The Year of Living like Jesus: My Journey of Discovering What Jesus Would Really Do

by Edward G. Dobson, A.J. Jacobs (Foreword)

“It may appear from the cover that this is a nice book about growing a beard because Jesus did but be warned- you will quickly discover that Ed's adventure takes him, and us, deep into the heart of grace, mercy and the endless discovery of just what the way of Jesus looks like - which, of course, has very little to do with having a beard.”―Rob Bell, Jesus Wants To Save Christians “Inspiring, insightful, sometimes infuriating, often funny, a little weird (like its author) and a must read for anyone wanting to become a serious follower of Jesus Christ” ―Cal Thomas “Highly, highly recommended” ―Brian McLaren Evangelical pastor Ed Dobson had a radical idea… “Live one year as Jesus lived. Eat as Jesus ate. Pray as Jesus prayed. Observe the sabbath as Jesus observed. Attend the Jewish festivals as Jesus attended. Read the Gospels every week." Dobson’s transition from someone who follows Jesus to someone who lives like Jesus takes him into bars, inspires him to pick up hitchhikers, and deepens his understanding of suffering. Living like Jesus is quite different from what we imagine. “It may appear from the cover that this is a nice book about growing a beard because Jesus did but be warned- you will quickly discover that Ed's adventure takes him, and us, deep into the heart of grace, mercy and the endless discovery of just what the way of Jesus looks like - which, of course, has very little to do with having a beard.”―Rob Bell, Jesus Wants To Save Christians

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Spirituality, Memoir, Christian Living, Christianity

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2009

About the author

Ed Dobson, pastor emeritus of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serves as an advisory editor for Christianity Today and consulting editor for Leadership. He holds an earned doctorate from the University of Virginia, was named "Pastor of the Year" by Moody Bible Institute, and is author of numerous books, including Prayers and Promises When Facing a Life-Threatening Illness. He moved to the United States in 1964 from Northern Ireland and now lives with his family in Grand Rapids.
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Reviews

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was curious before I started reading, how is Dobson going to define "living like Jesus"? Does it mean approximating the lifestyle of a 1st century Jewish man, from sandals to tzitzit? Living as closely to the instructions in the Gospels as possible? Actually replicating literal events from Jesus' life, which you would think would be pretty much impossible for a mere mortal? While it seems that the second item would be the most logical one for a Christian to pursue (albeit a very challenging project) Dobson goes mostly for the first (and--I report with a cringe--takes a couple of attempts at the third). Unfortunately this means that the book quickly devolves into something like the Twitter feed of a religiously scrupulous obsessive-compulsive. We sit with Dobson as he agonizes about whether Jesus would have cheese on his chili at Wendy's. We are stuck with him as he blathers about ordering himself some Jewish ritual undergarments online--only to realize after paying that he has just broken the Sabbath. I have myself experienced semi-observant Jewish life first hand, so these details don't even bear the intrigue of exoticism for me. And I confess, as someone who tends towards the legalistic mindset myself, I feel liberated by the way Jesus freed people from having to obsess over this kind of minutiae. It is not what goes in to your mouth but what comes out. It is more important to eat and to heal than to observe every dot and iota of the laws of the Sabbath. And finally, that in Jesus there is no Jew or gentile, male or female--it seems to me that Dobson has majorly missed the point.

Speaking of male or female, the fact that Dobson dwells so much on playacting that he is a Jewish dude like Jesus brings up another problematic question. If "being like Jesus" means not trimming your beard, wearing men's ritual undergarments, and keeping kosher, what does it mean to "be like Jesus" if you are a woman? I'm not surprised that this never seems to cross Dobson's mind--his gender politics are retrograde even for a guy who used to work for Jerry Falwell (as he did). His wife is a non-presence in the book, in fact women are almost altogether absent from the entire narrative. Looking at the Gospels again, this doesn't seem very Jesus-like either. There certainly were women all over the place in the life of Christ. Seriously, though, how utterly useless to Christian women is a mindset that to be like Christ you must somehow physically emulate his dress and appearance. Again, Dobson does a great job of missing the point.

Then there are the numerous tedious and long-winded irrelevancies in the book. Dobson decides he is going to force himself to listen to the Gospels 52 times in 52 weeks. On his iPod. (The irony here goes apparently unnoticed.) He decides to take up not just the rosary (we are supposed to, as alleged fellow evangelicals, to be SHOCKED! just SHOCKED! by this) but the Orthodox prayer rope, and Episcopal prayer beads. We get to hear at excessive length about why he voted for Obama even though his friends mocked him for it. He spends a lot of time hanging out at a Reform synagogue, an institution and worship service that historically speaking bears about as much resemblance to what Jesus knew as does a Catholic mass. Mostly I think we are meant to admire how admirably open-minded Dobson is, but I was left less than impressed.

The man takes things so terribly literally, too, it produces some cringeworthy scenes. Perhaps they were meant to be humorous, but for me at least the humor fell flat. Contemplating the idea that if you have two shirts, you should give one away, he pares down his custom-made suit collection, going on in some detail about whether he is meant to give away half of them, or a quarter, or two thirds, or what. In response to "take up your cross and follow me" he dons some ridiculous 10 inch long wooden pendant and describes how embarrassed he was to be seen wearing it all day. Considering the temptation in the desert, he packs some camping gear and goes on a trip to the woods of Michigan. This is some ridiculous stuff.

