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ReCreatable: How God Heals the Brokenness of Life
ReCreatable begins with the story of a glass baking dish, the delectable aroma of tantalizing brownies, and an unseen defect that turns the promise of something delicious into a minor disaster, leaving glass fragments and brownies irretrievably intermingled. Both the dish and brownies are irrevocably lost. The implications for us are inescapable: created by God to reflect his glory and for his pleasure, we have been broken by sin to the point that we are completely useless to accomplish the purpose for which we were made. But, unlike the shattered brownie dish that gets discarded as worthless, God takes the shards of our lives and does the miraculous. He does not simply fit us back together. He takes those splinters of our destruction and uses them to re-create us: complete, restored, redeemed, and fitted to do and be all that he ever intended for us. ReCreatable leads us progressively through the impact of the creative genius of God in our lives. It points us to the reality of restored relationships, the resurrection of our role as true reflectors of God’s glory, and the revolutionary life that can be ours when we learn to be true disciples—re-created to live well for God.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Scott
2 books5 followersAuthor also writes under Kevin R. Scott
Kevin R. Scott is an ordained pastor and spiritual leader who for many years served as an executive at Stephen Ministries St. Louis, a nonprofit ministry that trains laypeople in the church to provide care for church members and others going through a difficult time in their life. Among other things, Kevin wrote presentations and training manuals, led high-performance teams, and spoke at nearly 200 conferences and workshops around the country.
For the last five years, Kevin has been an independent writer and editor, working mostly from the deck overseeing his 25-acres in rural Tennessee. He has written and edited books, curriculum, marketing pieces, blog posts, social media posts, and much more for clients in a variety of sectors, including the book publishing, healthcare, and coffee industries. In his spare time, Kevin has pursued his passion for specialty coffee and for connecting with his local community by roasting coffee and serving as a part-time barista for Co-Work Coffee in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
Kevin’s primary focus in life is guiding himself and others in spiritually radiant living. He is author of Awakening Faith: A Guide for Loving Those Who Leave the Church (2023) and ReCreatable: How God Heals the Brokenness of Life (2014).
Kevin R. Scott is an ordained pastor and spiritual leader who for many years served as an executive at Stephen Ministries St. Louis, a nonprofit ministry that trains laypeople in the church to provide care for church members and others going through a difficult time in their life. Among other things, Kevin wrote presentations and training manuals, led high-performance teams, and spoke at nearly 200 conferences and workshops around the country.
For the last five years, Kevin has been an independent writer and editor, working mostly from the deck overseeing his 25-acres in rural Tennessee. He has written and edited books, curriculum, marketing pieces, blog posts, social media posts, and much more for clients in a variety of sectors, including the book publishing, healthcare, and coffee industries. In his spare time, Kevin has pursued his passion for specialty coffee and for connecting with his local community by roasting coffee and serving as a part-time barista for Co-Work Coffee in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
Kevin’s primary focus in life is guiding himself and others in spiritually radiant living. He is author of Awakening Faith: A Guide for Loving Those Who Leave the Church (2023) and ReCreatable: How God Heals the Brokenness of Life (2014).
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 25, 2014
This book is one of the best Christian devotionals that I have read. By sharing unique ideas regarding how to view our faith, the author encourages readers to live well rather than focus on being without sin. I appreciated the emphasis that he put on "being human," and not in the way we think of it.
Debunking the common excuse of, oh well I'm only human, Scott responds, "To sin is not to be human; it is to degrade our humanity." His evaluation of our brokenness doesn't necessarily teach us how to be whole, but helps us to understand ourselves, others, and God's purpose and love for us.
I loved the emphasis on loving our neighbors (everyone), showing compassion, and using the gifts that God has given us. Not everyone is meant to preach or go on missions, and we shouldn't feel like failures if we are not doing these things. Instead, we should focus on what God has called us to do within our own scope of influence.
