Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Fearless- Max Lucado

In Lucado’s book, "Fearless", he addresses some of the most common fears in life and mixes in personal examples, scriptural examples, and appropriate scripture verses to help people deal with each of these fears. He doesn’t make a person’s fears seem irrational or dumb, but instead the opposite. By sharing his own personal experiences, as well as examples from scripture, the reader knows that having these fears is common. There were no quick fixes or cures in this book, just reminders of scriptural promises and the author’s applications. Each person must still apply to his/her own life the principles Lucado shares, in order to benefit and live a life without fear.
While this book was written in an easy-going style, and thereby making it a fairly quick read, it is a book that should be read and re-read in order to truly be absorbed. The chapter divisions allow for easy reference if someone desires to re-read certain portions addressing specific fears. This book was not as long as I originally thought, since there was a discussion guide at the end (about 35 pages in length) that the author states can be used by individuals or groups. One of my favorite chapters was called “Woe, Be Gone” which focused on worry. Not only was it easy to relate to, but the eight steps given to deal with worry, so that it didn’t have a hold on a person, were basic and effective. I recently read this book as part of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ and while I would not go so far as to call it a “must-read”, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to address and deal with the fears in his or her life.