Perhaps it's because of our Midwestern roots, but to me Scot writes with a simplicity that makes you feel as though you're sitting with him over a coffee, but at the same time contains a depth and breadth of wisdom that you still feel sinking in days after you've read it. He is one of my favorite writers about the Christian faith, and this book did not disappoint.
As Scot says in the Forward:
Like many Western Christians, I felt a tension between the "religion" promoted by my church and the radical faith Jesus modeled. Much of what I heard from the preacher and those in authority over me seemed good and right, but a creeping curiosity camped out in my mind. What would happen if I lived the life Jesus described? Would my faith look different? How could I move from a "follow the rules" religion to a "follow me" faith?
Scot addresses the idea that many evangelicals have grown accustomed to: that a Christian is someone who has accepted Jesus, and that the Christian life focuses merely on personal practices of piety. He suggests instead that followers of Jesus are actually supposed to... follow Jesus.
He then explores in fourteen chapters just what that looks like. In a down-to-earth yet contemporary format he writes on: One.Life, Kingdom.Life, Imagined.Life, Love.Life, Justice.Life, Peace.Life, Wisdom.Life, Church.Life, Committed.Life, Sex.Life, Vocation.Life, Eternity.Life, God.Is.Love.Life, and Cross.Life.Resurrection.Life. He then concludes in his "Final Words"...
I wrote this book for people who really do think a Christian is someone who follows Jesus and for those who want to focus once again on what Jesus meant when he said, "Come follow me."
Simply put, I thought it was an excellent book. It doesn't contain a lot of lofty religious jargon, but it will hopefully make you stop and think about your 'One.Life' and how you're living it.
I actually based several sermons on some of his chapters. I could have done more, but I honestly didn't know where to stop. The chapter on sex, alone, is worth the price of the book.
After reading One.Life it reminded me again of how much I like Scot's writing, and that I need to read everything he writes. Good stuff.