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Fully Alive: Lighten Up and Live -- A Journey that Will Change Your Life

Review

Fully Alive: Lighten Up and Live -- A Journey that Will Change Your Life

Ken Davis is a bestselling author, radio/television guest, and prolific speaker who teaches speaking skills to ministry professionals and corporate executives. He has a daily radio show called “Lighten Up!” and frequently interjects personal and comedic stories into his messages.

"Reading this motivational resource will have Christians rethinking how they view life, while Davis’ exuberance toward living fully alive will get even the most sedentary-minded individual a most welcome kick in the attitude."

In his new book, FULLY ALIVE, Davis opens his topic with a harrowing true account of camping with his wife and three young granddaughters. What had been a perfect family outing turned into a nightmare after four-year-old Jadyn wandered off on her own and got lost. Every parent’s (and grandparent’s) worst possible scenario was unfolding as Davis and his wife began frantically searching for their beloved granddaughter. Hours passed, and professionals began the search for the small child as well. Eventually, Jadyn was found unharmed, and in the most unexpected place; unlike most children who stray, she took the path up the hill instead of down. Emotionally spent, Davis tells this story as one of the stakes in the ground that God used to awaken him from a life a mediocrity and force him on to the path of the living.

Davis spends the remainder of the book on how to get moving again and living a life that honors God by fully engaging in it by telling countless personal anecdotal stories that illustrate specific points where he got “stuck” and what “unstuck” him. Davis writes, “How often we go through life beating on one familiar door screaming, ‘Something is wrong! Let me through this door!’ If we would just relax and turn around, there might be another door open for us. But people with tunnel vision never do that. They have their eyes on this one door --- this is what it has to be.” He shares how many times in his life he has espoused this limiting tunnel vision, banging on one door while lots of other doors are open all around him waiting for him to walk through. Cultivating a broader view toward life is not only freeing, it’s expanding and will allow individuals more opportunities for success while they enjoy a fuller life in the process.

Davis tackles another weighty yet all-too-common problem for people feeling stuck in life: excessive body weight. After spying a photo of himself at the beach, he realized with sudden horror just how much weight he had to lose. So he began a lifestyle plan (much of which is shared throughout the book) to remake his body by changing his eating and exercise habits. With colorful photos to display his personal transformation, Davis offers readers lots of practical tips for getting back into good physical condition while simultaneously recharging their emotional, mental and spiritual selves in the process.

Reading this motivational resource will have Christians rethinking how they view life, while Davis’ exuberance toward living fully alive will get even the most sedentary-minded individual a most welcome kick in the attitude.

Reviewed by Michele Howe on July 18, 2012

Fully Alive: Lighten Up and Live -- A Journey that Will Change Your Life
by Ken Davis