In the end I was just glad when I was finally done reading this book as I had grown tired of Dobson's fussy, somewhat overbearing company. If someone were going to have the gall to write a book like this in the first place, they should have at the very least left behind Wendy's and the iPod and taken it all the way--or attempted to do so and see how long they could last. Would have been far more entertaining at least.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came across this book after having read The Year of Living Biblically and was really interested in a similar book written from the perspective of a believer. However this book was generally disappointing. Many of the more time-consuming things Dobson does to "live like Jesus" like praying the rosary and other daily prayers are not things Jesus would ever have done. It often felt like he was intentionally finding difficult things to do like 2 hours of daily prayer. The sudden switch in format from a daily journal to a monthly collection of essays signals that this whole journey was poorly thought-out and gave me the impression that he wasn't even sure in what direction he wanted to go.

Also this book and the author have gotten a lot of negative attention for his decision to vote for Obama in the 2008 election despite his pro-choice leanings. I'm not an Obama supporter, but that wasn't why I really disliked this part of the book. For one thing his rationale was annoyingly naive ("Well Obama says he likes peace so I guess he's the more peaceful one" is basically the gist of it), and it was frustrating to sit and read as he chose to vote for someone as leader of the United States on shaky logic. Secondly the amount of text actually devoted to this section detracted from the book and made me forget why I was even reading it. I really didn't need that many pages of him justifying to me why he voted for Obama when before picking up the book I had no idea who this guy was anyway. It also will cause the book to be quickly outdated, and I feel like a book of this nature should be as universally applicable as possible and not time-sensitive. It's unavoidable for some parts of a book to be outdated eventually in the future, but ten (maybe even five) years from now the McCain/Obama election will no longer be "fresh" in people's minds and it won't be a very effective example of the conflict of trying to live like Jesus in the modern world. Making this a key point of the book was a weakness.

Another thing that irked me about this book was a total ignorance for Catholic traditions. At first I thought it was supposed to be humorous, like when he reproduces the Hail Mary and introduces it as some strange cultic chant and not a prayer used by millions of Catholics around the world. I thought it was a joke. When I realized it was not, it frustrated me to see an influential Christian pastor be so blatantly uninformed about the Catholic faith yet have a clearly negative bias against it (he even remarks "Imagine having a spiritual experience in a Catholic church!"). On a personal level, this bothered me because I am a Catholic and consider myself Christian through and through, and I feel like he did not completely consider the feelings of his audience. Secondly, as a Christian, if I'm going to be looking to someone for spiritual guidance and an example to follow as a man trying to live like Jesus, I would hope that he would know a thing or two about different Christian denominations and have an open mind to their beliefs. This really damaged his credibility for me and made it difficult to take his story seriously.

In summary, the words I would use to best describe this book would be "weak" and "naive." His whole journey was poorly researched and poorly planned, and halfway through the book I could easily have put it down and walked away. I went into it expecting an inspiring story of an everyman trying to emulate the teachings of Jesus and extend love to every person he meets and instead got a wandering, confusing, poorly organized diary that still leaves me asking "What was the point, exactly?"

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title, The Year of Living Like Jesus, caught my attention as I was skimming shelfs at the library. I decided to see what kind of insights this evangelical pastor, Ed Dobson, could offer on being like Jesus. And I did learn one great lesson from this book!!! I NEED TO READ THE GOSPELS MORE OFTEN!!!

As part of his year project to live like Jesus Dobson decided to read the Gospels all of the way through each week. He was motivated by what a rabi in Israel had asked, "How can you claim to take Jesus'teachings seriously when you spend so little time actually reading them?"

This motivated me too! I'm not sure if I have time, in fact I'm sure I don't, to read them in their entirety every week but I'm sure I have time to read them at least once a month instead of once a year, or worse, once every four years!

Therefore,I committed to spend more time in the Gospels, I even started today! So I did benefit from this book but after that key insight I couldn't help but feel I should be spending my time reading the Gospels instead of reading about this guy who read the Gospels and I started skimming.

In my opinion, Dobson worried too much about living like Jesus, eating like Jesus, dressing like Jesus, growing a beard like Jesus,... instead of being like Jesus!!!

[Hattush · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading A.J. Jacob’s book The Year of Living Biblically, Ed Dobson decides to do his own year – twelve months of living like Jesus. But…how, exactly? This book chronicles the journey of one man’s attempt to follow Jesus’s teachings, actions, and lifestyle literally.

I love the idea. As Christians, we are supposed to follow Jesus in as many ways as we can, right? However, as I read this book, I got the sense that in following the outward actions of Jesus, Dobson missed the heart of Christ.

Let me give you some examples. Dobson decides to make do things like Jesus might have done them – he grows a beard, he wears a shirt with tassels (tucked in, of course, so as not to offend anyone), he eats Kosher, he attempts to keep Shabbat, drinks beer, goes camping for a time of solitude and fasting, and votes for Obama.

