James Bryan Smith

It was during my honeymoon that Rich Mullins died. I was driving up I-95 from Florida while Rich was driving southbound on I-35 toward Wichita. A random car accident ended the life of a gifted songwriter and unique follower of Jesus.

Rich was different that most people. Like the prophets, his vision was so consumed with the kingdom of God, he lived an odd life significantly out-of-joint with the principalities and powers of this world. A good example of this is when Amy Grant's people show more contacted his people to buy the recording rights to his first big hit, "Sing Your Praise to the Lord". He agreed right away, not realizing that he would be paid for this—the money didn't factor in his decision.

In this "Devotional Biography," James Bryan Smith gives us a close picture of Rich's life that challenges readers to reevaluate our own lives. Rich Mullins was far from perfect—a point he made often, confessing his own sins openly and (at times) uncomfortably. Far from disqualifying him, this humility and openness is refreshing in an age of carefully-crafted Facebook selfies.

Rich was, truly, An Arrow Pointing to Heaven. We would do well to consider his life, then look up. show less

Dallas Willard's blurb on the front cover caught my attention: "The best practice I have seen in Christian spiritual formation." A quick scan of the introduction showed me that Smith was heir to many of the same influences that I am: Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen, Brennan Manning, and Rich Mullins. Now that I've read the book, I agree with Willard. This is simply the best book on spiritual formation I've read in ages.

The Good and Beautiful God is the first in a trilogy dubbed show more "The Apprentice Series." This first book deals with the false narratives about God that rule our lives. Smith knows that there is no magic formula or secret practice that will make us godly: The Spirit of Jesus does that in us. By replacing false narratives with the stories of Jesus (this book), engaging in spiritual disciplines (The Good and Beautiful Life), and participating in Christian community (The Good and Beautiful Community), we provide room for the Holy Spirit to do his work.

Many of the false narratives rang true for me. Smith challenges the idea that God judges us by bringing catastrophe into our lives when we sin. He dismantles the idea that we have to earn God's favour. He rethinks the age-old view that we're "just sinners, saved by grace." Then he replaces those false narratives with Jesus-truth.

The most influential part of the book for me was his attitude toward rest. Smith reminds us, in the midst of our fast-past lives, that "Hurry is not part of a well-lived life" (183). He advocates the spiritual practice of creating margin. Just like white space surrounds the text on a page, breathing room should surround the events in our life.

While this is not a how-to book, Smith does get practical. At the end of each chapter he offers a few extra pages with a spiritual exercise—everything from sleep to solitude to lectio divina.

If you want a deeper relationship with God and you're tired of consuming the fluff that floods the Christian best seller lists, give James Bryan Smith a read. show less

In the first book of his Apprentice series, The Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan Smith reveals and challenges us to work through the false narratives that misconstrue our vision of God. Once these false narratives of God have been swept away, we can examine the false narratives that we hold about ourselves. This is where The Good and Beautiful life picks up.

Using the Sermon on the Mount as a framework, James Bryan Smith looks at the various underlying factors in our predilection to show more sin.

Take anger, for an example. Smith describes anger as the natural result of two factors: fear and unmet expectations. These two factors are reinforced by the false narratives we hold about ourselves such as "I am alone," and "I must be in control all of the time" (73). If we want to get rid of our anger issues, we need to start by replacing the false narratives that feed our anger. Band-aids will not do when we need surgery.

Following each chapter, Smith suggests a "Soul Training" exercise to help with the topic at hand. For anger, he recommends observing the Sabbath. It seems unrelated at first, but if you follow his argument, nothing forces us to let go of our need to control the world like Sabbath practice.

This book is a simple yet wise. It's easy and enjoyable to read, wholly lacking in the self-help drivel that passes for spiritual reading and formation today. show less

Summary: Thirty short reflections on different key words found in Colossians 3:1-17 on what it means to be "in" Christ.

A number of years ago, I had the chance to go through James Bryan Smith's The Good and Beautiful God (review) with a group. Perhaps one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of this study was memorizing Colossians 3:1-17 together, a verse or two each week, forcing us to really meditate on each word of the text. The first three verses of this text are as follows:

Since, show more then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3, NIV)

The title of this work draws on verse 3, and one of the themes Smith explores is what it means for us to live in Christ. Above all, it means to live as God's "holy and dearly loved" people, (verse 12). In this pocket-sized work, James Bryan Smith leads us through a kind of lectio divina on this text in Colossians, focusing successively in 30 chapters on key words found in the text, offering short reflections on each one. For example, the first five are drawn from the verses above: raised, with, seated, set, hidden. As he considers the word "set" in verse 2, he offers these reflections:

When it comes down to it, living the Christian life is simply a matter of where we set our minds. Every waking moment we have a choice about where, and on what, we will set our minds. That is something we are free to do. Having been raised with Christ and forgiven forever, and having Jesus with us in all we do, the primary practice of living as a Christian boils down to what we think about, what we dwell on, what values we keep before our minds, what truths (or lies) we have in our consciousness. (p. 37).

In addition to these brief reflections, there are sections about "Living into the Truth," an "Affirmation" which is a brief statement summarizing the key truth represented by the word, a "Prayer," and finally questions for "Reflection." The short chapters and focus on a single word make this an ideal devotional resource that could be used over a month, or perhaps once a week for thirty weeks. There is also a group discussion guide at the back of the book for a five week discussion using six chapters each week.

In addition, this little book is a good introduction to the ideas in the Apprentice Series by the same author--or perhaps in my case, a good refresher. Recently, a paperback version of the book has been released, making it available at a lower price. What Smith models for us is the slow, reflective opening of ourselves to the message of scripture we often pass by in our instant-everything world. When we omit these practices, we do not gain time but lose the chance to hear God's assurances of our belovedness. show less