The Reluctant Disciple by Robin Lou is a great story done in fable style. I like these types of books because the author communicates the basic message of the book in a relatable style. Lencioni, Blanchard and others use this style with great effectiveness. Pou joins this illustrious group of writers with "The Reluctant Disciple."

Robin Pou is an executive coach and speaker with previous author experience, but this is his first venture into this type of writing. The tale takes us on a journey most have taken with careers. Focusing on the business and not on the other important parts of our lives often gets us bogged down and miserable. Our hero is no different until a life changing experience changes his perspective and his future. While the book has a Christian focus, the practicality of the lessons taught would benefit anyone. I really enjoyed the book and hope Robin Pou will continue the tale with a second book on how our hero adapts what he discovered marooned in the mountains into practical steps in business, family and faith.

The Reluctant Disciple is refreshingly honest. Robin Pou doesn’t present discipleship as something neat and easy—instead, he acknowledges the struggle, the doubts, and the hesitations that often come with following Jesus. But rather than leaving us stuck there, he shows how even our reluctance can be part of the journey toward deeper faith.

What I appreciate most is Pou’s realness. This isn’t a book full of clichés or overly polished advice—it’s raw, vulnerable, and incredibly relatable. If you’ve ever wrestled with your faith or wondered if you’re getting this whole discipleship thing “right,” this book will be both a comfort and a challenge.

Do you struggle with the conflict between being a worker and a disciple? This is one book that will help you be a better disciple in the workplace.

This is a short novel about a successful businessman going through a spiritual awakening. Think The Shack but a lot more run-of-the-mill. It's being touted as "inspirational parable of spiritual self-discovery" probably because its literary chops are barely enough to constitute a "novel." That said, I got through it, so it's not all bad.

There is some plot and character development (a bit uneven and unbelievable), but it's mostly a lot of Christian spirituality-speak which tries to sound conversational. Most of it is sound, occasionally it is insightful. I particularly appreciated the emphasis on God being intelligent (and therefore trustworthy).

It's cheesy in its straightforwardness and blunt in its aesthetics, and that might appeal to the audience it's intended for. There are three moments in the book where the guru-type characters talk about the Old Testament language being Greek, which, given the nature of the writing, I think was unironic and therefore a pretty big gaffe.