Book: ReCreatable by Kevin Scott

I had taken a bit of a blog break this week, but the review is due today. I’m hopeful to be back on track in the coming week.

Kregel Publications brings us ReCreatable by Kevin Scott. It’s available in print or on Kindle. The print version runs 230 pages. My review copy is definitely an ARC-type, printed a little different than the to-be-sold version, so your might look a little different. And I won’t comment on binding strength, because mine is not going to hold up—it’s not meant to.

ReCreatable is a look into how God works in broken lives. From the title, Scott is not exploring how God “fixes” lives. He is explaining how God “recreates” lives. What has been broken, God does not glue back together. He makes new instead.

Overall, though, ReCreatable is not a fluffy book. Scott’s work here is not to tell you that it is all going to be okay. He presents a practical approach to matching the theology of a God who makes new with the life of a believer who needs it.

I like Scott’s presentation. He gives 12 practical chapters, each with good discussion questions. These are organized around an overall statement of Reflect His Glory…By Living Well…In a Pocket of the Kingdom. There is an additional discussion guide in the back for small group use.

I find only one aspect of ReCreatable that I would register an issue with. While I understand Scott’s perspective in his chapter on Scripture, I think there is a risk here in the guidance given. He points out that reading the Bible daily may not fit a person’s personality, and that it is better to read the Bible in the same manner one would read a book. For me, I would not be comfortable with this. First of all, Scott has a seminary degree, which means he is more familiar with Scripture than the average reader. It becomes natural, then, for him to be able to ruminate on the text without reading it due to a strong basis in it. Second, I think there is a discipline of building a love for Scripture through reading it daily, making it part of the habit. I would present the idea that we should not limit our reading to just set pieces in the day, but I found that chapter sits just wrong with me.

ReCreatable, though, is still a well-worth-it book. I think that the overall presentation is excellent, and a great opening into fundamental discipleship. If you are looking for a good group study or a self-study to go alongside your Bible reading and study, this one is worth a run through.

I did receive a copy of this book from Kregel in exchange for the review.