Lucas on Life (by Jeff Lucas)

(Amazon UK link)

I have appreciated all the books I’ve acquired and read by Jeff Lucas over the past couple of decades. He’s a cross-cultural Christian writer, born in the UK but living (and pastoring a church) in the United States. He uses humour and anecdotes to make his points, and his style is relaxed, accepting and grace-filled.

However the titles of his books are not very original. There are several with titles such as ‘Life with Lucas’ or ‘Lucas on Life’ -  perhaps they’re all similar in content, although each time I read them I find something new. I last read ‘Lucas on Life’ in 2012 and had no memory of anything in it - and have been reading it, a few pages at a time, over the past year.

The book is divided into twelve broad chapters, each of which has shorter sections, each a little sermonette or article loosely related to the topic. The chapter themes cover topics such as Evangelism, Relationships, Decisions and Influence. Within those categories the shorter pieces have intriguing titles relevant to their content.

All of which sounds rather tedious and highly organised, but the book is far from dull. I found it all extremely well-written, interesting and - in places - thought-provoking. Jeff Lucas uses anecdotes, sometimes against himself. He believes he’s called to use humour and (at times) to look foolish for God. 

He shares a few incidents when his honesty and apparent foolishness have led to incredible ‘results’ - not that he is result-driven. His message is to share the love of God with as wide an audience as possible, in ways that encourage his listeners and readers to find out more. 

There are places where Lucas pokes very gentle fun at Christians who are over-zealous, perhaps not thinking how their actions or loud prayers might be perceived. But he always acknowledges that, even if lacking tact or empathy, these folk are passionate about God, and are beloved members of his Kingdom. 

It’s intended for people who are believers, or at least fringe members of the church. It’s also important to have a sense of the ridiculous, and to appreciate that the author’s criticisms are meant lovingly. Perhaps the fact that he’s so very open about his own failings means that his problems with some folk he meets seem fair and balanced (if a tad exaggerated at times) rather than judgemental.

Highly recommended to anyone who likes to read this kind of low-key devotional material. No longer in print but sometimes found inexpensively second-hand. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews