Frequently Asked Questions

Max greets visitors between services on Sundays when he’s preaching at Oak Hills Church. For an updated preaching schedule, you can call the church at (210) 698-4670.

Thanks for your interest in inviting Max to speak! You can find more information about this on our Contact page.

You may have heard that Max is semi-retired now and not keeping regular office hours, so we are not accepting books to ‘hold’ for him to sign.  We are happy, however, to send a signed bookplate for your use. Please email your request along with a mailing address to: [email protected].

As a donor-supported ministry, all financial gifts to UpWords Ministries fund our radio program, website, and other ministry-related expenses. Unfortunately, we cannot provide monetary donations to individuals or ministries. Requests for product donations can be directed to [email protected].

To request bulk discounts on ordering Max’s books, contact the Max Lucado customer support team at Christianbook.com at 1-888-764-9606.

Click here for a complete list of Max’s published work. 

If you need help finding just the right book from Max’s collection, contact the Max Lucado customer support team at Christianbook.com at 1-888-764-9606.

¿Busca los libros de Max en español? 

Click here to find UpWords on a radio station in your area.

If you have a question or difficult situation you’re working through, Max wants to make sure you get the time and attention you deserve. Due to his schedule and ministry commitments, Max isn’t able to personally help with individual requests, but he would encourage you to seek out a pastor in your area who can help you find the help or answers you’re looking for.

Max has a Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies from Abilene Christian University, a college founded by leaders in the churches of Christ. The churches of Christ are not part of an organized denomination. Each congregation is autonomous, but they share a restoration heritage similar to The Christian Church and Disciples of Christ.

Max is a teaching pastor at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. Oak Hills is an independent church, and you can find their statement of beliefs on their website.

Max uses many different versions interchangeably. Since all English Bibles are translations, Max accepts the many versions available and prayerfully invites God’s direction into his study.

Max serves as General Editor of The Lucado Encouraging Word Bible, Thomas Nelson 2020, which is available in both NIV and NKJV.

Certain decisions, like the capitalization of deity pronouns, are determined by a publisher’s “house style.” Under Thomas Nelson Publisher’s house style and according to the Chicago Manual of Style, deity pronouns are not capitalized.

There is no such thing as upper or lower case in Hebrew, and original Greek manuscripts were written in all uppercase letters. So this is more a question of English style than about conforming to original biblical texts.

You can view Max’s sermons anytime on Oak Hills Church website. However, Max uses his sermon notes to write his books, so the sermon transcripts are not published or distributed publicly.

We would love for Max’s writing to encourage as many people as possible. If you’d like to make a small number of copies to share with friends or use in ministry, you’re welcome to do that. We would just request that you follow these guidelines:

• Your usage will be limited and not-for-profit.
• Any material by Max Lucado shall be used in its original format, unedited.
• You must include an attribution line that states the following: [Book Title]
  Copyright [Publisher, Copyright date] Max Lucado
  Used by permission

For any of the above attribution information or any additional questions, please contact us at [email protected] or through the contact form on our website.

Yes! We’d love for Max’s writing to encourage as many people as possible, and you’re welcome to share it on your website. If you choose to do so, we would just ask that you follow these guidelines:

• Clearly state that the article is by Max Lucado.
• Do not alter the wording.
• Link to the original article on the Max Lucado website.
• Do not charge for it.

All of Max’s published works are licensed to various publishers, so any request to quote, translate, adapt, or create a commercial derivative work based on one of Max’s trade books must be directed to the book’s original publisher.  For more information or additional questions on usage, please contact us at [email protected] or through the contact form on our website.

Max Lucado appreciates your request to endorse your work, but must decline.  Because of the weekly–often daily– requests, it is no longer possible for him to contribute his name and a complimentary word for new projects.

This new policy comes after prayerful consideration.  While Pastor Lucado desires to encourage other authors, it is not possible to read each manuscript.

We pray the very best for you and your project.  May God use you and your writing to inspire, encourage, and comfort your readers.

In addition to a busy schedule that wouldn’t allow Max to help everyone he’d want to, legal restrictions prevent him from reviewing unpublished works or proposals.

For writing questions, we recommend JerryJenkins.com and AuthorCoaching.com. For editorial questions, we recommend Westbow Press.

Max is passionate about writing. Here are a few pieces of advice he’s learned across his writing journey:

• Let your life be your first draft. You’ll never write better than you live, so live with integrity—love grumpy neighbors, feed hungry people, strive to live more like Jesus did.
• Write with clarity. Make sure every single sentence contributes to the message of the book (or whatever else you may be writing).
• Self-edit. Make every word earn its place on the page.
• Read your work out loud—to yourself and to others. What sounds good to you must sound good to other people, too.
• Let editors do their job. A little red ink won’t hurt you. A lot of red ink might save you.
• If you want to be a writer, write. Write every day, write from the heart, write whether you’re feeling inspired or not. Just write.

For more encouraging information and writing tips, visit Max’s Tips and Tools for Aspiring Authors.

Getting published is a journey, and if you’re at the start of the road, Max has been in your shoes. Here are a few things he’s learned:

• Join a writers group, It’s a great way to get feedback on your work. (Don’t ask family and friends for feedback—they love you, so it’s hard for them to be objective.)
• Attend a writers conference. It’s a great place to network with other writers and meet editors and literary agents.
• Study Writer’s Market. It’s a great resource and contains an excellent directory of publishers.
• When you’re ready to submit, try smaller publishing houses first, and be sure to familiarize yourself with their submission guidelines.
• Finally, don’t get discouraged—rejection is part of the process. Max wrote seventeen query letters before receiving one positive response from a publisher.