The author also emphasizes the church as a family and a community, a facet that many modern churches are missing out on. Our community of faith should be more than a place we visit for an hour on Sunday. It should be a support system that helps us build our faith and heal our brokenness.
Far from your typical Christian living guide, readers are encouraged to read the Bible in the way that works best for them. No guilt if you are not a few verses a day person! If you prefer intense study sessions that last a couple hours, but then mull over what you've read for a couple of days before going back for more, great! Consume God's Word in the way that works best for you.
This book is not about telling the reader what to do or making one feel guilty. It is about digging deep into what we were truly created to be.
Each chapter also includes questions for individual or group study, which I think would make this an ideal small group Bible study tool.
Debunking the common excuse of, oh well I'm only human, Scott responds, "To sin is not to be human; it is to degrade our humanity." His evaluation of our brokenness doesn't necessarily teach us how to be whole, but helps us to understand ourselves, others, and God's purpose and love for us.
I loved the emphasis on loving our neighbors (everyone), showing compassion, and using the gifts that God has given us. Not everyone is meant to preach or go on missions, and we shouldn't feel like failures if we are not doing these things. Instead, we should focus on what God has called us to do within our own scope of influence.
The author also emphasizes the church as a family and a community, a facet that many modern churches are missing out on. Our community of faith should be more than a place we visit for an hour on Sunday. It should be a support system that helps us build our faith and heal our brokenness.
Far from your typical Christian living guide, readers are encouraged to read the Bible in the way that works best for them. No guilt if you are not a few verses a day person! If you prefer intense study sessions that last a couple hours, but then mull over what you've read for a couple of days before going back for more, great! Consume God's Word in the way that works best for you.
This book is not about telling the reader what to do or making one feel guilty. It is about digging deep into what we were truly created to be.
Each chapter also includes questions for individual or group study, which I think would make this an ideal small group Bible study tool.
January 27, 2014
We live in a broken world marred by sin where real people live dealing with real issues of life that often stem from living and breathing in a broken world. The impact of sin is all around us and more often than not at various times in our lives, we will face a situation that seems hopeless or when the broken pieces of our life seem to be so shattered as to never be put back together again. In this world of pain and suffering, a Savior came to deal with the issue of sin and brokenness, restoring through the cross that which was lost under the impact of sin, namely our relationship with a holy God who loves us. It is this subject of redemption and restoration of that which was broken which pastor and author Kevin Scott addresses in his helpful book, Recreatable: How God Heals the Brokenness of Life.
As noted in the introduction to this book, “God is in the business of putting broken lives and relationships back together again.” In the process of our lives being put back together by the grace of God, we can become a people who better learn to be disciples of Christ and in turn, sharing this message of reconciliation with others who need to hear the message of the gospel so those people can also go out and make disciples. This is after all, the command given by Christ to His people before He left earth.
Using the image of a baking dish filled with brownie batter that has fallen to the floor shattering into a million pieces resulting in the dish and batter ending up as something other than what they were created to be, Scott aptly declares “Like that glass pan, you also were created for a single, specific purpose. And here it is: You were created to reflect God’s glory.” Just like that shattered pan and the mess that comes from batter spilling all over the floor that needs to be cleaned up and put back together again, God takes people and does the same thing. The end result of being put back together in a spiritual sense is to fulfill our intended purpose, that of glorifying God. As Scott so rightly notes, what happens more often than not in our lives is that our broken shards are a result of our sinful nature, the rather consistent effort at rebelling against God and our created purpose of glorifying Him. It is this issue that is so thoughtfully and purposefully addressed by Scott in this book.
In order to understand why brokenness exists, Scott brings the reader back to the beginning of Scripture, noting the necessity of grasping God’s original intent and where things went awry. When Eve succumbed to the temptation to partake of the fruit, in the words of Scott, “We flubbed it up.” As the Apostle Paul notes, due to that event, all future generations of humanity fall short of the glory of God, the intended purpose of why we were created in the first place. By the grace of God, that is not the end of the story. Scott wonderfully notes “The story God is writing in the heavens and earth is one of redemption; or to put it another way, it’s one of glory forfeited and re-gifted” with the end goal of restoring shalom to a world gone mad.
I appreciated Scott’s discussion of how heaven is not just some metaphorical or philosophical idea or place where God dwells as if God has no interaction with His people or creation. Scott discusses the idea of a veil being placed between man and God following the Fall. It was not as if God went away to leave man to his own devices, never interacting with His people or in history. Such an idea is foreign to Scripture. Instead, the Fall impacted the completeness of our relationship with God which is what the idea of shalom ultimately speaks. Throughout Scripture, we see God moving history and people towards restoration and redemption through the Cross. Scott walks the reader through the various times in Scripture and history where we see God dwelling in part with His people, whether that was the wilderness tabernacle, the Temple, or following Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, the Holy Spirit residing in God’s people as the first fruits down payment until all things are made right again when Christ returns. This is a very important concept to grasp and it really speaks to this process of redemption as it is being worked out by God in history.
Another aspect of being restored and redeemed by God is the need for holiness. It is one thing to desire to be restored and another to realize what we are restored to do. Scott once again drives home the underlying concept of restoration leading to bringing glory to God in his discussion of what being a mature believer looks like. Scripture speaks of God’s people being a mature bride; however, what is involved in being a mature bride is not often discussed. I was pleased to see Scott pay so much attention to this important concept, given the great deal of attention God pays to it throughout His Word. Scott rightly notes “Whether male or female, God wants you to grow up to become like Christ.” If you ever wondered what you should be when you grow up, the answer really is you should desire to be more like Christ. Holiness in the biblical sense means being set apart for God’s service, to be kadosh. This does not mean as Scott correctly reminds his readers, that we will achieve perfection in this life. What it does mean is “Through the blood of Jesus Christ all who place their faith in him have been consecrated, set apart for his purposes.”
Scott saliently reminds us of the effort the Christian walk takes. God is certainly willing and able to heal us, but with that said, there is some level of effort that is required of believers to walk the walk. Old habits often die hard and becoming more like Christ requires us to mortify the flesh through the work of the Holy Spirit. Scott emphasizes and rightly so the need engage what he calls the “Three Battlefields of Virtue”, namely thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Part of addressing those issues is becoming a people of faith and Scott rightly connects the battlefields of virtue with three components of faith, that of belief (mind), trust (heart), and loyalty (will). What this means is your entire being, all of you is focused on the things of God and bringing Him glory. Your activities then in this life will be focused on following God’s overarching commands to love Him and love others which is accomplished by being a people dedicated to reading God’s Word, worshiping Him, being a people of prayer, and being committed to community with fellow believers all focused on the core mission of God’s people, that of sharing the gospel and making disciples.
To be recreated is to be a person dedicated to glorifying God and not just a desire for bad things to go away. In this excellent book, Kevin Scott adroitly examines how God restores His people, why He restores His people, and what we are to be about doing as His people as He works this process of sanctification and restoration in our lives and in the course of history. I highly recommend this book for anyone who may need that restoration of relationship with God in their lives and for anyone wondering what it is God’s people are supposed to be doing with their time on earth. As Scott repeatedly notes, we were created to bring glory to God and being recreatable and healed should result in a life of service and praise to the One who restores.
I received this book for free from Kregel Publications for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
As noted in the introduction to this book, “God is in the business of putting broken lives and relationships back together again.” In the process of our lives being put back together by the grace of God, we can become a people who better learn to be disciples of Christ and in turn, sharing this message of reconciliation with others who need to hear the message of the gospel so those people can also go out and make disciples. This is after all, the command given by Christ to His people before He left earth.
Using the image of a baking dish filled with brownie batter that has fallen to the floor shattering into a million pieces resulting in the dish and batter ending up as something other than what they were created to be, Scott aptly declares “Like that glass pan, you also were created for a single, specific purpose. And here it is: You were created to reflect God’s glory.” Just like that shattered pan and the mess that comes from batter spilling all over the floor that needs to be cleaned up and put back together again, God takes people and does the same thing. The end result of being put back together in a spiritual sense is to fulfill our intended purpose, that of glorifying God. As Scott so rightly notes, what happens more often than not in our lives is that our broken shards are a result of our sinful nature, the rather consistent effort at rebelling against God and our created purpose of glorifying Him. It is this issue that is so thoughtfully and purposefully addressed by Scott in this book.
In order to understand why brokenness exists, Scott brings the reader back to the beginning of Scripture, noting the necessity of grasping God’s original intent and where things went awry. When Eve succumbed to the temptation to partake of the fruit, in the words of Scott, “We flubbed it up.” As the Apostle Paul notes, due to that event, all future generations of humanity fall short of the glory of God, the intended purpose of why we were created in the first place. By the grace of God, that is not the end of the story. Scott wonderfully notes “The story God is writing in the heavens and earth is one of redemption; or to put it another way, it’s one of glory forfeited and re-gifted” with the end goal of restoring shalom to a world gone mad.
I appreciated Scott’s discussion of how heaven is not just some metaphorical or philosophical idea or place where God dwells as if God has no interaction with His people or creation. Scott discusses the idea of a veil being placed between man and God following the Fall. It was not as if God went away to leave man to his own devices, never interacting with His people or in history. Such an idea is foreign to Scripture. Instead, the Fall impacted the completeness of our relationship with God which is what the idea of shalom ultimately speaks. Throughout Scripture, we see God moving history and people towards restoration and redemption through the Cross. Scott walks the reader through the various times in Scripture and history where we see God dwelling in part with His people, whether that was the wilderness tabernacle, the Temple, or following Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, the Holy Spirit residing in God’s people as the first fruits down payment until all things are made right again when Christ returns. This is a very important concept to grasp and it really speaks to this process of redemption as it is being worked out by God in history.
Another aspect of being restored and redeemed by God is the need for holiness. It is one thing to desire to be restored and another to realize what we are restored to do. Scott once again drives home the underlying concept of restoration leading to bringing glory to God in his discussion of what being a mature believer looks like. Scripture speaks of God’s people being a mature bride; however, what is involved in being a mature bride is not often discussed. I was pleased to see Scott pay so much attention to this important concept, given the great deal of attention God pays to it throughout His Word. Scott rightly notes “Whether male or female, God wants you to grow up to become like Christ.” If you ever wondered what you should be when you grow up, the answer really is you should desire to be more like Christ. Holiness in the biblical sense means being set apart for God’s service, to be kadosh. This does not mean as Scott correctly reminds his readers, that we will achieve perfection in this life. What it does mean is “Through the blood of Jesus Christ all who place their faith in him have been consecrated, set apart for his purposes.”
Scott saliently reminds us of the effort the Christian walk takes. God is certainly willing and able to heal us, but with that said, there is some level of effort that is required of believers to walk the walk. Old habits often die hard and becoming more like Christ requires us to mortify the flesh through the work of the Holy Spirit. Scott emphasizes and rightly so the need engage what he calls the “Three Battlefields of Virtue”, namely thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Part of addressing those issues is becoming a people of faith and Scott rightly connects the battlefields of virtue with three components of faith, that of belief (mind), trust (heart), and loyalty (will). What this means is your entire being, all of you is focused on the things of God and bringing Him glory. Your activities then in this life will be focused on following God’s overarching commands to love Him and love others which is accomplished by being a people dedicated to reading God’s Word, worshiping Him, being a people of prayer, and being committed to community with fellow believers all focused on the core mission of God’s people, that of sharing the gospel and making disciples.
To be recreated is to be a person dedicated to glorifying God and not just a desire for bad things to go away. In this excellent book, Kevin Scott adroitly examines how God restores His people, why He restores His people, and what we are to be about doing as His people as He works this process of sanctification and restoration in our lives and in the course of history. I highly recommend this book for anyone who may need that restoration of relationship with God in their lives and for anyone wondering what it is God’s people are supposed to be doing with their time on earth. As Scott repeatedly notes, we were created to bring glory to God and being recreatable and healed should result in a life of service and praise to the One who restores.
I received this book for free from Kregel Publications for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
September 1, 2018
Ideal for a small group leader shepherding believers newer to the faith, to discipleship, or to the concept of a community. The chapters are easy to work through, presents the gospel in a straightforward manner, and guides the individual through application using personal reflection questions and suggestions for next steps. It also includes a Small Group Discussion guide that's organized into engage, examine, equip, and empower for every chapter.
February 21, 2014
The truth is we are broken people. We were created as image bearers to reflect the glory of God, but because of sin we are twisted and broken image bearers. We reflect God but are fragmented and alienated from others.
Kevin Scott’s Recreatable: How God Heals the Brokenness of Life takes an honest look at the reality of our brokenness but also offers us the Good News: we are broken people, but we are not broken beyond repair. As people created by God intended to bear his image, we are ‘recreatable.’ God is able to take the broken shards of our life and help us to live holy lives which reflect his glory to a watching world.
I really loved this book. In part, this is because it contains both what I consider the single best analogy of human brokenness and one of the best summaries of the Christian life. In the first chapter, Scott tells the story of his daughter Courtney baking brownies and dropping the glass pan that they were in. While smell of brownies was still enticing, the brownies were full of shards of glass and were dangerous to whoever dared partake of them (19-20). This seems a vivid picture of our image bearing. We humans have the scent of heaven on us, but because of our brokenness we hurt all who get close to us.]
Scott summarizes the Christian life with this ’45 second’ explication of the book’s sections (Reflecting his glory, Living well, in the pocket of the Kingdom):
“Reflecting his glory” means that God is taking the shards of the world and our broken lives and restoring his glory to them. We become a place of intersection where people can meet God as he makes us holy.by
“Living well” means that Christ develops in our hearts a sustainable pattern of faith, hope and love. This is the essence of healing, hope, and God’s glory in us.
“In a pocket of the Kingdom” means the holy life– the attractive life–is lived with other Christians who come together around Scripture, worship, and community, and welcome other Christians into the Kingdom pocket through Christian mission.
It is through this process–this story recapitulated in every disciples life–that God heals the brokenness of life. We may be broken but we are recreatable (*13-4).
These paragraphs describe in brief the outline of the book. Part one looks at “reflecting his glory,” part two describes “living well,” and part three explores the context of ‘pocket of the Kingdom”–Scott’s description of how the church relates to the Kingdom. This forty-five second version hints at what the Christian life is about and draws on three thinkers which help Scott frame his theological vision in reponse to three thinkers, “the scholar, the philosopher and the farmer—N.T. Wright, Dallas Willard, and Wendell Berry (9).” Scott claims that the insights of these men have uniquely impacted his life. I think they helped him frame his summary of the Christian life in terms of biblical theology (Wright), spiritual formation (Willard) and local context (Berry). All three men are quoted and referenced in the text, though I think Wright and Willard’s influence (providing the biblical vision and how this is lived out) are more explicit and Berry is more implicit (i.e. how community and local communal context relates to the concept of church).
