I can’t say enough about Laurie Beth Jones. Her writing connects with my interior spiritual circuits more than just about anyone I have ever read. The first book of hers I ever read, “Jesus In Blue Jeans: A Practical Guide to Everyday Spirituality” swept me off my feet with both the style she used to write it and the prophetic insights that leapt from each chapter. Laurie is a master of the metaphor. She is down to earth, but has the ability to paint a prophetic picture that gives you perspective from the heights. When reading any of her books, don’t expect a systematic Bible study or a self help manual. Her writing is more like a spiritual jacuzzi that relaxes you and opens your heart for meditation and reflection.
As a motivational speaker and life coach, her audiences have been national presidents, company CEO’s, business teams, government and the judicial organizations, churches and ministries, non-profit organizations and educators.
I recommend Laurie’s writing to anyone who hungers to find their place in life but simply needs a nudge, an encouragement and a dose of insight from a friend. In her own words:
Laurie Beth Jones has written a whole bunch of excellent books. It’s really hard to know where to start, so I will end with a couple of quotes plugging Jesus in Blue Jeans:
“Beginning with the proposition that Jesus had an everyday life, Laurie Beth Jones explores the four fundamental qualities of Jesus that we can emulate in our everyday lives: poise, perspective, passion, and power. We investigate the everyday challenges common to all of us, using Jesus’ life as our model. Each chapter includes a meditation and teaching, and closes with question to challenge and motivate us. She doesn’t intend that we remain passive spectators, rather that we embrace life and participate fully.
Jones has a special gift for presenting the teachings of Jesus in ways that are at once practical and transcendent. By writing about subjects that are familiar to all of us, she makes us comfortable with exploring this unfamiliar ground. Once we feel safe, she quietly steps aside, shifting our attention from our own anxieties to the wisdom of Jesus. The result is an openness and receptivity that might not have been possible for us before.” (Amazon Editorial Review)
Author and speaker Laurie Beth Jones
And here is a quote from the book itself:
“One day when I was ten years old, I came home from school to discover that Harriet, my pet duck, had drowned. Not only had she drowned, but she had done so in the backyard pond that I had so lovingly prepared for her. My parents were as saddened and baffled by her death as I, so they summoned our vet to the scene. ‘Was it homicide or suicide?’ we asked, looking at the victim. ‘Neither,’ he replied, lifting her small waterlogged body. ‘This duck did not groom herself properly. You see, ducks have to coat themselves with a special waterproofing oil that is produced beneath their wings. For some reason, she didn’t, so when she started swimming, her feathers took on water, and she sank like a stone.”
Just as ducks depend upon a unique oil that allows them to be ‘in’ but not ‘of’ the water, we too, need to cover ourselves with grooming oil to be ‘in’ and not ‘of’ the world. We need to daily cover ourselves with prayer, praise and poised reminders of who we are both to–and in–God.
Jesus groomed himself properly. I think he did so by immersing himself in scriptures–especially those that speak of God’s love and high, holy calling. ‘My soul rejoices in God. For He has clothed me in garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.’ Isaiah 61:10.”