All those things are fine, but that misses the reason that Jesus came down to earth: to preach repentance, to bring sinners to himself, and to pay the ultimate price for our wrongs. If Dobson had really wanted to imitate Jesus, he would have spent more time sharing the gospel and getting down in the mud with those who need Jesus, instead of agonizing over whether to eat shrimp, turn his iPod off during a flight take-off, and wondering if he should continue his fast when he is tired and hungry.

Some of the things he did in the name of being like Jesus were very un-Jesus like. During his Sabbath, he decides to drive his golf cart very slowly instead of the normal speed. Just for Sabbath. Oooookay. Not only does this annoy everyone around him, but it what’s the point? He was trying to observe the Jewish sabbath, which technically doesn’t allow driving – no matter how slow. Besides, Jesus didn’t have a golf cart, so we have no idea how he would have driven.

He uses the excuse, “I’m just trying to be like Jesus!” every time he does something annoying. 90% of the time, it’s something that Jesus wouldn’t have done.

Dobson makes a lot of suppositions on what Jesus would do. One of the biggest was his decision to vote for Obama. I know a lot of people were very upset about that. I really don’t care who you vote for – that’s a personal choice. But the reasons for his voting as he did were not firm.

“I think that Obama will be more peaceful than McCain.”

“I’m guessing that Obama will be more like Jesus in ----- area than McCain.”

There were no concrete facts, it was all just feelings and “well, maybe, he will be better than McCain because I suppose that he will do ---- more like Jesus…”

From the first page, Dobson made it very clear that he wasn’t a part of the “typical church”. He starts by saying that he doesn’t call himself a Christian, but rather a “Christ Follower”. He goes out of his way to make snide remarks about conservatives and say things that aren’t true of most of us.

“Some of my conservative friends hate homosexuals. They say, ‘Love the sinner but hate the sin’ but the truth is, they hate both – the sinner and the sin. It’s easy to hate those with whom we have little contact.”

“Later, as I drove home, I thought, Who’s going to reach out and touch that bartender? Certainly not the most conservative Christians. They’d never walk into a bar. ”

In trying to relate to everyone, Dobson bothers and angers everyone.

I thought his use and combination of the rosery, Orthodox prayer rope, and the Anglican prayer beads was interesting. A little odd to combine them all, but I did appreciate learning more about other systems of worship and his point that yes, we are all Christians, despite the differences in our style of honoring God and beliefs.

Another thing I enjoyed was how much Judaism he incorporated into his year. He talked with rabbis, visited synagogues, ate (mostly) Kosher, and celebrated the holy days. I grew up doing many of the things that he did during his year, and it was quite enjoyable to read about his first time experiencing these amazing traditions. It was also an excellent reminder that Jesus was Jewish and lived in a Jewish world. He was steeped in the Old Testament, and when he quoted scripture, it was from the law and the prophets. We forget too often.

I realize that this journey wasn’t something that Dobson originally planned to write about. It was done for himself, not the public, and it was only later, after an article blew up, that he decided to write the book.

I enjoyed parts of the book. There were a lot of funny stories, blunders, and mistakes. I enjoyed seeing someone try for a year to live like Jesus. It had potential but didn’t quite make it.

~Hattush

[Mediaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This infuriating book shows how way off center today’s Christianity is. This guy is one of those know-it-all flake evangelical Christian pastors who is trying to be really hip and liberal by tossing out traditional Christianity. He refuses to be called evangelical or Christian and wants to just say he is a “follower of Jesus.” That phrase could mean anything—and I would guess he really doesn’t follow the way Jesus dressed, talked, or lived, so he really isn’t a follower. He means he attempts to follow some of Jesus’ teachings (the ones he picks and chooses to follow, ignoring the others), and that can be said by people who aren’t true Christians. What he fails to deal with is that a Christian isn’t just a follower but must be a true believer of the entire life of Jesus. And a true believer does do what the New Testament asks, which includes many things that this pastor and other modern liberal evangelicals don’t want to do.

He starts his journey getting on a plane and listening to the gospels on his iPod—this flies in the face of the book's theme! Jesus not only didn’t fly on a plane and didn’t have an iPod but Jesus also didn’t study the New Testament. At no point does it occur to him that if he is trying to live like Jesus that he had better walk instead of fly, put away the iPod, and focus on the Old Testament.

He claims to live like Jesus in small things—like not honking his horn at the car in front of him or obeying the airplane rules of turning off his iPod. Those things have little or nothing to do with living the way Jesus lived. He drives a golf cart in a Florida retirement community, doing it extra slowly on Shabbat. People around him were yelling at him and swearing at him for not going normal speed. “I’m just trying to be like Jesus,” he says to them. No, he’s not. Jesus didn’t drive golf carts on Shabbat and couldn’t care less about the slow speed of the golf cart—if the author really wanted to live like Jesus he’d consider how much he was hurting other people by his terrible driving.

