The Tallest of Smalls

Max Lucado’s The Tallest of Smalls

When I first read Max Lucado’s Fearless and learned about the people of Stiltsville, I thought it to be a rather amusing way of relating a serious issue. Imagine my surprise when I saw the illustration be turned into a children’s book.

Lucado’s The Tallest of Smalls is a children’s book that uses didactic poetry and beautiful, earth toned, illustrations to tell a story. The story is about the Stiltsvillians and their caste system; dividing their people between those with stilts and those without. It tells the story of a little boy named Ollie and his desire to be picked as one of those that receive a set of stilts. Only those citizens whose names are picked can receive their stilts. Otherwise, they are left on the ground with the others.

One night Ollie’s name is called to receive a pair of stilts. Once he was elevated on his stilts he began to learn that it was not as easy as he once thought it was. He experienced trouble and eventually fell of his stilts. When he was at his lowest and no one else was there to help, he is helped by Jesus and given some advice that changes his life.

The Tallest of Smalls is a great book that helps children understand self-esteem and the love of Jesus. Lucado’s book helps children understand that they do not have to fear what others might say. Because no matter if a child’s peers do not pick them to play or consider them to be cool, there is always someone that loves us just for who we are and nothing more.

Fearless

Max Lucado's Fearless

Wow! Amazing! Superb! Those were words going through my mind as I read Fearless. Max Lucado’s book Fearless tackles the topic of understanding how to handle fear in a Christian life the way his book He Chose the Nails tackled the topic of understanding how God’s love is unconditional for a Christian. This was the first Lucado book I’ve read since He Chose the Nails, and like that book, I will be buying extra copies to give to people for their edification.

In Fearless, Lucado has a great balance of humor and poignancy that help the reader through the book. A few of my favorite Points-to-Ponder (PTP) from the book are as follows:

PTP#1: “Fear, at its center, is a perceived loss of control. When life spins wildly, we grab for a component of life we can manage…The more insecure we feel, the meaner we become” (p. 9).

PTP#2: “Jesus faced his ultimate fear with honest prayer” (p. 83).

This is so true in our life. When we lose control of events and life begins to become chaotic and in disarray, immediately we turn to fear when we should be turning to God for direction and peace. We much too often forget that going to God in prayer over a situation has greater results than when we try to handle the problems causing our fear.

I would highly recommend Fearless to anyone struggling with thoughts of fear. The time I spent in the book has been enriching, and there are many PTP that I will take with me for further meditation. This book came to me at the right time in my life. Thank you Max Lucado!

I've not updated this in a long time, but I'd like to get into writing about different books and websites that help make like easier and practical for the Christian. I might throw in a few musings every now and then, too.