Reckless Faith

Embracing a life without limits.

That is the tagline for Kevin Harney's new book, Reckless Faith.

I have to say, a life without limits sounds very appealing.  I have tended to be a more cautious kind of guy when it comes to taking risks.  The idea of taking a risk sounds exciting but in practical applications, I tend not to take the leap I so want to take.  A risk always seems fraught with a bit of danger and to me danger also means I could get hurt.  Since I am not a fan of pain, I tend to limit my risk taking.

Though I tend to be cautious when taking physical risks, I am the opposite when it comes to matters of faith.  I am much more willing to take a risk in this area.  Reckless Faith seeks to address those spiritual risks head on.

The author challenges the reader to count the cost, take a chance and to live a life of reckless faith.  He shows the reader how to have reckless love, generosity, service, relationships, prayers and words.  I found myself even more encouraged to step into the grand adventure God has for us.  I have heard people say that we should be bold for God, take risks and try for the "impossible".  In all of these calls to action, I very rarely hear wisdom spoken of.  Kevin Harney writes frequently of the Responsible Recklessness Matrix in this book and it is one of the best pieces of wisdom I have seen when it comes to taking risks in our spiritual life.

The matrix is broken into 3 parts: Prayer, Perspective and Patience.  He breaks these 3 down and applies it to taking risks.  We can apply this matrix to any aspect of our decision making process and I believe if more Christians did so, we would not only impact the world around us in new and exciting ways but would also minimize the glaring mistakes that tend to be made when we charge ahead like a bull in a china shop.

This is a book I highly recommend.  If you read this book and don't feel the impetus to take risks for God, you may want to check your pulse!

This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. It is available at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing group.