His biggest flaw comes in approaching how Jesus ate. Here’s a clue, buddy: we have no idea how Jesus ate. The Bible is not a record of what Jesus ate from birth to age 33. We can guess that He ate typical Jewish diet but we don’t know. And there is almost nothing in scripture about Him eating. So how would Jesus eat today? We have no idea. The author also drinks beer, thinking Jesus would drink with local bar patrons—but there’s no evidence of that in the gospels. Why does he draw the conclusion that if Jesus ate with sinners He’d drink beer today but Jesus wouldn’t eat shrimp due to Jewish laws? It’s completely inconsistent and illogical. The author dismisses the New Testament permission to eat meats and toss out the Jewish dietary laws. So he makes judgment calls, which bias his conclusions.

He also repeatedly claims Judaism is a “race,” which it isn’t. Yes, it was ruled a race by the U.S. Supreme Court for legal purposes, but being Jewish is a religious tradition. You can be Jewish and be from any other actual race or culture. So when the author claims, “nor am I even trying to be Jewish! I’m Irish!” he reveals how he doesn’t get that one can be multiple things. There are Irish Jews. There are probably even black Irish Jews. And being Irish or Jewish does not play into the racial makeup of those people.

This guy wasn’t really living like Jesus. He didn’t ride donkeys or avoid indoor toilets or show the judgmental/angry side that so many skip in the Bible. He doesn't want to focus on Jesus talking about how few get into heaven or how there is only one way to eternal life. He had a pre-conceived very liberal notion of how Jesus would live and then he tried to live that way, even to the point of voting for Obama during his time of "living like Jesus." It's a sad commentary on the state of Jesus' followers. This experiment just proves that a modern evangelical Christian pastor who picks and chooses the parts of scripture he likes fails to be willing to live the full gospel.

[Adriane Devries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Dobson, pastor of an evangelical church in Grand Rapids for over 18 years and now retired due to complications of ALS, inspired partly by nominally-Jewish/athiest author A.J. Jacobs’ book The Year of Living Biblically, and also by his own yearning to live out his faith authentically rather than according to the expected, American paradigm of Christianity; decided to experience himself how Jesus might live if he were alive today. By following Biblical Jewish practices and seeking counsel from leaders of the Jewish community, he observed rigid food regulations, intricate religious holidays and studied interpretations of Jewish law and custom that Jesus very well would have in his own time--all with a modern twist. He discovered that living even one week like Jesus to be virtually impossible, and not only because He was the perfect Son of God! In this enjoyable and spiritually challenging account of his failures and successes, Dobson reminds us to be grateful for what God has already done, and to live gratefully in pursuit of Him. Dayenu.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't feel ed dobson really lived like jesus. I think he was kind of selfish the whole time. It did make me think though. If you want to learn about being a jew, or about praying with beads, read the book.

[George Huner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what Jesus would really do. I'm not sure it's struggling about which suits to give away while driving your red corvette. Not that there is anything wrong with driving a corvette.

[Dave Lester · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Year of Living Like Jesus" by Edward Dobson, right from the start, is a gimmick. Dobson has no qualms about saying that he was inspired by AJ Jacobs book, "The Year of Living Biblically" where Jacobs apparently tried to live according to Old Testament law (I haven't read that book). One day, a Christian publisher thought that the religious marketplace could perhaps use its own book like this. Enter Ed Dobson.

Most of this book reads like a person's journal entry. Dobson existentially tries to come to terms with what living like Jesus would actually be like. Not just the morality but keeping in mind that Jesus was Jewish and came from a specific culture. Dobson sought the advice of Rabbi's and dipped into other faith traditions including praying the Catholic rosary, the orthodox prayer rope and the Episcopal prayer beads into his life. As a note, the historical figure of Jesus would have done none of these.

Dobson did start observing Sabbath (Shabbat) on Saturday and wearing tassels as well as growing a long beard. He lamented over the kosher diet and not being able to have some of his favorite foods.
The books becomes odd and seemingly distracted in places. Dobson spends a good deal of time explaining why he voted for Senator Barack Obama for president in 2008. He also has an unintentionally funny internal debate about whether Jesus would golf (!). Dobson preceded to golf.
The book continues on through choppy journal entries and Dobson describing his reading over and over again of the 4 gospels.

A good thing that I took away from the book is wanting to understand more fully Jewish culture in the first century. A solid historical and cultural understanding of the time when Jesus lived would provide a more rich picture when reading the gospels or thinking about Jesus' life.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get around to reading this. I had read A.J. Jacobs brilliant and hilarious The Year of Living Biblically and found it an interesting look at how an otherwise secular Jew could approach the Bible, in part to debunk biblical literalism and in part spiritual exploration (and of course to sell books and entertain). I wasn't sure I wanted to read the Christian spin off version. But I like Ed Dobson and have respected the way he left a public position in the Moral Majority to pursue a pastoral vocation which connected with people on the margins (before every other Evangelical was talking about this). So I read and was pleasantly surprised by this.

The tone of this book is different than A.J. Jacobs. Dobson has long been a follower of Jesus, so he embarks on this journey as a religious insider. He also is not as stringent as Jacobs was in how he lives out his biblical year. Dobson keeps kosher, but not well. He practices the Sabbath, but not every week and not a total Sabbath in the Jewish sense. He commits to reading through the four gospels every week and fails. Some of his adjustments are do to the fact that Ed Dobson suffers from ALS (Lou Gerig's disease) and thus could not embark on as radical a change as the younger, spryer Jacobs could. But he may not have had the follow though Jacobs did anyway, I don't know.

