Max Lucado’s Cast of Characters

I received Cast of Characters in July, but left it behind as I went on vacation. Then it got lost among the accumulations of summer. I am so sorry it did. This is a delightful, humorous, but very poignant look at some famous and not-so-famous people in the Bible. I wish I had read it earlier.


Max Lucado re-introduces us to God’s “cast of characters”, showing us how ordinary they were, but how we can learn valuable lessons by watching them in the stories they enact in the pages of Scripture. There are the obvious, such as Peter, Job, Paul and Joseph. There are the obscure, such as Mephibosheth. And there are characters from parables who come alive in a fresh way at the pen of Lucado.

Through all these people, Lucado focuses not so much on them, but the God behind them: the “Uncommon God” in Whose hands we all are. We are urged to allow God to work us and work through us to do uncommon things, as He did with all the twenty plus examples in the book.

The book is an easy read, refreshing and challenging. Each chapter is followed by questions to help the reader (or a group of readers) assimilate the lesson offered by the character(s) of that chapter.

Treat yourself to Max Lucado’s Cast of Characters.

Jesus Manifesto - review

Jesus Manifesto is a short book and quick read, but it is full of reflections about the basis of our Christian faith. It challenges the reader to define what each of us actually believes in. Writing this, it seems obvious that what we should believe in is Jesus Christ. And yet, the authors show examples of people whose faith is based on causes, ideas, and ways of life that are inspired by Jesus, even in imitation of Jesus, but that are not Jesus Himself.


Reading along, I could hear Church meetings I have been part of and realize that as well-intentioned as those are, they were not focused on the basis of Christian Faith: the person of Jesus. And yet, in a number of places, I felt that the authors were setting up straw men and then shooting them down. Their perception that so many who call themselves Christians but who are in fact focused in the wrong direction may be a bit overstated. People may not be able to express the basis of their belief as eloquently as the authors, but that does not mean Jesus is not in their hearts. And at times the authors use too many quotes to support their simple point. But their simple point is a good one for all Christians to reflect on.

I received the book, written by written by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola, from Thomas Nelson Publishers via a website called BookSneeze.com. They sent me the book to review for free in return for my honest opinion.