Today's the day that Max Lucado's latest book, Fearless, will hit bookshelves in stores and online. To be totally honest, I've never read an entire Max Lucado title from cover to cover. In spite of my best intentions, I usually find myself skimming and trolling through most of his books looking for quotable quotes, insights worded just right, and great testimonies to weave into Sunday worship sets. After reading Fearless from first word to last, I discovered a powerful message, masterfully interwoven with scripture, personal anecdotes, prayers and stories. Yes, it would be possible to glean out the choice tidbits and separate them from the whole work. However, the power of Fearless is in the way the details join together, creating a compelling, convicting and captivating case for living fearlessly.
One of my favorite chapters was "Caffeinated Life." In it, Mr. Lucado leads us down the road of "Fear of What's Next." He compares the transitions, unexpected surprises, unwelcome twists and turns in life to caffeine. We long for a safe, problem-free decaffeinated state of being. When caffeine is added, our lives go from self-reliant and "season-free" to panic and we frantically try to exchange the caff for de-caff. Mr. Lucado gives us the words of Jesus where He promises to send the Holy Spirit to go before, behind and within us. He also includes a simple metaphor of this earth quite possibly being the womb from which we are birthed into eternal glory.
In the conclusion, Mr. Lucado leaves us with a simple, beautiful psalm written by a 7-yr old young man named William. It is a psalm from which I plan to draw inspiration to write my own personal psalm of Faith & Trust & Courage.
I didn't laugh. I didn't cry. But the words in this book spoke deeply and personally to me. Fearless has been added to my current top 10 list of books to re-read and dissect and pray through. If I were to write out favorite quotes on individual sticky notes, they'd probably fill and create a beautiful mosaic on my dining room wall. Hmmm...
For more on Fearless, check out this great resource The Fearless Times from Thomas Nelson.