But there are some interesting surprises here. Dobson's year like Jesus happened in the last election year (2008) and he found himself voting for a Democrat for the first time in his life because he saw Obama's views cohered with Jesus' teaching more than the other candidates (despite the fact that Dobson is staunchly pro-life). He also began drinking (after being a teetotaler) because being like Jesus meant eating and drinking with sinners. So he drank light beer and went to bars and talked to people about God. He also explores the prayer traditions of other Christians which focus on the Biblical Jesus. As an evangelical, for the first time in his life he begins praying the rosary (despite initial angst about praying 'to' Mary), the Jesus prayer and using the Orthodox prayer rope, and Episcopalian prayer beads.

Dobson learned a lot about how Jesus had a heart to reach those who wouldn't come to a church and got in some great conversations. He also identified with Jesus when some of his choices 'to live like Jesus' were misunderstood by Christian friends and religious insiders.

This is quick thought provoking read and I liked it a lot. Jacob's book is more entertaining but this is a little deeper and Dobson has a warm, easy way about him.

One small detail I particularly enjoyed was Dobson's appropriation of the Jesus prayer for intercession. Never finding it easy to pray for healing, Dobson began praying the Jesus prayer for people saying, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on _______." Kind of a short, easy way to pray, when words escape you. Good stuff.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can I live like Jesus while living in affluent, suburban America? Such a tough question that has me struggling to answer it, and that's on my good days. In that light, I found this book very interesting. While at times Dobson's musings were boring and seemingly irrelevant to his year-long journey (and some seemed to be mentioned just for the reaction they would create among his peers), I can relate to many of his questions. And each question seems to bring more questions. I appreciated his research into various practices from Judaism, Catholicism, etc. and how, by embracing some of these practices for a period of time, he was better able to answer some of his own questions. He learned that "no church, no denomination, and no theological system has the inside track on truth." Amen! We have so much to learn from each other and I appreciate Dobson taking the time to do a lot of the research for me.

I appreciated a conversation Dobson had with a Jewish person who admitted that he doesn't pay attention to whether or not his meals are kosher. After feeling superior because he, a gentile, had one up on the Jewish man, Dobson admits, "...most of us who follow Jesus pick and choose. We tend to do the things that are easiest for us and ignore the things that are difficult." Jesus, help me to do the things that are difficult, complicated and uncomfortable.

I could also resonate with his musings on organized religion. He says, "It seems to me that Jesus and his first disciples were a whole lot different than organized religion and religious institutions today. One of the favorite pastimes of evangelicals is deciding who is 'in' and who is 'out'..." He also learns throughout his year that in an attempt to "circle our wagons", organized religion has, by and large, kept us from the "outside". About 3/4 of the way through his year, Dobson is able to say, "I'm beginning to feel more comfortable with those who don't know the Lord than I am with those who do know the Lord. Those who don't know the Lord are much less judgmental...I'm also learning that I don't need to be the spokesperson for God. Truth is truth. God is truth And he really doesn't need me to defend his reputation."

In the end, Dobson finds that by focusing so intently on trying to live like Jesus, he spends less time looking at his own limitations and frustrations. Thanks for the challenge to do the same!

[Nate Bate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Books like Ed Dobson's will always be controversial. And, I deeply disagree with his approach. However, I still find value in reading a book like his. It causes me to think. People are confused on what it means to follow Jesus, and this confusion takes many forms. Ed's form is very dramatic while many other people wrestle with the subtle secondary and tertiary issues their church culture passes down to them.

[Willie Krischke · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the way through "A Year of Living Like Jesus," I couldn't get over the feeling that Ed Dobson was talking down to his readers. It feels like he is writing for an audience of 5th graders. He's adopted a journal-entry style and employs a sense of humor that is easy, obvious, and sweet, but also grows tiresome and feels simplistic. Sprinkled throughout are sermonettes on biblical passages that feel aimed at a Sunday school class. Probably some people will find this easy, direct style accessible and enjoyable. I kept thinking about Kathleen Norris' "The Cloister Walk" - a book about a similar theme (a year of living in a Benedictine monastery) and wishing this book was more like that one.

Also, I think Dobson might have benefited from some better planning before embarking on his year of living like Jesus. Maybe he should have sat down with a rabbi and a biblical scholar and mapped out what that would look like. As it is, he seems to just do whatever happens to come into his head on any particular day. He prays the rosary and buys an orthodox prayer rope, and while these might be powerful instruments of devotion, it's hard to see what they have to do with living the way Jesus did. And he spends a lot of time dealing with things like eating kosher and obeying the Torah. As a result, much of the book is a catalog of compromises and negotiations about these things.

Dobson, and this book, have gotten a lot of attention because, as a former leader of the Religious Right/Moral Majority, he voted for Obama because he thought Obama's policies had more to do with Jesus' priorities than McCain's. I don't think anyone, left or right, will find this part of the book satisfying, though. The reasons Dobson gives are pretty shallow and simplistic, and will be easily shot down by well-informed Republicans (for the record, I voted for Obama.) This part feels like it could have been done a lot better if Dobson had taken the time to dig deeper.

