him out of the dragon's body.
If I had to sum up the message of this book in one word, it would be acceptance. Jesus will accept you as you are, no matter what you have done. You don't need to clean up your act first in order to come to Jesus. Also, we need to practice acceptance. Are you the kind of person that a hurting person could come to and feel confident of your acceptance? And the same question is for churches.
Author is pretty down-to-earth. Not a holier-than-thou stuffed shirt. I would recommend this for a new believer, or for a person considering becoming a Christian.
The title comes from the episode in C. S. Lewis' Voyage Of The Dawn Treader where the boy Peter finds himself transformed into a dragon and needs to appeal to Aslan (allegorically, Jesus) to rescue him from being a dragon and to literally rip him out of the dragon's body.
If I had to sum up the message of this book in one word, it would be acceptance. Jesus will accept you as you are, no matter what you have done. You don't need to clean up your act first in order to come to Jesus. Also, we need to practice acceptance. Are you the kind of person that a hurting person could come to and feel confident of your acceptance? And the same question is for churches.
Author is pretty down-to-earth. Not a holier-than-thou stuffed shirt. I would recommend this for a new believer, or for a person considering becoming a Christian.
January 7, 2023
Such a solid read! Powerful stories about Jim Burgen’s testimony, his wife’s journey with bipolar disorder, and real life stories on controversial issues in the church. Flowed well, although I felt like there wasn’t a clear enough direction with the book at times. I’m very interested in Burgen’s other books now though. Felt both personal and pastoral in the best way possible.
Rating: 8/10.
Rating: 8/10.
May 12, 2017
An unpretentious discussion of what truth and grace are and how they may exist harmoniously, especially in the Christian church. Jim is candid and honest in his personal struggle. Easy and even entertaining to read.
January 9, 2018
Awesome!
I love Jim's heart, his transparency, and his focus on the necessary balance between grace and truth. If you've been hurt by the church, this is a must read. I can almost promise you won't be disappointed.
I love Jim's heart, his transparency, and his focus on the necessary balance between grace and truth. If you've been hurt by the church, this is a must read. I can almost promise you won't be disappointed.
January 25, 2018
I loved the analogy of the dragon in this book. It is a good way to explain what happens to us when we allow things to get in the way of our connection to God. I have read this but I feel that there are definitely parts that need to be studied and incorporated into life to un-dragon.
January 31, 2020
I loved this book! Jim is witty, smart, fun and knowledgeable. It was easy to read his writing but really get a good understanding of dragons and freedom. I definitely recommend this book to everyone.
August 22, 2021
This is an amazing book that every Christian should try to pick up! It discusses how we all fall into sin and become "dragons," but God can pull us out and make us whole again.
Fantastic book! Will want to reread in the future!
Fantastic book! Will want to reread in the future!
December 22, 2023
Amazing read! Very convicting and thought provoking. My heart raced with the truth in the author's message and more than once I was brought to the edge of tears...not an easy feat to accomplish. Definitely recommend to any and all followers of Jesus Christ.
November 22, 2017
Wow. This may be the first book that I ever reread. No preaching just honest, heartfelt, humble and humorous.
November 20, 2019
GOOD book!
March 16, 2021
The church is Jesus’ primary vessel to be used against the gates of hell! COME ON
March 13, 2023
Fantastic read.
Absolutely loved it
Absolutely loved it
October 19, 2023
a solid read, but mostly personal testimony that i’m not sure those who are unfamiliar with Jim would understand.
August 24, 2025
Read during a book club over the summer💕
Hi, my name is Maddie and I used to be a dragon.
Hi, my name is Maddie and I used to be a dragon.
December 28, 2025
Absolutely loved it. I’ve been attending Flatirons for almost 5 years. I love how Jim brought in the real, raw… but make it with humor.
April 25, 2014
About the Book:
Becoming a dragon is a dangerously subtle process.
You make a long chain of bad choices. The chain gradually wraps around you. Layer by layer, it begins to take on the aspect of scales. One day you glance at yourself in the mirror and a monster is staring back at you. You aren't who you used to be. You aren't who you want to be. You're not who you were created and designed to be. Instead, you're a dragon.
When Jim Burgen was nineteen years old, he realized how easy it had been to become a dragon. He knew he didn't want to be one anymore . . . but how? "No More Dragons" is the story of our common, hopeful journey from dragonhood back to personhood.
As Pastor Burgen narrates the remarkable process of reclaiming himself from himself, he implores modern church goers to shake off the trivialities of churchiness in favor of the substantive questions that make a spiritual transformation:
"Is Jesus the only one who can undragon people?"
