I have thoroughly enjoyed almost everything I have read by both Adrian Plass and Jeff Lucas, two of the best modern Christian writers, in my opinion. So it was a no-brainer to acquire the books they wrote as a collaborative project, in particular the two entitled ‘Seriously Funny’. I re-read the first book in May last year, but hadn’t read ‘Seriously Funny 2’ since 2013. 
(Amazon UK link)
I’ve had a busy few weeks with visiting family, so I’ve just read a few pages of this each morning, when I could grab a few minutes to myself. It’s not a typical devotional book, but still gave me things to think about. More importantly, it gave me reassurance about life as an ordinary, everyday believer who struggles, at times, to think beyond the immediate chores and demands of those around me.
It’s written in letter format; I wondered, when I first read this, if Jeff and Adrian wrote the letters knowing they were going to be published, and thus adjusted the way they wrote to take account of this. They come across as authentic, sometimes vulnerable; yet also with quirks that suggest they’re thinking as much about their future readers rather than each other.
I found it a little jarring, for instance, when the letters mention the other person’s name every few paragraphs, rather than just in the simple greeting at the beginning. I don’t use people’s names when I’m talking to them, unless I need to get their attention for some reason - and I certainly don’t when I write the bulk of a letter or email to them. People can read letters at their leisure; no need to keep using their names.
But it’s a minor gripe, and perhaps unfair to harp on about it. The bulk of the book is wonderful, discussing everything that comes to their minds. They talk about faith and Christian practice in a very relaxed, informal style. They express their frustration with jargon, and clichés, and pat answers, which are far too often given to people asking genuine questions.
The integrity of the two comes through strongly, along with their humanity. I chuckled inwardly at the ongoing discussions of Jeff’s secret obsession with table tennis when he was a student; I smiled as they shared their ignorance (in the past) about what a concordance is. I loved the phrasing, the self-deprecating humour, and the evident camaraderie that exists between the two.
The titles of these books sum up exactly what’s inside them: amusing comments and asides which gently cushion the far more serious issues that the two authors discuss in their ongoing letters. They don’t claim to know all the answers, but they share experiences, acknowledging all the time that they could have been mistaken, and that anything positive is due to the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Not everyone would like this style, which could be considered irreverent or even unsound by some. But if you’ve found that any of the books by either Adrian Plass or Jeff Lucas resonate with you, I would recommend this as well as the first in the series.
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