With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God

Not sure how this book never popped on to my radar before now, but I'm glad it finally did. Skye Jethani concisely presents four typical, but broken, relational approaches to God, and then offers a fifth way: life with God. It's well researched but not overly long, rigorous but accessible. Recommended for anyone with any interest in the Divine and what it would mean to live in accordance with it.

This book addresses points I've wrestled with over the years. It's easy to have a quick answer, to quote a scripture, and to presume to know God's opinion on so many things and people. Most of us want to be in the know and have control over it all. Most of us would not have the character of Job to trust God when we don't understand. I don't say that to shame us, only to speak the truth of where we are. Most of us want to be rescued if we do right, pray right, or believe right.

I needed to be reminded that is exactly where I need to be. To let go and trust God to be in control while I look for ways to simply be with Him. To speak honest truth about my thoughts and feelings. To stop and listen. To invite Him to be part of every part of the day.

This is a book I can see myself coming back to more than once. Thank you, Skye Jethani for reminding me that life with God is the greatest treasure in the universe.

We are using the wrong prepositions when we think of God, author Skye Jethani tells us in this new book, With. We are trying to live life under God, over God, from God, or for God, but God does not desire any of this. God wants us to be with Him.

Jethani outlines the errors in our thinking that lead us off, desperately trying to live under or over or from or for. He shows all the destructive ways we end up living by trying to have a relationship with God using the wrong preposition. Then he shows ways that we can live fully with God, in a rich life with faith, hope, and love.

I question why Jethani chooses the wrong conjunction. He seems to believe God wants us to choose to live under Him or over Him or from Him or for Him or with Him. Isn't it possible that we live under Him and over Him and from Him and for Him and with Him? (Though, perhaps, I am imagining that God would not really want us ever living over Him....)

He includes a useful appendix that reveals ways to live with God. There is also an appendix with discussion questions for group work using the book.

Short Review: This a book where I liked the conclusion, but I am not really sure I liked how it got there. The focus is on four negative postures and one positive posture in relation to God. Negatively, we are Under God, Over God, From God or For God. What Jethani wants is for us to be With God. Good conclusion and for the most part the positive stuff I am right behind. The problem is that the four postures end up being caricatures of real people. I know that there really are people that believe these things. But the examples that Jethani gives are mostly weak examples that do not take full account of the wholeness of their faith. Mostly, these examples are unnamed but I am pretty sure I know who most of them are because I am well read and know a lot about Evangelical Culture. I really go back and forth between 3 and 4 stars, but given that it ended well I am rounding up. Not a bad book, just could have been better.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/with-jethani/