"Why don't I like most churches?"
"Where is God in difficult times?"
"How do you shed decades of gnarly scales?"
Some choices will lead you to a better life. Some will kill you. Some choices will add a new layer of scales to your dragon, and some will slough them off. "No More Dragons" is about asking Christ to deliver you and learning how to obey him.
About the Author:
Jim Burgen studied Bible and Sociology at Milligan College. He spent the first twenty years of his ministry working with high school and college students in Kentucky. He has been the lead pastor of Flatirons Community Church in Boulder County, Colorado since 2006. He also serves on the board of SOZO International, an NGO focusing on holistic community empowerment in Afghanistan.
My Review:
The author simply states in his phenomenal book, No More Dragons, that it comes down to this--grace and truth. He says its simply better to hold on to both. If you prefer for God not to tear away the scales from your life, you are actually going to lead a more difficult life. As we Christians we know all to way that the insults, accusations, and ridicule never seem to end. Jesus knew when He made alot of the controversial statements He made that were going to be met with accusations and persecution, but He still taught His followers what they were going to have to do and have to give up in order to walk with Him.
The author offers in sight into the fact that many of us are becoming or will become dragons if we are not very careful. We need to hold sight to the fact that we all are broken people and in order to stay close to God we need to remain humble and never forget how broken we truly are. We are a hopeless, broken people that need Jesus and the church will have to always remember that if we are to ever keep winning souls for the Kingdom.
No More Dragons, is a great book to keep us all in check!
**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from Book Look.
Becoming a dragon is a dangerously subtle process.
You make a long chain of bad choices. The chain gradually wraps around you. Layer by layer, it begins to take on the aspect of scales. One day you glance at yourself in the mirror and a monster is staring back at you. You aren't who you used to be. You aren't who you want to be. You're not who you were created and designed to be. Instead, you're a dragon.
When Jim Burgen was nineteen years old, he realized how easy it had been to become a dragon. He knew he didn't want to be one anymore . . . but how? "No More Dragons" is the story of our common, hopeful journey from dragonhood back to personhood.
As Pastor Burgen narrates the remarkable process of reclaiming himself from himself, he implores modern church goers to shake off the trivialities of churchiness in favor of the substantive questions that make a spiritual transformation:
"Is Jesus the only one who can undragon people?"
"Why don't I like most churches?"
"Where is God in difficult times?"
"How do you shed decades of gnarly scales?"
Some choices will lead you to a better life. Some will kill you. Some choices will add a new layer of scales to your dragon, and some will slough them off. "No More Dragons" is about asking Christ to deliver you and learning how to obey him.
About the Author:
Jim Burgen studied Bible and Sociology at Milligan College. He spent the first twenty years of his ministry working with high school and college students in Kentucky. He has been the lead pastor of Flatirons Community Church in Boulder County, Colorado since 2006. He also serves on the board of SOZO International, an NGO focusing on holistic community empowerment in Afghanistan.
My Review:
The author simply states in his phenomenal book, No More Dragons, that it comes down to this--grace and truth. He says its simply better to hold on to both. If you prefer for God not to tear away the scales from your life, you are actually going to lead a more difficult life. As we Christians we know all to way that the insults, accusations, and ridicule never seem to end. Jesus knew when He made alot of the controversial statements He made that were going to be met with accusations and persecution, but He still taught His followers what they were going to have to do and have to give up in order to walk with Him.
The author offers in sight into the fact that many of us are becoming or will become dragons if we are not very careful. We need to hold sight to the fact that we all are broken people and in order to stay close to God we need to remain humble and never forget how broken we truly are. We are a hopeless, broken people that need Jesus and the church will have to always remember that if we are to ever keep winning souls for the Kingdom.
No More Dragons, is a great book to keep us all in check!
**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from Book Look.
June 24, 2014
Jim Burgen is the lead pastor of a church in Colorado. How did his beginning lead up to becoming a pastor? It started with him transforming into a dragon. He was a preacher’s son. He grew up in a seemingly quaint church. He enjoyed the atmosphere of it. Christians appeared fine. Did it seem perfect? No. Jim witnessed the behavior of some and started to doubt what he believed. He was left confused and lost.
Following his downward spiral from an addiction and bad choices, he bit by bit turned into an unrecognizable creature. He looked in the mirror and saw a dragon covered in scales. Who was he? He didn’t know anymore… Was there a possible way to lose his scaly appearance?
