On the Anvil: Max Lucado's First Book

by Max Lucado

We are all somewhere in the Blacksmith's shop. We are either on the scrap pile, in the Master's hands on the anvil, or in the tool chest. (Some of us have been in all three.) In this collection of writings, best-selling author Max Lucado takes us on a tour of the “shop.” We'll examine all tools and look in all corners, from the shelves to the workbench, from the water to the fire. And for you who make the journey—who leave the heap and enter the fire, dare to be pounded on God's anvil, and doggedly seek to discover your own purpose—take courage, for you await the privilege of being called “God's chosen instruments.” This new edition includes discussion questions and a new foreword from the author.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Devotional, Christian Non Fiction, Spirituality, Religion

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

With more than 150 million products in print and several NYT bestsellers, Max Lucado is America's bestselling inspirational author. He serves the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Denalyn, and their mischievous mutt, Andy. His most recent book published in August 2024 and is titled What Happens Next.

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Reviews

[Kellie O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this amazing and heartfelt book!! To be honest, I didn't know what an anvil was, I had to look it up. It's a blacksmith tool used for molding and shaping objects for use. Which makes perfect sense because we need to be shaped and molded in order for God to use us! Sometimes, it could be a painful process but it's always worth it! This is Max Lucados ' first book and the only one his Dad got to read before he passed away. This is a beautiful dedication page:

"TO MY MOTHER AND FATHER,
two people with the courage of a giant and the heart of a child." 🌹

This book is a collection of his writings before he was married and had children. It touches on every emotion and everything you could imagine from children, adults, relationships which is our most precious commodity, to suicide and marriage .... you name it, it's there. So very many life lessons in this book. I'll share my favorite one:

" Pound, pound, pound.
I hope that you're not on the anvil ( unless you need to be, and if so, I hope you are.) Anvil time is not to be avoided, it's to experienced. Although the tunnel is dark, it does go through the mountains. Anvil time reminds us of who we are and who God is. To escape it could be to escape God. God sees our life from beginning to end." I'm glad that He does and He knows what form He needs us to be!

" Just give me a tear --- a heart ready to mold
And I'll give you a mission
A message so bold.
That a fire will be stirred where there was only death
And your heart will be flamed by my
Life and my breath."

" This, my God, is my prayer:
Draw me from your fire,
From your anvil,
Shape me with your hands
And let me be your tool."🔥

Are you ready to be used by God?

Enjoy and Happy Reading 💫 ✨ 🛡️🧰💙🕊️

[Jack Dombroski · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

I got this at a Men’s retreat at my church and I loved every chapter. This is Lucado’s first book and it might just be his best. No Christian is exempt from God’s anvil, we need to be reforged and reshaped. The question is how do we respond in obedience? I think Lucado did a good job using practical advice, personal stories, and some Godly wisdom to give us some steps to take next time we are on the anvil.

[Coplea · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Time on God’s anvil should [...] clarify our mission and define our purpose. [...] Our Master does not play games with us. We know who we are. We know what we are for.”

oops i read the whole thing today.

this book isn’t a novel or a story, but a compilation of musings on the way the Lord molds our hearts. it reads like a more staccato version of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. i thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

49 short insights on life and being in unpleasant conditions in life.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes early attempts are not the best.

I'm a longtime fan of the Christian band Audio Adrenaline, but their very first album is an assault on my ears...and that's coming from someone who has given their other albums countless spins!

Such is the case here with Max Lucado's first book.

While there is some good content here, there's a lot of wasted space, and the chapters are so short, it's almost like a Twitter feed.

Mr. Lucado admits in the foreword that this wasn't his best book, and I'd agree; unless you're a die-hard fan of his writings, I'd suggest reading one of his other published works. Even It's Not About Me, which suffered from some of the same problems, had more fulfilling content than this.

[Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Série de histórias.
Engraçado, de fácil leitura
nós
Todos nós podemos prever durante a semana os momentos em que seremos mais golpeados. Qual a melhor maneira de tratar esses períodos? Levante o ânimo com mais orações e não desista.

Treinador fica na sala de imprensa para ter uma perspectiva diferente. As vezes também temos de fazer isso , sair do jogo para poder vê.lo.

