Grow in the Grace

Spiritual Growth Lessons from Peter's Walk with Jesus

Christian - Devotion/Study
237 Pages
Reviewed on 03/14/2019
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

James Callen is a spiritually gifted Bible teacher and soul-winner who has a Christ-engrained love for people which compels him to share the gospel with a world who so desperately need to hear about the love of Jesus. James teaches biblical studies and is the administrator and primary author of the Christian website, ToLiveIsChrist.com, which exists to teach truths from Scripture and encourage believers to live for Christ.

James’ teachings from God’s Word are refreshing, practical, and impactful. His desire is to help reveal enlightening truths from the riches of God’s Word to guide and challenge believers to pursue a more intimate walk with Christ.

Although James is spiritually gifted in teaching, his work background has primarily been in management positions with the U.S. Postal Service. However, after a 36-year career with the Postal Service, James felt the Lord calling him to make a life shift and devote himself more to teaching fellow believers and sharing the gospel. So, he retired from a Postmaster position to follow the Lord’s direction.

That is what lead to his writing this book.

James and his wife, Denise, live in Southwest Louisiana. They have three adult daughters, all married to Christian men, and they have seven grandchildren.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Richard L DeMoss for Readers' Favorite

Grow in the Grace by James Callen is a book about the Christian experience and our service to God. Starting with the path to salvation and then going on to how to navigate our life of service to God, this is a well-crafted and inspirational book. The book is divided into six parts and twenty chapters, each one going over steps to lead us to a closer relationship with and service for God. Each chapter starts with a story, either personal or biblical, that illustrates what lesson will be dealt with. Jesus' dealings with Peter are used in each chapter to further help us see the lesson being taught. From Jesus' first meeting with Peter through his walk with him by the Sea of Galilee after his resurrection, Peter's life shows the trials, tribulations, failures, and victory that Christians can have in their walk in service to God.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It painfully reminded me of my own life as a Christian. Although I have been a born-again believer for 55 years, it showed me how little I have accomplished in the service of my savior. Each lesson is taught using the scriptures to back up the lesson being presented. I was deeply moved by Grow in the Grace, and have begun reassessing my own life and starting to make changes that will put me back on the road to acceptable service to God. James Callen has written a book that I would highly recommend to anyone, believer or non-believer, as there is a powerful message here that is applicable to anybody.

Divine Zape

Grow in the Grace: Spiritual Growth Lessons from Peter's Walk with Jesus by James Callen is a book of reflections. It is interesting to note that Peter, a simple man filled with doubt and inadequacy, eventually becomes a man of faith. In this book, the author explores the journey of this man with Christ, a journey that is symbolic of the journey of faith that each of us is called to walk. From that journey this book draws powerful lessons of faith and offers insights on how to deepen our encounter with Jesus and transform it into an experience of light, faith, and grace.

James Callen invites readers to pause, to reflect on the way they relate to the Redeemer, offering interesting points for meditation and insights to enrich our experience of God. The voice is confident and reassuring, allowing the message to come out clearly. Here is a powerful book that is a great companion for readers, offering assurance in the core message of salvation, developing trust in Jesus, enriching faith in the risen Lord, and experiencing the internal freedom that comes from fully embracing the “way of Jesus.”

The writing is simple, a conversational style that makes the message very accessible. The thoughts at the end of each chapter provide powerful points for reflection, reminders of what we are called to be, and deep truths that can transform readers from within. Grow in the Grace: Spiritual Growth Lessons from Peter's Walk with Jesus is a devotional with a great appeal for Christian readers and those seeking tools to deepen their faith. It is deftly written and filled with insights and wisdom.