{My Thoughts:}
No More Dragons is a play off of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. Not the whole book mind you, but on the transformation of Eustace into a dragon. If you are unfamiliar with this classic tale, Eustace {a selfish little boy} takes a piece of treasure from a dragon’s hoard. In doing so, Eustace turns into a monster, or more specifically, a dragon covered in scales.
I don’t wish to give the whole and wonderful story away. I highly recommend reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader {or at least that part} and No More Dragons together for the full affect. Jim Burgen uses this allegory of a dragon to portray his own poor choices from the past. He does this well throughout his own personal change from a dragon to a new creature in Christ.
He covers many subjects from unusual instances, visual stories, past mistakes, and true-life tales from dragons he’s come in contact with. In No More Dragons, Jim Burgen successfully approaches problems that are kept hush-hush among the church. He also gives a compassionate tale on reaching out to fellow dragons. Why? He knows what it feels like to be covered in scales.
Jim Burgen is so down to earth, open, and straight to the heart in his writing. Personally, I love it! We need more people like this. He’s not afraid and he doesn’t back down in teaching his lessons.
No More Dragons is a mind-blowing book for its allegorical concepts, simple truths, and prodding tales. It makes you think – I like any book that can stir me to stop and process its words.
If you’re searching for answers to the pain of past mistakes or just simply tired of living as a dragon, this book is especially for you. I highly recommend this read by Jim Burgen.
{This book was provided to me by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.}
Following his downward spiral from an addiction and bad choices, he bit by bit turned into an unrecognizable creature. He looked in the mirror and saw a dragon covered in scales. Who was he? He didn’t know anymore… Was there a possible way to lose his scaly appearance?
{My Thoughts:}
No More Dragons is a play off of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. Not the whole book mind you, but on the transformation of Eustace into a dragon. If you are unfamiliar with this classic tale, Eustace {a selfish little boy} takes a piece of treasure from a dragon’s hoard. In doing so, Eustace turns into a monster, or more specifically, a dragon covered in scales.
I don’t wish to give the whole and wonderful story away. I highly recommend reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader {or at least that part} and No More Dragons together for the full affect. Jim Burgen uses this allegory of a dragon to portray his own poor choices from the past. He does this well throughout his own personal change from a dragon to a new creature in Christ.
He covers many subjects from unusual instances, visual stories, past mistakes, and true-life tales from dragons he’s come in contact with. In No More Dragons, Jim Burgen successfully approaches problems that are kept hush-hush among the church. He also gives a compassionate tale on reaching out to fellow dragons. Why? He knows what it feels like to be covered in scales.
Jim Burgen is so down to earth, open, and straight to the heart in his writing. Personally, I love it! We need more people like this. He’s not afraid and he doesn’t back down in teaching his lessons.
No More Dragons is a mind-blowing book for its allegorical concepts, simple truths, and prodding tales. It makes you think – I like any book that can stir me to stop and process its words.
If you’re searching for answers to the pain of past mistakes or just simply tired of living as a dragon, this book is especially for you. I highly recommend this read by Jim Burgen.
{This book was provided to me by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.}
June 19, 2014
Jim Burgen was a preacher’s kid so was immersed in the life of the church from an early age. That experience was not always a positive one. He did grow up loving church through elementary school and everything about it. That was until he got to junior high and discovered that church members could be mean, very mean. He saw the church spread rumors and lies about his dad and family and the hurt that they experienced because of it. He decided if this was what the church looked like then he wanted out and walked away from the church.
He began to make poor decisions and became involved with drugs and alcohol during his high school years. During this stage of his life he felt no guilt. It was more of the same until he met Robin and after their first date invited him to church. While he said yes to the invitation to be with Robin he was reminded that he had gone away to college to escape church. They became involved in a student ministry and his world began to change.
It was at this ministry he began to see a different side of church and it was real to him. The pastor there introduced him to the C. S. Lewis series The Chronicles of Narnia and it was in those books he began to think about the dragons in his life. Those things that had slipped into his life and were dragging him down even when he didn’t realize it.
It was in these early years he began to feel God calling him to be a pastor. As many of us do he began to explain to God all the reasons that was a bad idea. In the end he responded to the call and agreeing that he would do what God wanted him to do if he could talk about real subjects, people and problems. His ministry has been built around living out that promise.
For more than 30 years now Burgen has been living out truth and grace in the midst of success and failure and at times wondering what he is going!
This is his story that will make you laugh, wonder and maybe even shed a tear or two along the way. He will talk about the joys and frustrations of inviting people to be part of the church and to struggle with the faith issues many of us struggle with and encouraging them always to seek out truth. Sometimes that comes with a high cost we need to be prepared to pay.
