Go ahead and Ask Max a question about your fears. We will periodically update the site with replies from Max to some of questions that have been submitted.

Deborah,
What you are going through is not uncommon at all. You may be a Navy SEAL, a multi-million dollar investment broker, or the Secretary of State, but it doesn’t matter. Every parent melts the moment he or she feels the full force of parenthood. Denalyn and I had many moments as parents when we didn’t know what to do. But we can take our parenting fears to Christ. In fact, if we don’t, we’ll take our fears out on our kids. Fear turns some parents into paranoid prison guards who monitor every minute, check the background of every friend. They stifle growth and communicate distrust. A family with no breathing room suffocates a child. Remember Jesus’ words, Deborah, to “fear not” when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Take a breath. Embrace prayer in these times, for it can be the saucer into which your parental fears are poured to cool.

Jason,
These are real fears, born out of legitimate concerns. Yet left unchecked, they metastasize into obsessions. The next time you find yourself facing this worst-case moment, do this. Verbalize your angst to a trusted circle of God-seekers. This is an essential step. Find your version of Peter, James, and John as your trusted and best friends. And most important, verbalize your concerns to God. Putting worries to words disrobes them. They look silly standing there naked. The big deal and good news is this: you needn’t live alone with your fear.

Dear Max,
The 1990s was an amazing time for the industry in which I worked. I was able to buy a huge house and get a fabulous new car. I even started collecting artwork from around the world. Things sure have changed in the past few years. Now my company’s sales are dropping like a rock, and I keep hearing talk about another layoff. I’m sinking and need help.
-Tom, Atlanta, GA

My friend Tom,
I feel for what you are going through and see it every day with those at Oak Hills, our church. If there were no God, trusting in your money and “stuff” would be the only appropriate response to an uncertain future. But there is a God. And this God does not want his children to trust money. Our world has brought us up to believe that money will answer it all. The accumulation of wealth is a popular defense against fear. Since we fear losing our jobs, health care, or retirement benefits, we amass possessions, thinking the more we have, the safer we are. The resounding and recurring message of Scripture is clear: God owns it all. God shares it all. Trust him, not stuff! I’ll be praying for you Tom as you and many others are going through this. Fear not!

Jonathan,
Oh, death is one that will definitely knock on our door. When I had heart surgery in 2007, I had some of my most honest of talks with God, so it has been fresh on my mind. Before that surgery, I offered up this prayer: I’m in good hands, Lord. The doctors are prepared; the staff is experienced. But even with the best of care, things happen. This could be my final night in the version of life, and I’d like you to know, if that’s the case, I’m okay. I’m writing you today, so Jesus must think I have more work to do. Let me comfort you with what Jesus tells us about death as his promise. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me . . . There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you.” Your final glimpse of life will trigger your first glimpse of him. How can we be sure he will keep this pledge? The answer rests in the Jerusalem graveyard. If Jesus’ tomb is empty, then his promise is not. Jesus experienced a physical and factual resurrection. And because he did, we will too! Jonathan, die with faith. Allow the resurrection to sink into the fibers of your heart and define the way you look at the grave.

You may have heard things about my country, Uganda, in the past few decades. We have had tyrants rule our country, and so many good people have been killed. Most of my family has been separated or killed during these attacks. Why is the world like this?
-Solomon, Uganda

Solomon,
Contrary to what we’d hope, good people aren’t exempt from violence. Jesus has a word or two about this brutal world: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28). Jesus’ disciples faced similar circumstances. Jesus had just told them to expect scourging, trials, death, hatred, and persecution. In such dyer circumstances, courage emerges, not from increased police security, but from enhanced spiritual maturity. Think about Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King and what they had to go through. Evil may have her moments, but they will be brief. I pray God will spare you such evil. May he grant you a long life with courage and the ability to trust him with every step.

I’m not sure I even believe in God. I am a bio-medical engineer, so in my field we approach things by empirical evidence. My colleagues and I discuss God and science quite often. I watch the news everyday as well and witness the utmost atrocities around the world. From what I can see, how could God even exist in this world?
-Jason, New York, NY

Jason,
I’m a fan of the great Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis respectively wrote those and were some of the brightest of their day and at the top of their game at Oxford University. They were friends and often discussed some of the same things that you do today with your colleagues. C.S. Lewis in his youth was a militant nonbeliever, devout in his resolve that God did not exist, for no God could stand for such a disaster as we call human existence. Dismissing God, he turned his attention to academics, excelling in each field he studied. He began reading the New Testament and studying this man Jesus Christ. In his conversations with colleagues he “began to know what life really is and what would have been lost by missing it.” The change revolutionized his world and, consequently, the worlds of millions of readers. Now, what caused C.S. Lewis, a gifted, brilliant, hard-core atheist, to follow Christ? Simple. He came in touch with Christ’s body, his followers, and in tune with his story, the Scriptures. Questions can make hermits out of us, driving us into hiding. Yet the cave has no answers. Christ distributes courage through community; he dissipates doubts through fellowship. He never deposits all knowledge in one person but distributes pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to many. When you interlock your understanding with mine, and we share our discoveries with them . . . When we mix, mingle, confess, and pray, Christ speaks. I suggest that you, Jason, have those conversations with friends, put your fears aside, read the New Testament, and ask God to reveal himself to you.

Isabella,
I can tell you’re feeling overwhelmed with what life is throwing at you. And when we’re overwhelmed, we tend to focus entirely on our problems. Of course, we can’t be oblivious to these challenges, but we can counterbalance them with long looks at God’s accomplishments. Remember when Peter was on the boat and asked Jesus to make him walk on the water? He focused on Jesus and was walking, and when he focused on the storm, he began sinking. Do whatever it takes to keep your gaze on Jesus. Remember this when you feel like life’s overwhelming challenges are in front of you. Feed your fears, and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will. And lastly, do not forget the ultimate promise: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age“(Matt. 28:20 NIV). I will pray for you, Isabella, that you will embrace this promise when the storms come raging again.