What to read next
by John Mark Comer
Garden City is John Mark Comer's theological look at work, rest, and creativity, tracing the biblical story from Eden to the new creation to argue that ordinary vocation and daily life are shot through with spiritual meaning. Groups that finish it tend to be hungry either for more of Comer's take on discipleship and formation, or for other writers wrestling with the same big questions of identity, purpose, and what it means to live well under God. Some of the books below dig deeper into the theology behind Garden City's claims, while others apply its themes of rest, presence, and calling in more practical or narrative ways. Use this list to decide whether your group wants to keep building on Comer's voice or branch out to a different teacher tackling similar ground.
Our Garden City guide runs 12 sessions with 79 discussion questions.
These are guides from our own catalog, ordered by how much each book shares with Garden City: subject and themes first, then the kind of group it suits, then the same author. It is an editorial comparison of what the books are about — not a ranking of which is better, and not a claim about what other groups chose.
by Dallas Willard
Willard is the theological well Comer draws from directly, and this book shares Garden City's conviction that the gospel is meant to reshape ordinary, everyday life rather than just secure an afterlife. It is denser and more philosophical in style, and at 7 sessions it moves through material more slowly and with fewer, weightier questions per session than Garden City's 12.
by John Piper
Piper's Christian Hedonism and Comer's vision of a flourishing, God-designed life both push back on the idea that joy and duty are opposites, arguing instead that delighting in God and doing his work go together. This study is longer, with 13 sessions and 104 questions, and leans more into doctrinal argument than Garden City's narrative sweep through Scripture.
by John Mark Comer
Written by the same author, this book picks up where Garden City's vision of a called, formed life leaves off, focusing squarely on the practices and Rule of Life that make discipleship concrete. It runs the same 12 sessions but with more discussion questions, making it a natural next study for a group that wants to move from Comer's big picture to daily habits.
by John Mark Comer
Also by Comer, this study shares Garden City's concern with what keeps people from living the abundant life God intends, but shifts the lens to spiritual warfare and the lies we absorb rather than vocation and rest. At 14 sessions it is a longer, more diagnostic study, well suited to a group ready for a heavier, more confrontational tone.
by John Mark Comer
This earlier Comer book shares Garden City's interest in rest and unhurried presence as part of God's design for human life, and both draw on Dallas Willard's thinking about the kingdom. It is a bit more practical and prescriptive, offering concrete rhythms for slowing down over 13 sessions rather than Garden City's broader theology of work and creation.
by Timothy J. Keller
Keller's short study touches the same question of human identity and purpose that runs through Garden City, but narrows it to a single passage and a single idea about gospel-freed self-regard. At only 5 sessions and 39 questions, it is a much lighter, quicker study, good for a group wanting a brief change of pace before or after a longer book.
by C.S. Lewis
Lewis's allegory shares Garden City's theological imagination and its interest in what a fully realized, God-intended life looks like, though it tells that story through a dream-vision of heaven and hell rather than a study of Genesis. With 16 sessions it is a longer, more reflective read, better suited to a group that enjoys wrestling with story and symbol.
by Jerry Bridges
Bridges takes the same conviction Comer has about ordinary life mattering to God and turns it toward the small, overlooked sins believers tend to excuse rather than toward vocation and rest. It is a substantially longer study at 21 sessions and 147 questions, with a more searching, self-examining tone than Garden City's hopeful vision of calling.
Session and question counts checked .