This book provides an interesting look at discipleship. I think Scott has important things to say. At times he is incisive in his conclusions (i.e. the reality of human brokenness and the gospel news of healing and restoration). At other times he is provocative (i.e. he tells disciples that they ‘maybe’ reading the Bible daily isn’t the best way for them (153). But he is always compelling. This is the sort of book that makes me want to pursue Jesus full force. Its focus is more on ‘personal aspects’ of faith rather then social implications, but Scott is careful to situate this communally. As a book describing personal discipleship, I give this 5 stars and recommend this book for small group study and personal reading. This is an excellent resource for those seeking to deepen their spiritual life and grow beyond brokenness into holy living. This is well worth reading: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★.
Thank you to Kregel Publications for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Kevin Scott’s Recreatable: How God Heals the Brokenness of Life takes an honest look at the reality of our brokenness but also offers us the Good News: we are broken people, but we are not broken beyond repair. As people created by God intended to bear his image, we are ‘recreatable.’ God is able to take the broken shards of our life and help us to live holy lives which reflect his glory to a watching world.
I really loved this book. In part, this is because it contains both what I consider the single best analogy of human brokenness and one of the best summaries of the Christian life. In the first chapter, Scott tells the story of his daughter Courtney baking brownies and dropping the glass pan that they were in. While smell of brownies was still enticing, the brownies were full of shards of glass and were dangerous to whoever dared partake of them (19-20). This seems a vivid picture of our image bearing. We humans have the scent of heaven on us, but because of our brokenness we hurt all who get close to us.]
Scott summarizes the Christian life with this ’45 second’ explication of the book’s sections (Reflecting his glory, Living well, in the pocket of the Kingdom):
“Reflecting his glory” means that God is taking the shards of the world and our broken lives and restoring his glory to them. We become a place of intersection where people can meet God as he makes us holy.by
“Living well” means that Christ develops in our hearts a sustainable pattern of faith, hope and love. This is the essence of healing, hope, and God’s glory in us.
“In a pocket of the Kingdom” means the holy life– the attractive life–is lived with other Christians who come together around Scripture, worship, and community, and welcome other Christians into the Kingdom pocket through Christian mission.
It is through this process–this story recapitulated in every disciples life–that God heals the brokenness of life. We may be broken but we are recreatable (*13-4).
These paragraphs describe in brief the outline of the book. Part one looks at “reflecting his glory,” part two describes “living well,” and part three explores the context of ‘pocket of the Kingdom”–Scott’s description of how the church relates to the Kingdom. This forty-five second version hints at what the Christian life is about and draws on three thinkers which help Scott frame his theological vision in reponse to three thinkers, “the scholar, the philosopher and the farmer—N.T. Wright, Dallas Willard, and Wendell Berry (9).” Scott claims that the insights of these men have uniquely impacted his life. I think they helped him frame his summary of the Christian life in terms of biblical theology (Wright), spiritual formation (Willard) and local context (Berry). All three men are quoted and referenced in the text, though I think Wright and Willard’s influence (providing the biblical vision and how this is lived out) are more explicit and Berry is more implicit (i.e. how community and local communal context relates to the concept of church).
This book provides an interesting look at discipleship. I think Scott has important things to say. At times he is incisive in his conclusions (i.e. the reality of human brokenness and the gospel news of healing and restoration). At other times he is provocative (i.e. he tells disciples that they ‘maybe’ reading the Bible daily isn’t the best way for them (153). But he is always compelling. This is the sort of book that makes me want to pursue Jesus full force. Its focus is more on ‘personal aspects’ of faith rather then social implications, but Scott is careful to situate this communally. As a book describing personal discipleship, I give this 5 stars and recommend this book for small group study and personal reading. This is an excellent resource for those seeking to deepen their spiritual life and grow beyond brokenness into holy living. This is well worth reading: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★.
Thank you to Kregel Publications for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 12, 2014
Description:
ReCreatable begins with the story of a glass baking dish, the delectable aroma of tantalizing brownies, and an unseen defect that turns the promise of something delicious into a minor disaster, leaving glass fragments and brownies irretrievably intermingled. Both the dish and brownies are irrevocably lost.