This book will find an audience. Most of the problems I have with it I've had with many other Christian titles. Max Lucado comes to mind, and he sells millions of books. If you're a Lucado fan, you'll enjoy this book. If, like me you prefer authors like Norris, Nouwen, and Buechner, you'll probably want to take a pass on this one.

[Andy Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book, lately I have been challenged to read the Bible in light of Jesus' obvious Jewish culture and lifestyle; Jesus was a Jew after all, you know that right?

I discovered Ed Dobson's journal after reading his son's book 'Bitten by a Camel' and I quickly added this to the top of my reading list for 2018 (I know I started early).

'The Year of Living like Jesus' was a day to day account of Ed Dobson living exactly like Jesus, from eating to the standards of Kosher to praying Jewish prayers and even wearing shirts with specific Jewish tassels. It wasn't just the physical that Ed Dobson changed in order to live like Jesus but he took the teachings of Jesus and embraced them. Dobson tried to live them out everyday by giving away money, picking up hitchhikers, relying on other people for food, hanging out with those that were the 'sinner' in our culture and giving away clothing.

This is a fantastic resource if you are trying to learn more about the Jewish customs of Shabbat (Sabbath), the various feasts/celebrations, the symbolism of various clothing, Jewish prayers and the culture of Jesus' times.

Possibly the most touching points of this book was to read about Ed Dobson's struggles with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), and how it impacted his faith and love of Jesus. To read a man's daily struggles but continue to persevere with living like Jesus was inspiring, challenging and encouraged me to continue my pursuit of loving and living like Jesus.

I enjoyed this book but at times it was, exactly, what it was. A journal that was turned into a book, there are some repetitive moments where you felt like you have read that page a few times and ultimately I felt the final thoughts weren't as engaging or in-depth as they could have been.

Definitely would recommend it to read but maybe not at the top of your list.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

One has to keep an open mind when reading this book. First of all, how can anyone live like Jesus? Of course, they can't. But Ed Dobson embarked on a year of trying to live like Jesus within today's context and his own struggles with ALS. First, he acknowledges that Jesus was a Jew, and he tries to learn everything he can about what Jesus as a Jew would have done during his life here on her. He talks to Rabbis, he attends the Jewish festivals, he eats kosher, but he also tries to look at how Jesus, as a Jew, would react to today's society. I found this part of the book wholly fascinating. The other part of the book I thought was really interesting was his look at prayer. In trying to live like Jesus, he knew that he would have to increase his prayer life, and he looks at different ways to pray within the Christian church: The Jesus prayer, praying the rosary, Episcopal prayer beads, Orthodox prayer ropes, praying scriptures, praying the Lord's prayer. Another big change he made was in reading the Gospels. One comment from a Rabbi prompted him to read the four Gospels once a week. He discovered that the readings, the prayers, the services were equal to a full-time job. Because of his disease, there were things that Jesus did that he could not do, such as walk everywhere or fasting. What I really gleaned from this book was to look at my own prejudices about what I think Christianity is -- and what it really would be if seen through the eyes of Jesus. Of course, there were parts of this book that disturbed me. I did not agree with all of his conclusions. But it did open my heart to realizing that there are strengths in other ways of worship that I can incorporate into my own personal walk which could draw me closer to the Lord.

[Malin Friess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Dobson a pastor of a mega-church in Grand Rapids, Michigan and an alumni of fundamentalist Bob Jones University and former faculty of Liberty University is diagnosed with ALS and given just a few years to live. Dobson sets out for one year to put aside religion and try to simply live as Jesus lived.

Dobson grows a long beard and if often mistaken for a homeless person. He eats Kosher and desperately misses bacon, shrimp, and a quesadilla (can't eat meat and dairy in the same meal). He finds new depth of prayer when looking to Catholic traditions of praying with Rosaries Beads and the 14 stations of the cross (although rejects outright praying directly to Mary). Dobson makes the Sabbath a true day of rest. He goes camping for a day to meditate..only to drive home at 2AM. He gives up NPR on the radio and repeats the Gospel's 100 of times in his car thereby memorizing the Sermon on the Mount. He admits publically to the chagrin of the right and many in his congregation that he will vote for Barrack Obama...as he believes he better aligns with the causes of Jesus (peace making, helping the poor, and fair treatment of one's enemies) than John McCain--although admitting he does not accept BO's stance on abortion.

This book was inspired by AJ Jacobs living biblically book. The books differ. Dobson's Year is seeking a real spiritual journey and a coping mechanism to manage the deterioration of his muscles from ALS. Jacobs' book is a more of comedy to literally follow the Bible (tends sheep, won't sit on a seat if his wife has sat their during her menstruation cycle, avoiding clothing of mixed fibers).

4 stars. Thoughtful, easy to read, uplifting.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Ed Dobson, an evangelical pastor truly dedicated to the following of Christ's teachings, learned that he had ALS, a radical idea came to him. He decided to live for one year as Jesus would have lived, and what he learns is chronicled in his new book The Year of Living Like Jesus. Of course, adhering to the values of Christ's life involves eating only kosher foods, reading the Gospels with a certain degree of regularity, and observing the Sabbath, but Jesus had a very distinct approach to existence from many in our own time and his own, as Dobson discovers through his remarkable journey.

