Max on Life, by Max Lucado

Not having read any of his 50 plus books, I'm probably not the best person to give a review on Max Lucado's latest book, Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions. But alas, I was given a copy of this book for free from Thomas Nelson publishers in exchange for an honest review, so here goes.

I know of Max Lucado only by the reputation I formulated from hearing his name repeatedly on Christian radio, occasionally on TV, seeing his books populating Christian bookstores and hearing others occasionally recommending one of his many books. He is one of America's most widely read Christian authors, and has been a pastor and author for quite a long time as I understand it.

With the territory of being such a highly respected teacher and leader comes the responsibility of receiving and replying to countless questions on tough life issues. I'm only a young minister and, I can vouch that when certain people see you as a minister they want to ask you for advice on all kinds of life issues. I can't imagine how many of these questions Mr. Lucado has received during his lifetime. This book is the result of those questions.

I was a little put off by the title, or really subtitle, of the book as it seemed a bit pretentious. One small book claiming to provide at least insights and at best answers to my most important questions. My guess is that Max himself is far more humble than this book's subtitle (probably a ploy by the publisher to boost sales).

The book is split up into seven chapters/sections alliterated (like a good southern preacher) all with the letter "H." The topics are: Hope, Hurt, Help, Him/Her, Home, Haves/Have-Nots, and Hereafter. These serve as broad categories into which the 171 different questions are sorted. Each page is headed by a question, presumably written to Max by a reader/parishioner/listener/fan/groupie, and the rest of the page is dedicated to his response. Most of the responses are finished within one page; however, about 10% spill over to the next.

The format makes the book very readable. I didn't read every single question, but my guess is the book is not intended for that. I browsed the chapters scanning for questions I'd be curious to ask, and then read those responses.

The questions themselves are not censored. Anything seems to be fair game in this book. Max addresses issues such as:

Why am I here? What's my purpose on earth? Where is God in doldrum days? Where is God in suffering? How do I respond to the death of a neighbor's child? Why do children die of cancer? How do I best handle conflict at work? Conflict with my spouse? Conflict with kids? Why should I go to church? What about sexual issues in marriage? What about sex outside of marriage? Teen sex? How do we heal a broken marriage? A broken heart? Is there any chance of a second chance? How should I handle my finances? What about different opinions on marriage finances? What about heaven? What about hell? Do people who've never heard of Christianity go to hell? Is there a hell for real? How do I handle my grief? Can get angry at God? Is God angry at me?

I found myself going back and fourth between screaming in disagreement and falling silent at his wise words that spoke right to me and my issues. From my perspective, on questions that typically dealt with intense grief, loss, shame or other deep emotional issues, I felt Max was not connecting with the asker's pain, and more often he seemed to be sticking a theological band-aid on their question sealed with a Bible verse. I also had some clear theological disagreements with him on topics of hell, salvation, God's judgement and homosexuality.

On issues that dealt with marriage, conflict, child rearing, family issues, spiritual formation, pride, reconciliation, God's love and self-critique, Max really shined. His years as a pastor and teacher serve him well on these questions as he's able to cut right to the heart of the matter, often pointing out less-than- obvious core problems, which later turn into symptoms or issues. One can easily tell that Max Lucado is a lover of people. He seems to write from a servant's heart and is convicted of what he believes.

I'd recommend this book to those who've read a lot of Max Lucado and wish to continue to follow him as an author. If you've been spiritually fed by him in the past and enjoy his words and insights, this book may be a fun one to read. The writing is clear and Max is chummy and anecdotal at times. Max on Life is a good addition to one's already healthy Lucado library.