The implications for us are inescapable: created by God to reflect his glory and for his pleasure, we have been broken by sin to the point that we are completely useless to accomplish the purpose for which we were made. But, unlike the shattered brownie dish that gets discarded as worthless, God takes the shards of our lives and does the miraculous. He does not simply fit us back together. He takes those splinters of our destruction and uses them to re-create us: complete, restored, redeemed, and fitted to do and be all that he ever intended for us.
ReCreatable leads us progressively through the impact of the creative genius of God in our lives. It points us to the reality of restored relationships, the resurrection of our role as true reflectors of God’s glory, and the revolutionary life that can be ours when we learn to be true disciples—re-created to live well for
God.
This is a great book for anyone who feels "broken" or lost, has gone through major things in their lives or feel that they can't be used of God.
The author takes us back to the beginning, (Genesis) to explain brokenness, and how brokenness came about; and how brokenness can ruin our relationships. He then brings us to the next chapter on Glory, and how God restores us.
This is a great book on discipleship, it would make a great read for pastors, leadership, and anyone interested in discipleship. It has questions at the end of every chapter, and a study guide in the back, so that one can use it one on one or even in a group.
I received this book free from the publisher . I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
ReCreatable begins with the story of a glass baking dish, the delectable aroma of tantalizing brownies, and an unseen defect that turns the promise of something delicious into a minor disaster, leaving glass fragments and brownies irretrievably intermingled. Both the dish and brownies are irrevocably lost.
The implications for us are inescapable: created by God to reflect his glory and for his pleasure, we have been broken by sin to the point that we are completely useless to accomplish the purpose for which we were made. But, unlike the shattered brownie dish that gets discarded as worthless, God takes the shards of our lives and does the miraculous. He does not simply fit us back together. He takes those splinters of our destruction and uses them to re-create us: complete, restored, redeemed, and fitted to do and be all that he ever intended for us.
ReCreatable leads us progressively through the impact of the creative genius of God in our lives. It points us to the reality of restored relationships, the resurrection of our role as true reflectors of God’s glory, and the revolutionary life that can be ours when we learn to be true disciples—re-created to live well for
God.
This is a great book for anyone who feels "broken" or lost, has gone through major things in their lives or feel that they can't be used of God.
The author takes us back to the beginning, (Genesis) to explain brokenness, and how brokenness came about; and how brokenness can ruin our relationships. He then brings us to the next chapter on Glory, and how God restores us.
This is a great book on discipleship, it would make a great read for pastors, leadership, and anyone interested in discipleship. It has questions at the end of every chapter, and a study guide in the back, so that one can use it one on one or even in a group.
I received this book free from the publisher . I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
February 21, 2014
I wish I had had more time to actually work through this study because I think I would have gotten more out of it if I had had the time to sit down and work through the questions at the end of each chapter. This study is so relevant today in our culture that tells us we are only worth how much we weigh, how we look or what we do for a living – but God isn’t about that, no matter what you’ve done in the past, how much you weigh or what you look like the Lord can and will redeem us and recreate us in His image and how He wants us. Is it hard to believe and hard to see – yes it is – our flesh rebels and wants that instant gratification of being in the in crowd with our peers but God has something so much better. At this time in my life I feel broken, the broken baking dish with the ruined brownies – I’m floundering and that is why this study hit home because I know the Lord wants to recreate me but it’s the idea that He can and will, on His time that makes me pause.
There are three parts of the book: reflect His glory, by living well and in a pocket of the kingdom divided into 12 chapters that go even further into the ideas of the part you’re reading. I really liked the idea that there are places where the spiritual realm is so much closer to us than we realize – it’s based on a Celtic idea that the veil of Heaven is lifted and so there is a ‘pocket’ that allows us to be closer to the Lord. If we listen and are aware we too can find those pockets – I know I’ve personally had an encounter like that many years ago. The chapters may be fairly short but the whole book is one that will have you delving deep into your life and allowing God to recreate you – as the book description says He can take those broken shards that you think are un-usable and He can put them back together into something beautiful, and even better than before – if only we get out of the way and allow Him to do His work.