It is Christ's approach to the treatment of those who suffer that was integrated into Dobson's own life and allowed him to receive many insights into what it is like to live just as Jesus would have lived. Those insights are communicated with sincerity, humility, and a touch of humor by Dobson throughout this surprising and genuine struggle to understand what it takes to embody the values and principles of Christ's teaching. The Year of Living Like Jesus comes highly recommended for those who wish to better understand their own faith and what ways we can incorporate Christ's teachings into our own lives to better serve him and one another throughout our life's journey.

And here's the official Book Trailer!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book's concept. I had never heard that Mr. Dobson was doing this or that anyone had did this. Mr. Dobson writes most of the book in journal form, but does switch to topic form in the last couple months of the book. I felt it should have been longer and a little more in depth. He stated that he kept specific notes that would have made the book longer and I wish he would have. I guess it was his editor's choice to make it more of a quick read. I enjoyed reading about his dilemnas that he experienced about eating, what to wear and who to vote for. I didn't realize that it would be that big of a deal to decide whether to turn your Ipod off when the flight attendent told you to even if you were listening to the Gospels on it. I had no clue that deciding to wear tassels on your shirt would be an issue or if you had a beer or not. I found his thoughts interesting and loved how he explored both sides of different issues. I couldn't give it a 5 star rating just because he didn't go in depth but didn't want to give it a 3 star because of the wealth of information like praying the rosary, using a prayer book and stations of the cross. I really felt like I grew in my understanding of what it means to be a Christian. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about being more like Jesus.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Dobson is an interesting person. He suffers with ALS (and has now for 10 years!) but he still wanted to live like Jesus would have lived (or at least as close as possible) for one year. The book is intriguing for a couple of different reasons: first, while he does this experiment he talks of meeting with Rabbi's, Priests, Pastors...in other words, he pulls from different traditions to understand Jesus more. He relates historical and contextual realities that shed a little light not only on Scripture but ultimately on Jesus himself (how prone are we to understand Jesus from a Western, capitalistic, 21st century viewpoint?). Second, he tells of why during this past presidential election he voted for Barack Obama. Obviously this is not what he wants people to remember from his book but he does shed some fascinating light on the reasons that went into him voting Democrat for this first time in his life.

Overall, the book is good. A bit slow and tedious at parts but as he relates what he has learned, grown in and come to appreciate about following Jesus closely for a year (and how he has done it suffering with ALS) and how wanting to be "more like Jesus as he followed Jesus" messed him up...he made me realize that while "following Jesus" isn't necessarily about doing stuff how often do i not "do stuff" that a good disciple/learner/follower would and should be doing?

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the experience of Dobson as he attempts a year of what he calls "living like Jesus" proved to be an interesting look into our American church culture and ancient Jewish culture at the same time. The text is put forth as a series of journal entries describing his successes and trials as he tries to frame every action within the context of how Jesus would respond based on teaching from the gospels. Although at times he seems to wander off focus, I found it a refreshing look at the gospels, at Jesus, and it inspired me to examine my own life in light of what Jesus actually said and did when he was on earth. Several have pointed out that the things that Dobson chooses to do are not always consistent - sometimes he observes the Sabbath, he chooses to wear an undershirt with tassels, he (kind of) eats kosher - but I really think the overarching theme and point of his writing is to draw attention to the fact that even in our Christian culture we are not always intentional about how we live our lives in light of the gospel teachings. Also, thinking about Jesus' earthly ministry in light of his Jewish cultural/religious requirements he was living in helps bring the text to life and explains some of the radical teachings that he was putting forth at that time.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book a long time ago, but I didn't have any interest in it because I thought it was just a knock off of A.J. Jacobs' "Year of Living Biblically." I heard good things about it from a couple of patrons, though, so I decided to give it a shot. And I loved it! He admits right away that he got the idea from "Year of Living Biblically," but he has a completely different perspective. For me, it read more like Donald Miller than A.J. Jacobs. I love Jacobs, but it was nice to have a different take on a similar experiment. Anyway, I think Dobson really stripped away a lot of the religious ideas about Jesus and got to the core of what Jesus actually said and did. I love that he was open-minded enough to examine his own beliefs and change them if he realized that they weren't actually what Jesus would do. For example, Dobson voted for a Democrat for the first time (in a presidential election) after examining the candidates' policies and concluding that Barack Obama's ideas were more like Jesus' than John McCain's. Not only was this book interesting, but it also made me examine my own life and the way I behave.

[Maria Elmvang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wavered between giving this 3 and 4 stars, so consider this a 3.5 star review.

I read The Year of Living Biblically earlier this year, and was really taken by it, so when I heard about this book, I was interested in seeing how it would measure up.

Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to my expectations. It's not quite as interesting as The Year of Living Biblically, and Ed Dobson has a tendency to start sermonizing which is a bit frustrating, when you really just want to read about how his year is going.

All in all, I would have been more interested in reading about him trying to live a year of following the Gospels, than of following the Christian Jews. He even says himself that the traditions of Jews now are nothing like the traditions of the Jews of Jesus' time - so why even bother?

