A Daring Faith in a Cowardly World: Live a Life Without Waste, Regret, or Anything Unfinished

“There is only one path to joy.... That is complete abandonment to Christ,” contends Harrison (Rise of the Servant Kings), CEO of the fraternal Christian Promise Keepers organization, in this lackluster guide. After a near-fatal jet ski accident, Harrison realized he had been going through the motions of Christianity: “Christian life had been duty without passion, resisting sin without hatred of it.” The author details how he afterward pursued a deeper faith, and he uses personal and historical anecdotes to illustrate practicing “courage” through belief. For example, Harrison tells the story of English Reformation leader Thomas Cranmer, who stood by his beliefs at penalty of death, commending Cranmer’s bravery and noting that “fearlessness and joy go together.” Some contradictions, however, will leave readers confused, such as when the author writes, “The message isn’t for you to do more—it’s for you to fall in love with Jesus,” only to later assert that salvation hinges on doing “good works.” Additionally, tone-deaf remarks tend to distract, as when Harrison notes that speaking with a flippant doctor “was like talking to someone who worked at McDonald’s.” This misses the mark. (June)