**I was given a copy of this book from kregel in exchange for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given.
There are three parts of the book: reflect His glory, by living well and in a pocket of the kingdom divided into 12 chapters that go even further into the ideas of the part you’re reading. I really liked the idea that there are places where the spiritual realm is so much closer to us than we realize – it’s based on a Celtic idea that the veil of Heaven is lifted and so there is a ‘pocket’ that allows us to be closer to the Lord. If we listen and are aware we too can find those pockets – I know I’ve personally had an encounter like that many years ago. The chapters may be fairly short but the whole book is one that will have you delving deep into your life and allowing God to recreate you – as the book description says He can take those broken shards that you think are un-usable and He can put them back together into something beautiful, and even better than before – if only we get out of the way and allow Him to do His work.
**I was given a copy of this book from kregel in exchange for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given.
April 21, 2014
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
I have not read many books of this genre in the past, so I was not entirely sure what to expect. I found ReCreatable to be a fantastic book. Each chapter concludes with ideas for personal reflection and next steps. These are extremely effective as a starting point for self reflection and personal growth. I took my time reading the book, and made a point to "live" and apply what I was reading, because the information and ideas contained within are very practical to everyday life.
I really connected with the author, Kevin Scott. Mr. Scott is a pastor in Indiana. As mentioned, I have not read many books in this genre, and I was a bit afraid that I'd find the book preachy. This book is certainly not preachy in its tone. It is written in a warm manner and the reader feels that they can work toward "recreating" their personal relationship with God, and through that, recreate many other meaningful, important aspects of life.
Highly recommended for any Christian reader, not just students of religion.
I have not read many books of this genre in the past, so I was not entirely sure what to expect. I found ReCreatable to be a fantastic book. Each chapter concludes with ideas for personal reflection and next steps. These are extremely effective as a starting point for self reflection and personal growth. I took my time reading the book, and made a point to "live" and apply what I was reading, because the information and ideas contained within are very practical to everyday life.
I really connected with the author, Kevin Scott. Mr. Scott is a pastor in Indiana. As mentioned, I have not read many books in this genre, and I was a bit afraid that I'd find the book preachy. This book is certainly not preachy in its tone. It is written in a warm manner and the reader feels that they can work toward "recreating" their personal relationship with God, and through that, recreate many other meaningful, important aspects of life.
Highly recommended for any Christian reader, not just students of religion.
May 3, 2014
I read ReCreatable in exchange for honest review from Kregel Blog Tours. The book was written by Kevin Scott. I wanted to read the book, based on the subtitle: When God heals the brokenness of life.
The book teaches us, while we are all broken, we can be recreated to give God the glory and praise. Only God can heal our brokenness. Sometimes, we go to other things to heal and fill voids, such as drinking, sex, drugs, food. Yet, we still feel empty and broken inside.
The book can be used for small group discussion. At the end of each chapter, there are questions for reflection. At the back of the book, Scott provides questions for small group discussion.
The book teaches us, while we are all broken, we can be recreated to give God the glory and praise. Only God can heal our brokenness. Sometimes, we go to other things to heal and fill voids, such as drinking, sex, drugs, food. Yet, we still feel empty and broken inside.
The book can be used for small group discussion. At the end of each chapter, there are questions for reflection. At the back of the book, Scott provides questions for small group discussion.
February 21, 2014
This is an excellent study for new Christians or ones who has not put much work into their spiritual growth. Kevin knows that God wants each of us to live life to its fullest, but he also realized that we are broken. God is in the healing business, healing our brokenness. Kevin shows how God re-creates so that our broken places are returned to glory. He includes reflection questions at the end of each chapter and a group study guide at the end. See my full review at http://bit.ly/1cxBTQi.
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