Book Review: Max Lucado's Fearless

In my continuing fun of reviewing books for Thomas Nelson Publishers, from whom I get free books in exchange for doing honest reviews (more info here), my next book is Max Lucado's Fearless.

Most people in American Christianity are familiar with Max Lucado. You may not like him, but you've probably heard of him. He's written or co-written several dozen books that are considered "inspirational" as well as participating in many children's books and projects. After so many books, one might think it's hard for Lucado to find something new to write about. Well, that assumption is both wrong and right.

That assumption is wrong because each of his books I have read tackle different problems. Fearless is no different. In this book, Lucado is talking about all of the things in life that can make people afraid. Whether it's the little issues in life or the big ones, this story brings out example after example of things that can be, well, scary. Lucado uses examples from historical figures, from his own life, and yes, from assumptions about you, his reader. Given his many years as a pastor, I don't doubt that each of his "anonymous hypothetical" situations have a solid basis in reality.

The assumption that he doesn't have anything new to say is also right. Lucado is, after all, a Bible-believing preacher. Whether he's writing about love, self-worth, or even fear, he's going to refer his readers to the Bible. He's going to take the examples of Christian Scripture and give guidance and instruction based on those. Which is, in fact, the great strength of Lucado's writing. His attitude is not that "Max has all the answers" but rather that "Max knows Who has all the answers."

Lucado's writing is straightforward. There's no need to search for hidden meanings in his words, no moments where you wonder where he's headed. There are some great insights and examples, and there will be moments where you think of things differently, perhaps, than you have before.

For those of you who live a life completely without fear, this book isn't for you. Buy a copy for a friend and help them get to where you are. For those of us that sometimes wake up in the night and start that litany of terrors, from burglars to terrorists to falling space debris, take a look here. You'll find the straightforward reminder that, even if the terrorists that scared away the burglars from your living room have just been hit by space debris, fear is unnecessary because we can trust God to deal with those things.

Fearless by Max Lucado is from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I should mention there's a discussion guide in the back to use the book from a group study. Which is interesting, since research claims that people fear public speaking more than anything else, including death. Also, there's a website with some excellent dynamic content at www.thefearlesstimes.com.

Also, many of you know that my lovely wife, Ann, also has a blog. Well, both of us got copies of Fearless from the Book Review Blogger program. So, why did we get two? Because we are going to give away a copy! How do you get one? Leave a comment on either blog by Wednesday, September 16th, midnight CDT, and you'll get one entry. Leave a comment on both blogs, and you'll get two entries. Leave comments on every blog that we participate in, and you'll be wasting a lot of time. Make sure we can identify you from your comment so we can contact you for an address to send the book to!