Tirar um dia afastado de tudo e procurar na alma. Avaliar a alma

Pega numa caneta e num pedaço de papel vai para onde possas ficar sozinho. Descobre um lugar em que te possas isolar durante uma hora para pensar sem interrupção. Depois senta te. Pega numa caneta e ... Escreve as coisas em que acreditas. Não as que pensas e especulas. Mas aquelas nas quais tens fé. Põe no papel todas essas convicções firmes:
1)Existe um Deus cujo maior interesse é saber se eu o amo ou não
2)Tenho uma razão para viver
3) o dinheiro nao é a resposta, portanto a abundância ou falta dele não irá dominar.me.
4) jamais morrerei
5) minha família me ama e eu a amo
6) viverei eternamente e o céu está próximo
7) sou eu que controlo o meu temperamento e não vice versa
8) posso mudar o meu mundo
9) o elemento mais importante no mundo é outro ser humano

Olha para a tua lista. É sólida? Coloca a num lugar que tenhas acesso ( carteira). Da próxima vez que te insultarem , que estiveres abalado... Tira a lista e olha para ela.. alguma das coisas foi abalada? Alguma verdade indiscutível foi ameaçada?
Se sabes o que é importante e o que é trivial, então nada neste mundo te poderá amarrar.
Romanos 7:15 eu não entendo o que faço porque não faço as coisas boas que quero fazer. Ao contrário, faço as coisas nas que odeio fazer

Rm 7:24 miserável homem que eu sou! Quem me poderá salvar deste corpo que me conduz para a morte?

Pág 118. Obrigado por me amar senhor.. mesmo quando me sinto espiritualmente vazio, quando meu despertador é meu inimigo n. 1 e quando as minhas meias não combinam. Porque sei que o seu amor dependesse da minha atuação, eu estaria em dificuldades..

160
Jamais faça comentários sobre alguém que não possa repetir diante da pessoa em questão . Não fale coisas negativas sobre alguém a não ser que a pessoa esteja presente para te responder. Recuse .se a ouvir mexericos. Procure fazer comentários positivos sobre as pessoas que estão sendo discutidas. Lembre.se : a língua é fogo. ( Tiago 3:6)

[Zoë Birss · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this book were caught in a breeze, all its content would be at risk of blowing away.

There is hardly anything to this book at all. It's even shorter than it looks, with each "chapter" barely two pages, and reading like an eighteen year old youth group leader's unedited tumblr blog posts, or even merely Facebook updates.

I have been grateful for Max Lucado's later writing. But I'm not sure how this one even was published. There is very little to justify why these short reflections even belong together.

The writing style and quality is horribly inconsistent.

Most of the book
is very shallow
and
cliche,
written
in a style
that pretends

at

...depth.

Many of the reflections do not give a clear enough connection from anecdote to conclusion without making a lot of assumptions. Some are very poorly reasoned, or simply unsound.

There are a few nuggets in here worth giving the book two stars rather than one, but the book isn't worth wading through to find them.

[Susan Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the anvil is Max Lucado’s first book which he wrote 40 years ago. It’s a collection of thoughts he initially wrote for his church’s newsletter when he became a pastor, not realising they would appeal to a wider audience. There’s a rawness and inconsistency about the articles which give them a sense of authenticity.

Lucado uses the analogy of being in a blacksmith’s shop to divide his thoughts into three groups: The pile of broken tools, On the anvil and, An instrument for noble purposes. Some people feel they’re broken tools on the scrap heap, others feel they’re on God’s anvil being shaped, while others are in the tool shed ready to be used for noble purposes. At different times in our lives, we may feel we are, or have been, in all these different places.

While the book is a little dated and doesn’t flow as well as Lucado’s later books, it still contains many helpful illustrations from his own life and the Bible. Max can put himself and us into the biblical stories and make them come alive in unexpected ways.

