Jeff Lucas

What a gem. Christian writers Adrian Plass and Jeff Lucas teamed up to produce this book. It consists of letters they exchanged over some months, with a brief introduction by each of them at the beginning. I'm assuming the letters - if they really did start their existence that way - have been heavily edited; but it hardly matters. The personalities of the two writers comes across with that wonderful mixture of humour and deep 'aha' moments that I've found so often with Adrian Plass's show more writing.

There are amusing - sometimes embarrassing - incidents recorded by both, demonstrating their fallibility and humanity; something often missing in books by 'famous' authors (Christian or otherwise). There are some clever gems scattered around, easy to miss if reading too fast. And there are a great many thought-provoking discussions about church life, and boredom, and Christian conferences, and ways that God might - or might not - speak.

I would recommend it highly to any Christians who might be feeling cynical, or disillusioned, or just trying their best in a low-key kind of way to follow Jesus.

Latest full review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/06/seriously-funny-adrian-plass-jeff-l... show less

This is wonderful stuff. Anecdotes about the author's life and thoughts, sprinkled liberally with dry humour, and very well written. Topics covered (from a Christian perspective) include general attitudes, leadership, decisions, faith... each section has several brief essays.

I found them all interesting, and mostly thought-provoking. Jeff Lucas thinks in ways that resonated again and again; he expresses ideas and beliefs that are far too rarely expressed aloud. Perhaps we're afraid that show more others will judge us if we admit to boredom, frustrations, wandering minds and irritations when in church services. Or perhaps we're too busy judging others.

I borrowed this book when I had finished the first 'Lucas on Life', and have read a few pages every day for a couple of months. Very highly recommended - and I hope to get hold of more of the same. show less

The book is a study on John chapter 21: the passage of the Bible where the resurrected Jesus sees some of the disciples after a fruitless night of fishing. He cooks breakfast for them, and has an important chat with Peter.

With a mixture of anecdotes, told in his usual self-deprecating style, questions and suggestions, the author makes some excellent points about faith and the Christian life. He gives some historical and cultural background as he ponders different parts of the passage, show more introducing ideas that made so much more sense than most analytical discussions of this passage.

There are no definitive answers given. One of the refreshing things about Jeff Lucas is that he does not try to push any agenda on his readers. Instead, he invites them to think through the disciples' motivations, and see their humanity. However, he gives some tremendous insights into what might have been going on in the minds of these weary disciples.

The author also talks about some of his own insecurities and worries, many of which resonated strongly with me. All in all, I thought it an excellent book, and was sorry to reach the end. I would recommend it highly to anyone, particularly those who might feel as if they’re ploughing through the Christian life, sometimes, rather than coasting.

Highly recommended.

Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2025/03/faith-in-fog-by-jeff-lucas.html show less

This is a series of questions and answers that were given on the authors’ ‘Seriously Funny’ tour. It’s divided into eight sections which loosely group the questions together by theme. The first one, for instance, is entitled, ‘Now that reminds me of a time when…’, encouraging both authors to reminisce.

The second section is headed, ‘Where’s my soapbox?’ and includes questions where the two might be expected to have strong opinions. But I didn't take much notice of the show more groupings; each question and response was complete in itself.

There’s self-deprecating humour and great writing, but this isn’t just light-hearted quips; the book contains much that’s thought-provoking, and some questions where I heaved a sigh of relief to know that even such well-known speakers feel the same as I do. Some parts are controversial, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I feel reassured, enlightened, and encouraged by this book, and would recommend it to anyone with any interest in the Christian life, or church in general. show less