John Mark Comer is pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon. He holds a Master's degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Western Seminary and is the author of several books. Comer is married to Tammy and they have two boys, Jude and Moses and a little girl, Sunday.
John Mark's latest book, Live No Lies, publishes this September 28th. For its release we asked John mark just a few questions about why he wrote this book:

So, John Mark, who precisely have you written this book for?

Honestly, the people in my church. Serious, thoughtful Christians who are living in a very secular, (mostly) liberal culture that is increasingly hostile to the Way of Jesus. I want to help them, and people like them, not just survive, but flourish in the soil of the secular west.

Your book mentions about giving the reader a clear battle plan and spiritual practices to outwit and overcome evils. Do you see these as solutions or suggestions?

Both. Every practice I recommend is ancient and time tested from generations of saints and sages. They simply work. Not in a formulaic way, but in a “this is how we were designed by God to live” way.

Why write this book now?

Because my heart is for discipleship and spiritual formation – to see the soul grow and heal and expand into a person who is pervaded by love. And it’s my pastoral conviction that many people in our churches are living with a set of very secular assumptions (what I argue are lies) that are non-starters – they block Christians from the full experience Christ has for them.

Do you mention any of your own experiences? What has inspired you to write this?

For sure. I’ve been living in the least religious city in America for my entire adult life; it’s shaped me like a blacksmith’s fire-red hammer. It’s forged my faith into something resilient. I want to see that become normative in others.

Do you think you've learnt anything yourself during the time of writing this book?

Yes, that I need to grow in hope. Living in a city like Portland, it’s easy to develop a survivalist spirituality – just hunker down and try not to be swept away by the world. But we have nothing to fear. We’re living in a story where we know the ending, and it’s good. We can live with buyont hope. This is an area I want and need to mature in, and writing this book spotlighted that aspect of my character in a very helpful way. 

You can purchase Live No Lies here