Overall a worthwhile read with helpful insights.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very pedestrian. I appreciate that it was his first book, but it's very didactic in tone...the stories are transparent...just not an engaging read. The one important thing I found, though, was chapter 43. The rest can disappear, but chapter 43 is important wisdom for all. I was hoping it would be more focused on the anvil analogy than it was, as my grandfather was a blacksmith and I love those types of anologies...but it was disappointing at best...the kind of book you just muscle through so you can get to the next one. Frankly, I'm surprised he found a publisher for this one. But...we all start somewhere, and just look where he has ended up!

[Sandy Gilliard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful

As a new Pastor, even though I'm almost 71 years old , I've been encouraged to press on in this calling God has placed upon my life with my bride of 48 years by my side. There are times when failures of my past haunt me and cripple what God is trying to accomplish through me and I read these examples of others that face the same issues, then I know I must make sure I'm hearing the right voice and know that He has equipped me for which He has called me. Thank you Max, this has been such a blessing.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction for this edition indicates this was the first of his books and was drawn from articles written for the weekly church bulletin. I enjoyed it because he generally packs a lot in to the short entries. The idea for the whole book is the process of God molding and shaping us. The section headings are: The Pile of Broken Tools, On the Anvil, An Instrument for Noble Purposes. The shortness of the entries made it easy reading as a bedtime devotional with plenty to ponder afterwards.

[Heather]

“There is something about a living testimony that gives us courage. Once we see someone else emerging from life’s dark tunnels, we realize that we, too, can overcome.”

A pocket size volume of encouragement and conviction for a follower of Christ. Each chapter is a vignette of sorts covering all manner of topics. There are questions for introspection at the end of each chapter. I’ve marked several nuggets that I will be revisiting.

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Max Lucado explains in the beginning, these short stories were originally written for a weekly church bulletin. I found some to be inspiring and thought-provoking, while others were just plain amusing. I enjoyed the insight into Max Lucado's life and look forward to reading more of his books.

Note: My favorites were chapters 16-19, 35, and 36.

[Kerstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was the first book he published, long before he became commercialized and a bestselling author. This is a book for the broken, forgotten, and discarded people that sit inside & outside the church. It is a loving reminder that God has a purpose for you and that He will continue to shape you into someone He can use in His kingdom.

[Adiah Oloma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book for others to read. Who are you, who's purpose are you living for, yours of God's, are you living a life knowing that when your years on this life is to elapse, you can say you lived it well pleasing to God. I haven't read any of this author's book before now, but I sure do enjoyed this.

[Daiana Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Todos los libros de Max Lucado son fabulosos

Le pongo tres estrellas, porque claramente no es su obra maestra , es más, creo que es uno de sus primeros libros y los capítulos son muy cortos y muy aislados

Pero todo lo que Max escribe, siempre toca mi corazón y me genera alegría y me acerca a Dios.

Es corto, fácil de leer .

[Veronica Basel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, everyday stories of inspiration that give you a little glimmer of God’s grace in each chapter! Max Lucado writes so well and easy to read I had to slow myself down to sit with the sweet messages and not speed through it and miss things!

[GShi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories with incredible impact. No one likes active refinement. It's seringly painful. Yet when God, our blacksmith, refines us and reshapes us on His anvil, we are stronger products of Himself in us.

[Allie Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would read this book before bed and it is laid out as short thought provoking stories that did make me think about my relationship with God, others, and the person I am becoming. I enjoyed it as a quick read.

[Mark Ennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

inspirational

[Emy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good one.. quite an assorted collection!

[Sally Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

An older book, and not as great as his writing gets later on, but still wonderful. Words of wisdom and faith. I love Max Lucado's writings.

[Lloyd Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always another great book by Max

[Darrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read devotional book. There are some true gems in there. As expected, Lucado is one of the most quotable authors today; this book is no exception.

[Christian Pasquet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sin duda, el mejor libro de Max Lucado de los que leí hasta la fecha. Sorpresa, es el primero que escribió. La frescura del mensaje es lo mejor. Recomendado para leer al menos un par de veces al año.

[Laurel Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, inspirational essays, some of his first.

[Emily Hatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my 2nd book I’ve read by Max Lucado. I loved this book’s length and the chapters were so interesting in their content. Look forward to more books by him!!!

[Olivia Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good story illustrations.

[Vicki Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Lucado book I ever read.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was his first book... but still some beautiful nuggets of truths.