Life with Lucas (by Jeff Lucas)

(Amazon UK link)

I have very much appreciated the few books I have read so far by Jeff Lucas. He is a British writer and speaker who currently lives in the USA and travels internationally. So when, a little over a year ago, I spotted that he had written a 'daily readings' book, I decided to get hold of it.

'Life with Lucas' does exactly what it says on the front - well, almost. 'Daily readings throughout the year' is the sub-title, so I was a little surprised to find that while there are, indeed, Bible readings and commentaries for every weekday, there is only one set for each entire weekend. So there are not 365 sections, but about 312. Not that it is a problem.

The book is arranged in sections, covering different topics in varying amounts of detail. There's one extensive study of the book of Jonah over several weeks, for instance, which I found very interesting. One part has the fascinating title 'Stop looking for the will of God' - making the point that we should be looking for a relationship with God, rather than instructions or rules.

There's a section about various lesser-known heroes and heroines of the Bible at the end of the b ook, which covered a different person each week - useful, since by the time I reached this section I was rather behind in the year (having had a few weeks away), so I read one week's worth per day for the last week of the year.

It's not heavy or detailed in any way; each page has one or two short Bible passages to read and think about, and a brief commentary from Jeff Lucas's unique perspective. Some of what he wrote shed an interesting light on a familiar passage; some made me smile as he shared an anecdote or perhaps a perceived failing of his own; some made me pause, some was challenging or thought-provoking.

All in all, I thought it a good read, taking (on average) six sections per week over a year. It's undated so could be used in any year; there are a few references that may make it feel slightly dated (it was published in 2007) but so few that it hardly matters.

Recommended. I see on Amazon that there are further books of similar readings, so may get hold of another one in future. This is available for the Kindle as well as in paperback form.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 31st December 2011