James Bryan Smith

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

I share the enthusiasm of other reviewers for the life, work, and music of Rich Mullins. However, I don't share the enthusiasm for this book.

The author, a trusted personal friend of Mullins, has done a fine job with the research, sifting through Mullins' private and published writings and collecting quotes from a broad range of individuals connected with him. He's extremely respectful to Mullins and the people in his life, refraining from saying anything negative about anyone. He clearly show more states in the introduction that this is a "devotional biography," intended to impart more about the theology of Rich Mullins than about the details of his life.

This is all good in theory, but I found the book a chore to trudge through. The author has a bad habit of overexplaining all things theological, even to the point of paraphrasing Mullins' words immediately after quoting them. The thing is, Mullins wasn't speaking in arcane terms requiring translation; he used the plainest of plain English. Mullins' life was an exceptional example of simplicity in action. His biography could have benefited from the application of the same principle. A good editor could've really made this book shine, but the publisher failed in this and other respects. (If you're a person who cares about things like graphic design and typeface choices, get ready to cringe a lot when you pick up this book.)

Despite its limitations, this is the only authorized biography of Mullins we are likely to get - and his life and faith are well worth knowing about. The book contains a fair amount of info that even his more loyal fans aren't likely to know, as well as a couple of his writings not published elsewhere. In the afterword, Mullins' brother speaks of the many who "have been touched and brought closer to God by this book," and at least one other LT reviewer says it's changed their life. Thanks be to God, who uses flawed people and flawed books for divine purposes. show less

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