If you have ever visited the ‘Out of Ur’ blog, then you should be familiar with the easy writing style of Skye Jethani.  For me, he writes with his reader in mind, making sure that he carefully walks the line between communicating facts and providing satisfaction, and as such, I always find his writing a joy to read, and his new book, ‘With’, is no exception.

His stated purpose for the book is to examine the reality of how we as Christians often approach God, and then to consider a better way that ‘brings life and freedom’.  He does this by distilling the essence of the Christian experience into a series of postures, described by using the prepositions ‘under’, ‘over’, ‘from’, ‘for’ and ‘with’ , explaining how they relate to one another, and ultimately, how they influence our relationship with and attitude towards God.

It is an easy to read, but challenging book, very much in the style of authors like Philip Yancey and John Ortberg, using illustration to good effect in order to communicate wisdom, insight and truth in a style that everyone can understand and enjoy.  However, I must confess that at times I found it hard going, with some repetition and maybe a little too much padding in places, especially in the first half, but thankfully, this didn’t spoil or reduce the impact of the book.

Overall, I think ‘With’ is a good book, and one that is well worth reading, but be aware, it will challenge your Christian worldview, and make you think deeply about how you relate to God. As for me, I found it inspiring, and at times felt like Jethani had written the book personally for me as it spoke clearly into my current condition.  My prayer is that it will do the same for you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the US Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”