There are two things I need to admit when reviewing this book. 

First, I had written Brian McLaren off.  If you have read any of his books you would quickly realize that he was being extremely repetitive.  I understand that the general public may not read all of his books, but it  just seemed that since the “New Kind of Christian” series to “The Secret Message of Jesus” to “Everything Must Change” Brian went on and on about the same themes.  Those themes being:  the Kingdom of God, Jesus in his historical setting and how the current systems (economic, spiritual….) are not working.  I am greatly indebted to his insight but honestly, I was getting a little bored.  BUT, when I realized that this book was part of a series edited by Phyllis Tickle and that Scot McKnight was doing one of the themes, I decided to pick it up and give it a try.  In short, I bought the book not because of McLaren, but because of all of the added features that came along with it.

Second, like all books, there is nothing new said.  This book is a “Readers Digest” version of other great books about the “comeback” of sacred practices.  (Just a side note:  I am co-reading Jacques Ellul’s “The Subversion of Christianity” at the same time.  The premise of his book is that the only things that should be considered ‘sacred’ are God and redeemed humanity.)    Back to my point.  In the introduction McLaren mentions a few authors that influenced this book.  I highly recommend just reading those books.  Those books include Eugene Peterson’s “Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places”, Dallas Willard’s “The Divine Conspiracy” and Richard Foster’s “Celebration of Discipline”.  If you do not have the energy to read those books, McLaren is the way to go.

Now, with all of that out of the way, here are a few reasons to buy this book.  McLaren has a knack for great story telling.  He can make the most boring subject personal, interesting and touching.  A generalized book about spiritual practices (fasting, divine reading) does not seem that action packed, but McLaren makes it relevant.  He puts life back into why these practices are so important.  McLaren can also explain things to a wide audience.  With those who find Dallas Willard a little too heavy, Brian McLaren will make it seem like you are having a beautiful conversation over coffee.  That is truly a great gift.

Most importantly, Brian McLaren is popular right now.  And right now he has some good things to say.  If a person is in Chapters and decides they are going to try a McLaren book for the first time, they buy this book and they take it to heart, how wonderful would it be to know they are more people connecting with God because of the contents of this book?  No one can argue with people connecting with God.

Connecting with God.  How our world needs more of that.  Brian McLaren is hopefully introducing a new group of people to this way of life.  Again, this book is just the introduction to the whole series, so don’t look for an in-depth study on the disciplines.  What this does though is whet the appetite for what’s coming.  Kudos to McLaren for that.