In the introduction to The Jesus Habits, author Jay Dennis establishes that, in the scriptures, Jesus demonstrated a number of ways of living that modern Christians should adopt in order to follow more closely in his path. He calls Jesus the "consummate example for successful living." Throughout the book, he explains these behaviors and shares the scriptural basis for his assertions.

The book is broken into 31 short chapters, easy to read in one sitting, which could therefore be used as daily meditations.

A lot of the behaviors are somewhat expected, such as prayer, listening, faith and kindness. Because the author is an evangelical Christian, he also includes many assertions that the scripture calls for spreading the word of Christ. But he also states many times that it's more important to lead by example than to force ideas on others. He said that Jesus showed that, if you live in an exemplary way, mindful of God's teachings, people will naturally want to know more.

Some of the most interesting aspects of the book actually come from non-scriptural sources, in little sidebars that contain related jokes or newspaper clippings. They're the sort of stories a pastor might incorporate into a sermon to underline a point.

The main problem with the book is that it doesn't produce much that's new or interesting. The author relies on a number of well-known passages, to which he returns again and again, such as Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well.

Still, the book can be a good tool for daily meditation, especially for evangelist Christians. Since he steers away from controversial political statements, other Christian readers are also likely to find much of the book inspirational.

Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005: ISBN 0-8054-3127-6