I still consider it well worth reading though, as Ed Dobson does bring up some good points - even if he approached the year differently from what I had hoped.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago there was a book published called "The Year of Living Biblically" and I remember commenting to David that I should write a book called "The Year of Living Like Jesus" and he challenged me on what that would actually entail. Years later I come across this book. Turns out Mr. Dobson was inspired by the same book, and he actually carried it out. It helps that he's a follower of Christ (as he puts it) and a Baptist minister. He had a better handle of what it would entail going in to the project.

I'm not a religious person, but I thought this was a very interesting and compelling story. Mr. Dobson is humorous, gracious and very forthcoming in both his triumphs and his struggles to actually live as he intends to do. Highly recommended, for followers of Christ and followers of other people alike.

[Jennifer Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself frustrated with this book at times with the focus on rituals vs having a heart devoted to Christ (although I feel that Ed Dobson does.) Although, toward the end he summed it up well.."Following Jesus is the total commitment of our lives and futures to Him. This is what it means to follow Jesus. It's more than keeping rules and regulations. It's more than going to church and being baptized. It's more than reading the Bible and praying. Rather, it's the commitment of our life (mind, body, eyes, hands, feet, heart and everything) to Him."

On another note, I liked Dobson's quirkiness and honesty. This reminded me a bit of Henry Nouwen's book "The Genesee Diary," where you see a Catholic Priest honestly discuss his struggles with focusing on prayer and living a life devoted to God in general. If you haven't read that one, I recommend it.

[Todd Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobson's journal structure took some getting used to, but I was quite fascinated with this book. I bought it for my wife for Christmas and she finished it within the span of a few days. I really appreciate Dobson's very simple approach to writing about his experiences. He doesn't weigh it down with a bunch of theobabble or pontification, but simply expresses his thoughts and impressions as a humble man of God. It sheds much light on the way that Judaism and the different varieties of Christianity approach prayer and the concept of God. Some people seem to feel that he talks down to the reader, but I perceive his restrained style more as an extension of his simple reflections on the Christian life.

[Carrie F. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was offended by this book. I don't think the author had any idea of what living like Jesus would be like. He choose to live in a gated community in Florida. Really, Jesus living in a gated community? I don't think that's where he would choose. And then his important choice was whether to eat the shrimp at the dinner party. And whether to turn off his IPOD on the airplane. I'm reading another book, Streams of Living Water by Richard Foster. He speaks of imitating Christ--imitatio christi-- as catching the spirit and power in which Jesus lived. As understanding Jesus'perceptions into life and counsels for growth and applying that to our daily activities. Although I agree that living like Jesus is a good goal, I think he misses the point of Jesus'life.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty enjoyable book -- a retired pastor from Michigan decides to spend a year trying to live his life as Jesus did -- following Jewish laws and practices, eating kosher meals, and trying respond to people as Jesus would -- it was written in a simple diary format, observational about successes and mishaps, conversational ponderings about whether he hit the mark or was way off with his words, actions, obedience. The author, who has ALS, had to limit some activities and bend the food laws a bit to accommodate his concerns about the disease. Overall, an interesting read, but the one thing I'd hoped wouldn't enter into the book did -- politics -- and that took away from my enjoyment. Four stars became three.

[Bill Ford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hurriedly grabbed this out of the library stacks last Friday before they closed shop for the night. Because of the plug by A. J. Jacobs on the cover, I thought it would be a fun, nerdy read. Turns out that's not the case. The author's an evangelical pastor from Bob Jones University, living with ALS, who sincerely attempts to "live" as Jesus did, by eating kosher, growing a beard, changing his wardrobe, attending sabot services, and reading scripture each day. Along the way, he picks up hitchhikers, gifts panhandlers, hangs out in bars, and even reconsiders his assumptions about the Catholic and Orthodox churches by learning and practicing both the rosary and Jesus prayer. Still, though, I lost interest about half way through but did manage to finish it today nonetheless. Next!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having attended the same university as he and graduating from high school with his wife, I know what a stretch this was from his legalistic education. I appreciated the endeavour he gave it, but he dropped the legalism of Bob Jones University and willingly chose to be under the Law of the OT. I believe we are to live like Jesus but also to show others that the Grace of God is what saves us and not our works. I do know how freeing it was to have a glass of wine, but I always here in the back of my head the little voice that says I am going to be reported to those who told me how to live the Christian life. Ed Dobson passed away in Dec. 2015 from his ALS. He no longer suffers from the pain. I would recommend this book just for learning how to be less judgemental.

[Dave McNeely · Rating 1 out of 5]

After wanting to put this book down for good a number of times, I finally gave up (I think I persevered through three months, or one quarter, of his experiment). On the heels of books by A.J. Jacobs, David Plotz and others who tackled parts or all of the "Good Book" from a non-faith perspective, I was intrigued at the possibility of a Christian daring to do the same, hopefully with inspiring introspection. To the contrary, I was utterly disappointed to find that Dobson, a seminary-trained and successful pastor, seemed to have a more difficult time understanding the Bible than "outsiders." Even more frustrating, he seemed to have a more difficult time living it!