Book Review : Fearless by Max Lucado
Although I’ve been aware of Max Lucado’s work for quite some time, I’ve not had a chance to read any of his books until now. As part of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program I had the opportunity to read his latest book before release. Fearless : Imagine Your Life Without Fear addresses a subject many people are familiar with.
This book takes you on an emotional and spiritual journey by exploring over a dozen possible fears facing everyone today. Each chapter examines a specific fear using a good combination of personal stories and scripture. I found each of the stories to be both relevant and moving and the large selection of scripture used to provide proof against the fear was astounding. Many times while reading, I had to pause and reflect on the words and their meaning both personally and in the larger context of the world.
From the personal development perspective, this book is light on the intellectual analyses that underscore the typical books of this space. Is that a bad thing? Well, that depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for concrete, actionable steps to deal with fear, then you’ll need to look elsewhere. However, if you’re looking for something to uplift your heart and soul, then you’ve found it.
Also included at the end of the book is a comprehensive discussion guide suitable for use in small groups and book clubs. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and went well beyond my expectations. I’ll definitely be checking out more of Max Lucado’s work in the future.
Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
- Dave
September 8th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
I’d love to know more about the fears it addresses…maybe i need to buy the book?
Also, if you review books for ThomasNelson are you a fan of Michael Hyatt. If not, read his posts, always great stuff!
brian
September 9th, 2009 at 2:42 am
I haven’t read the book, but it sounds interesting. I understand that fear is built in with us but these days we are exaggerating maybe.
Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..The Power Of Everyday
September 9th, 2009 at 6:13 am
@Brian : Yes, I am a fan of Michael Hyatt. That’s how I found out about the Thomas Nelson review program. Great stuff there.
Some of the fears covered in the book that really spoke to me are the Fear of Running Out, Fear of Overwhelming Challenges and Fear of Worst-Case Scenarios.
@Oscar : Fear does tend to be overblown these days and I have to wonder sometimes whether it’s actually fear we’re dealing with or if we’re merely using fear as an excuse for other problems. Either way, I found some food for thought in this book and that’s always a good thing.
I have an audio session by Robin Sharma on fear that I found really good as well. Robin addresses the more traditional fears that you are encountered in the personal development world such as Fear of Failure and Fear of Success and then goes on to describe actions for combating those fears. It’s a bit pricey for a 48 minute audio program but I received it bundled with something else I bought from him: https://www.robinsharma.com/shop/The-Cure-For-Fear-CD.htm.
You know, I think I may write a post about it. Thanks for the inspiration!
September 10th, 2009 at 5:49 am
Heya Dave!
I haven’t heard of this book yet, next time I’m in a bookstore I’ll keep it in mind.
The title reminds me of the movie Fearless by Jet Li. Really awesome movie. Fear is just something we create and project into our reality. That is why everyone always says face your fears, because often they are way not as scary as they seem!
CHeers!
Diggy – Upgradereality.com´s last blog ..The Timing is Never Right
September 19th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Hi Dave, I haven’t read the book, but I’m definitely going to add it to my list. I am voracious reader.
Stephen – Rat Race Trap´s last blog ..Trying Harder Isn’t Always The Answer
February 20th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
I don’t usually read Max Lucado books but this one seems to be a book I would like to check out. Fear is in all of us and sometimes it takes control and it’s hard for us to let it go. Thanks for recommending the book everyone can always use a little uplifting.