I enjoyed the book and found it challenging, entertaining and thought provoking.
He began to make poor decisions and became involved with drugs and alcohol during his high school years. During this stage of his life he felt no guilt. It was more of the same until he met Robin and after their first date invited him to church. While he said yes to the invitation to be with Robin he was reminded that he had gone away to college to escape church. They became involved in a student ministry and his world began to change.
It was at this ministry he began to see a different side of church and it was real to him. The pastor there introduced him to the C. S. Lewis series The Chronicles of Narnia and it was in those books he began to think about the dragons in his life. Those things that had slipped into his life and were dragging him down even when he didn’t realize it.
It was in these early years he began to feel God calling him to be a pastor. As many of us do he began to explain to God all the reasons that was a bad idea. In the end he responded to the call and agreeing that he would do what God wanted him to do if he could talk about real subjects, people and problems. His ministry has been built around living out that promise.
For more than 30 years now Burgen has been living out truth and grace in the midst of success and failure and at times wondering what he is going!
This is his story that will make you laugh, wonder and maybe even shed a tear or two along the way. He will talk about the joys and frustrations of inviting people to be part of the church and to struggle with the faith issues many of us struggle with and encouraging them always to seek out truth. Sometimes that comes with a high cost we need to be prepared to pay.
I enjoyed the book and found it challenging, entertaining and thought provoking.
February 10, 2020
5/5 ⭐
So inspiring. My outlook on myself, others, religion, and life in general will forever be different after having read this book. LISTEN FRIENDS There is a REASON that the good reads rating is OVER 4.5
So inspiring. My outlook on myself, others, religion, and life in general will forever be different after having read this book. LISTEN FRIENDS There is a REASON that the good reads rating is OVER 4.5
August 30, 2016
This was a book that grabbed my attention and made me decide I needed to read it. I love the Chronicles of Narnia books and have read the books several times, and watched the movies more than once. The author relates something that happened in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Eustace had turned into a dragon and had to be "un-dragoned", but couldn't do it himself. He had to have Aslan do it.
Hearing that story helped the author realize the mess his life was, and he turned to God and changed his life, and wrote this book as a result. I
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I thought the comparison to having bad habits, and not being the person you want to be, compared to being a dragon, was a great idea, and I found myself identifying a lot with what the author said about being a dragon. I liked his writing style. Even though he was giving some great Biblical advice, he made the book interesting and easy to read.
I did read the book with the purpose of reviewing it, but I found it very helpful. The author used a lot of personal experiences and stories to illustrate and bring home his points, and I found myself thinking more than once I'd like to hear him preach. This is a book I'd highly recommend, no matter where you are on your Christian walk.
Hearing that story helped the author realize the mess his life was, and he turned to God and changed his life, and wrote this book as a result. I
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I thought the comparison to having bad habits, and not being the person you want to be, compared to being a dragon, was a great idea, and I found myself identifying a lot with what the author said about being a dragon. I liked his writing style. Even though he was giving some great Biblical advice, he made the book interesting and easy to read.
I did read the book with the purpose of reviewing it, but I found it very helpful. The author used a lot of personal experiences and stories to illustrate and bring home his points, and I found myself thinking more than once I'd like to hear him preach. This is a book I'd highly recommend, no matter where you are on your Christian walk.
April 29, 2014
If I'm honest, Flatirons was the first place where I began to sense God tapping on my shoulder. He did that in large part through Jim; as such, this book feels like home.
The wonder of this book is that with his usual candor, charm, humility, and poise, Jim shares Jesus' truth. And through Jim, Jesus speaks louder than ever: "I don't hate you; I love you and I want to be with you always."
The process of being freed from a dragon hurts, both in the moment and in life to come. But as this book drives home again and again, we never have to endure that process alone. Christ — who understood the pain — chooses to be with us. He never leaves us alone.
Thank you, Jim, for allowing God to speak through you. It hasn't always been easy — sometimes, it's been downright infuriating — but through it all, it's been worth it.
The wonder of this book is that with his usual candor, charm, humility, and poise, Jim shares Jesus' truth. And through Jim, Jesus speaks louder than ever: "I don't hate you; I love you and I want to be with you always."
The process of being freed from a dragon hurts, both in the moment and in life to come. But as this book drives home again and again, we never have to endure that process alone. Christ — who understood the pain — chooses to be with us. He never leaves us alone.
Thank you, Jim, for allowing God to speak through you. It hasn't always been easy — sometimes, it's been downright infuriating — but through it all, it's been worth it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews