A great portion of society views God as distant, removed, uninvolved, and personally unknowable. And His son Jesus Christ, even more so. Is it possible that Jesus is not that distant? Is it possible that He cares and wants to be involved in our day to day lives? In his book, “Next Door Savior”, Max Lucado argues that such a Savior exists. As a result, Lucado writes, “we can’t ignore him.” He presents Jesus Christ as the prize of Christianity. He is the great reward of our faith, not a better life, money in the bank, or multiple cars in the garage. Jesus Himself. Lucado sets forth to illustrate the closeness and nearness of Jesus using the imagery of a next-door neighbor. His premise is to present Jesus, fully God and fully human, in a real manner, just as real as the person living next door. He is not merely a spirit, a distant part of our imagination, or an out-of-touch adviser. Instead, He is real. Near. Concerned. Involved.

Lucado breaks the book down into two parts: No Person He Won’t Touch and No Place He Won’t Go. Each chapter is based upon a specific bible story mixed with personal experience and  Lucado-esque style of wording. He uses the life of Peter, a blind man, Lazarus, and the woman with an issue of blood to demonstrate that Jesus was, and is, willing to involve Himself in the lives of people. Lives that are often complicated, dirty, and messy. This is a great book. It is a very easy read, as are most of Lucado’s books. Next Door Savior was just as I expected it to be. If you have read even one of Lucado’s books, then you know what is coming next. I found nothing new in the content. He had handled the same stories in past books. If you are looking for a deeper treatment of these stories, it won’t be found here. Encouraging. A good inspirational book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”