I had the amazing opportunity to read Max Lucado’s new book before it hit the shelves! Fearless – his greatest accomplishment to date, in my opinion – invites us all to imagine our lives without fear, and states a case for such fearless living. The cure to fear and anxiety here, though, involves no medication….no psychotherapy….but uses the message and life of Jesus Christ to combat the irrational fears thrown at us by the world. These fears are many; Lucado cites a shocking statistic to prove this point: “ordinary schoolchildren today are more fearful than psychiatric patients were in the 1950s.” (p.5) That shocked me, and made me realize how much our world needs this book. It’s not just me.
As a chronically anxious and fearful person, the invitation to a fearless life is one I can get excited about. As the author goes through the most common fears people face today, he strategically, systematically, and soundly shoots each one down until it makes little sense in the light of Jesus’ message. (Plus, in his typical style, there are some pretty amazing real-life illustrations to drive each point home.) He tackles (and teaches us how to tackle) the fear of not mattering and the fear of violence and many others, but my favorite chapters (which are underlined and highlighted and starred all over the place) were those addressing the fear of running out and the fear of not protecting my kids.
Basically, if you’re ever kept up at night worrying, or if random fears strike you at random times during the day, or if there are things you try not to think about because you’ll break out in a cold sweat….you should read this book. Actually, everyone should read this, as it reminds us that Jesus came to bring us a life of peace, not fear, and that He has conquered it all. We all need that reminder.
Fearless hits the shelves today, so be on the lookout for it and grab a copy if you can! There’s also a small-group study with DVD curriculum based on the book. If you want more information, check out the Thomas Nelson Publishers website.
2 of your thoughts:
I LOVE Max Lucado! He's the only author I can read who doesn't write stories!!!
My word verification says "inest" except I don't.
Lucado is one of my favorite authors as well. I will have to get this book because I sometimes find myself so fearful of stupid things, such as my kids are going to die from black widow bites, or fear of what others think of me. I will have to check it out. Thanks for the review.
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