Ruffina Oserio

Grow in the Grace: Spiritual Growth Lessons from Peter's Walk with Jesus by James Callen is a spiritual treasure that develops the theme of discipleship by looking at one of the glowing personalities in the Bible, the Apostle Peter, one of the first that Jesus called to follow Him. When we first encounter the fisherman in the Gospels, he is filled with inadequacy, not the kind of person made for a tough spiritual life. He is imperfect and even more so at the moment when he shuns Jesus during His last hours: “Before the cock crows, you shall have denied me three times,” is the warning Jesus gives Peter. He is impulsive, stubborn, and illogical. But how come Peter is the one to whom Jesus leaves the huge responsibility of guarding the symbolic “key” to the kingdom? In this book, the author shows with unusual clarity how this humble fisherman’s life is transformed through his encounter with Jesus, a journey that progresses from his human limitations to a life of faith and utter trust in the Risen Lord.

Surprisingly, the author draws powerful lessons for disciples of today and shows readers how Peter’s journey becomes a path each one of us can travel to deepen our faith in Christ, strengthen our connection and trust in Jesus, find inner freedom and peace, move past the hurts of our past, and embrace the liberating joy of people who have been redeemed — not by their own merits — but by the grace of God, freely given through Christ. I loved this book and I enjoyed the way the author portrays Peter. I found myself in many pages. Peter is a reflection of most of us and his experience of discipleship offers tremendous lessons. James Callen gives these lessons in writing that is fluid, a voice that is compassionate and reassuring, and a style that makes for easy learning. Grow in the Grace: Spiritual Growth Lessons from Peter's Walk with Jesus is a book for anyone who wants to experience the liberating joy of the Gospels.

K.C. Finn

Grow in the Grace: Spiritual Growth Lessons from Peter’s Walk with Jesus is a Christian devotional study penned by author James Callen. Focusing specifically on personal growth in relation to both the Bible and modern day life, James Callen takes his readers on a perspective-shifting consideration with the hope that Jesus’s own capacity for inspiration can be translated to them. Through the mantra of the daily walk with Christ, readers can learn important skills for inner peace such as patience, acceptance, forgiveness and a stronger sense of purpose during their lives. Callen uses the examples from Peter and Jesus to enrich the bond that each of us could potentially share with Jesus and the benefits that might bring for us.

Combining self help and the Christian faith, author James Callen does a good job of not sounding too pushy or preachy in his celebration of the healing powers of Jesus Christ. I would say the book is certainly much more suited to current Christians or those who have perhaps lost faith and are looking to regain it during difficult times in their lives, as the advice requires a deep acceptance of Christ into the reader’s life and advocates daily prayer and sharing Jesus with others. That said, the important lessons discussed touch on universal themes of the peace that everyone seeks in their lives, and James Callen delivers these lessons with well-chosen words and a well-organized work. Grow in the Grace is a recommended work of study for Christians everywhere seeking peace and purpose.

Lesley Jones

Do you want to learn more about the kind of relationship you should have with God and gain a better understanding of what it truly means to bring Him into your heart and life? How can you enrich your life and those around you and learn to evaluate your lifestyle and intentions so they align perfectly with being a Christian? If you are struggling with what it means to live an authentic Christian existence, this book will teach you through Jesus' lessons to his disciples, especially Peter, that obstacles, self-doubt and opposition from others are opportunities to grow spiritually. Humility and true forgiveness are the keys to magnify your devotion to God. Through the author's personal life experiences and passages from the Bible, you will gain true insight into the path God has chosen for you, knowing He walks beside you with His powerful presence. Learn to let go of past experiences and look to the future with the knowledge Jesus is always with you, if you accept him into your heart.

Grow in the Grace: Spiritual Growth Lessons from Peter's Walk with Jesus by James Callen will drastically change your perception of what it means to lead a Christian life. The personal experiences of the author and how they relate to passages in the Bible were so enlightening. I learned that sometimes as a Christian you have to challenge society's views and influences of selfishness and materialistic desires. The stories of Peter and Jesus' relationship was not only refreshing but inspiring. To know that just because you have made mistakes you will not be judged but given the encouragement to fulfil your utmost capability was, for me, a real spiritual discovery. This book is full of discussion points and encouragement to those who want a stronger and more honest relationship with God. An honest and thought-provoking book that will bring peace to many who struggle with their faith.