jordanabina
The first time I heard Pastor Jeff Lucas speak I was attending a conference somewhere with a group of ministers. It’s really not fair because if you have a British accent you are automatically sound smarter than Americans, and his accent was in full British form. I have never laughed more and cried more in one time with a speaker than I did with Lucas, he just had my number or something. I bought this book, as well as another, before I left. He signed it and I felt cool. Since then it has sat on my shelf for a few years collecting dust, a victim of empty promises to read it. 2019 was the year, I kept my promise this time.
There Are No Strong People by Jeff Lucas is a look at the person of the Old Testament figure called Samson and the strange, wild, and explicit story that surrounds his life. Lucas doesn’t just retell the story we’ve all heard about Samson, but takes the time to go down to the human level of the story. Lucas looks a little closer at Samson, and doesn’t allow the reader to just regurgitate the version we’ve heard in Sunday school. Samson was a real dude, with some seriously big issues, and yet God was with him. Is that fair? What does that mean about God? How could God use and equip a man who sleeps with prostitutes and kills thousands with his bare hands? These are the types of questions Lucas dives into.
There is a narrative that Lucas keeps bringing consistently throughout the book through a few questions. Did Samson even know he was set apart? Did Samson want to be used by God? At first glance, this isn’t even noticeable in the story. But it may be an explanation to the attitude and behavior of Samson, and it may explain who he was as a person, not just a judge. Samson must be one of the most misunderstood people in all of scripture. A man who continually turns his back on his calling and yet is listed in the hall of faith found in the book of Hebrews. Lucas helps us take a look at a person who is gifted, but vulnerable. I appreciated that the main character to be watched and wondered over in the story of Samson was God, and what He is willing to do to see His plan come to pass. Lucas reminds the reader that Jesus is used to working with broken and messed up people.
“He works, wading through the mush and the junk, squelching through the stagnant slurry of sins.”
Samson is a man of addictions, pride, loneliness, confusion, secrets, social disabilities, and anger. But the idea that we are any different is just not true. Something I loved about the book was Lucas kept making me think about this as if I were there, not as a distant reader. I had to take a nice hard look at how I was more like Samson then I thought. It made me ask where I was at in regards to anger, loneliness, pride and all the rest. Chapter 15 is entitled Satan has a year planner, and it’s worth the price of the book.
Like I said before, Jeff Lucas is one of the most funniest communicators I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to, and it comes through even in his books. There is a section in this book, which I’ll leave for you to read, which basically talks about some of the more private physical features of Samson that had me rolling. It’s a gift to be able to teach God’s word with accuracy and passion all the while still sounding relatable. Lucas doesn’t sound above the struggle, he sounds like he has walked through it or is in it even now. I love that, it makes me feel good knowing I’m not the only one who deals with these issues.
It’s a great read. It’s jam packed with some many lessons and warnings about a prideful life. I appreciated the fresh and more fair look at Samson. Samson, like so many had strengths, but that didn’t make him strong.
