Jennings, a long time pastor, sets out in this book to provide insight to help individuals overcome the valleys and peaks that seem to come with the Christian walk. Actually, Jennings divulges that this book of essays is actually a grouping of his sermons from the past that he wants to use to show Biblically that even some of the people we consider of great faithfulness struggled. Hence the title, Laughing with Sarah, a reference to Abraham’s wife. Actually, the title essay was my favorite of all found in the book.

I didn’t really personally enjoy this book. Jennings’ writings are very short on gospel and very long on allegory. If you like Joel Osteen’s preaching, you will love this book. While there is some good teaching intertwined at points in this book, Laughing With Sarah is more life coaching than it is doctrinal instruction for believers. I understand that this is the kind of book that some say would be good for a small group (which begs to question the validity of small groups that seek such resources), but a small group should be where people come to dig deeper into scripture, not hear allegorical tales about other people’s faith and lives.

While at the end of each essay Jennings provides “spiritual” questions that help tie the essays to the reader’s own life, these questions are set up to render “what does this passage say to you,” answers rather than “what does God’s word say about this” answers. While this is a very encouraging book and will give a Christian some good stories to share about their faith, I don’t see this book helping someone carry out the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My recommendation is to pass on this book.

This book is easy to read, and would make a good devotional book. While each chapter has group study questions, I’m not convinced that there is enough meat there to use this in a small group study setting.

I was a little disappointed that I didn’t find a unifying theme, other than the generalized idea of the Christian life is a journey. There is also not a lot of in-depth study of the Scriptures.

I would recommend the book to preachers who want to add to their illustration resource file (and what preacher isn’t in need of more sermon illustrations?). It would also be a fine book for anyone who would like some lite reading of a devotional nature with good practical wisdom for life.

If you are looking for a resource for your small group Bible study I would look elsewhere.

Jennings has stimulated me to think of Biblical passages and concepts in new ways. I found his juxtaposition of our proclivity to procrastinate with the plague of frogs particularly apropos. Some things may legitimately be put off till tomorrow. But the more we do today, the better we feel tomorrow. Why isn’t that motivation enough?

The recounting of the story of Jeremiah Lamphier in New York City one hundred and fifty years ago describes just what Jefferson County for Jesus Christ needs. If we will but put into practice 2 Chronicles 7:14 we might very well see a mighty work of God in our county. But until we are willing to rearrange our priorities and humble ourselves and pray, we cannot expect much to change in this God-neglecting corner of North America.

One of the most recent books I received from The Ooze Viral Bloggers is an independently published book called Laughing with Sarah, written by Gene Jennings. The cover looks pretty contemporary and it seemed like a good idea to write a book about stories from the Bible, applying them devotionally to one’s life. I thought maybe I could use it as a devotional…you know, a little food for thought everyday along with reading the Scripture from which it is drawn.

Sadly, it just wasn’t for me. Each chapter was a sermon that he had delivered. And while I’m SURE the sermons were great, they didn’t translate to book form well. I felt … preached at. The author seems like a great guy and all, but this just wasn’t my cup of tea. However, if anyone wants this book, let me know and I’ll get it to you!

Perhaps my hopes were a bit high!

Jennings’ book is a collection of sermons on differing topics. The best word I could use to describe this book is pedestrian. It is a feel-good devotional. Now that is not a bad thing by itself. However, Jennings is very very illustration heavy. He is constantly using a story from a book, movie, or some other media source. These start to feel less than genuine. Very few of the stories are personal and thus, I 1) never felt I formed a personal connection with this author and 2) It simply began to overshadow any Biblical texts that he might use. In this case, I also could not form a connection with the topic or text as well as it always seemed to fall short of anything really meaty!

Don’t get me wrong. There are some good illustrations in there. A couple I have flagged for any occasion I may need them. However, they will have to be used sparingly and naturally connect with the text. Yet even the good illustrations are easily glossed over by the sheer number that he chooses to use. I neither think that this makes for a good sermon, nor a good devotional.

I will admit that my wish and disappointment came from whizzing through the Biblical texts. I wanted something much more to chew on. I would have loved for him to spend more time on the texts he chose and given some background that would tie it all together; something that would make a connection between the text and the topic stick with me. Instead I am more likely to be faced with a topic and a short pop-culture illustration that comes to mind.

I understand that this book will be good for some people. If you like, for instance, “Guideposts” magazine with their inspirational stories, than you would probably find this book enlightening and soothing. This is neither a condemnation of either publication, simply an observation (I used to love “Guideposts” growing up).

However, if you want something with a bit more meat on it’s bones… something that truly inspires conversation (the discussion notes did not inspire much to talk about in my trial), then perhaps this is not the book for you.

I went into the book with both interest and hesitation.

The back of the book says, “Following Christ is a journey. It’s a series of mountaintops and valleys. Most of the time, we are somewhere in between.”

It explains the title by continuing, “There are times when God shows us something so unbelievable that we, like Sarah in Genesis, laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.”

The first sermon, titled “The Thanksgiving Killer” talks about gratitude, and being thankful for our blessings. It’s a good point, as many people struggle with thankfulness. But the author tends to give a heavy-handed judgment, without acknowledging the reality of people right here in America who struggle. As Jennings writes, “We don’t always realize how blessed we are and how affluent we are as American citizens.” Although Jennings is speaking to the church, it is likely that there are ‘American citizens’ listening who struggle deeply with their finances.

“The Thanksgiving Killer” goes on to talk about the “five blessings for which we should be thankful:” Forgiveness, availability (from God), protection, instruction, and unfailing love. It’s an interesting (and true) list, but it fails to acknowledge that some people might find even these inaccessible. This particular sermon is a sort of church spanking that we often hear around the pulpits during the thanksgiving season. And while I agree that we all can find more things to be grateful for (I strive to make a list several times a week), Jennings is missing out on an opportunity to remind us not only of all we have, but also all we can do for others. I believe that the call to gratitude includes the call to servanthood, as well.

Chapter 7, titled “His Hands,” is a journey through the hands of Jesus. From the healing of the leper to the crucifixion, Jennings uses the concept of Jesus’ hands to convince us to to let Jesus have our lives. Out of all of the chapters, this one had the best discussion questions. From “Look at your hands; what stories do they tell?” to “What can you do with your hands this week to demonstrate Christ’s love to others?”, these questions seemed the most thought-provoking and honest.

Overall, Laughing with Sarah is exactly what it proclaims itself to be: a book of sermons. Jennings is a talented sermon-writer, he knows how to write a sermon that has a hook. Hearing these while sitting in the pew would be somewhat entertaining and probably applicable, as well.

This book is perfect for the people it was written for. It has analogies, facts, Scripture, conclusions, points, and personalization. The discussion guide is a bonus way to think about what you have just read — on your own or in a group. In the end, reading Laughing with Sarah is like going to church 13 times. Not a bad thing, just overly familiar.