The Great House of God by Max Lucado

God's greatest desire is to be your dwelling place. The home for your heart.

He doesn't want to be merely a weekend getaway. He has no interest in being a Sunday bungalow or even a summer cottage. He wants to be your mailing address, your point of reference, your home...always. He wants you to live in the Great House of God.

Using the Lord's Prayer as a floor plan, bestselling author Max Lucado takes you on a tour of the home God intended for you. Warm your heart by the fire in the living room. Nourish your spirit in the kitchen. Seek fellowship in the family room. Step into the hallway and find forgiveness.

It's the perfect home for you. After all, it was created with you in mind. There's only one home built just for your heart. No house more complete, no structure more solid.

The roof never leaks. The walls never crack. The foundation never trembles.

In God's house, you're home. So come into the house built just for you. Your father is waiting.

My Review:
When I realized that this book takes The Lord's Prayer and uses it as a floor plan of the House of God, I remembered hearing a similar sermon many years ago. Since the publishing date is 1997, perhaps my pastor used Lucado's book as a guide for that sermon. Good idea, I say!

Max Lucado takes an in-depth look into the most famous prayer. He breaks down The Lord's Prayer by words and phrases. He entertains with scripture and personal anecdotes which reminds the reader of the greatness of God.

Included is a chapter-by-chapter study guide with three sections for each chapter: Let Us Ponder, Let Us Prepare, and Let Us Pray. This book can be used as a personal devotional or for a group study material.

Thank you to Booksneeze for my copy.

Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine by Max Lucado

We talk as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We describe an actress as gracious, a dancer as graceful. We use the word for hospitals, baby girls, kings, and premeal prayers. We talk as though we know what grace means.

But do we really understand it? Have we settled for wimpy grace? It politely occupies a phrase in a hymn, fits nicely on a church sign. Never causes trouble or demands a response. When asked, “Do you believe in grace?” who could say no?

Max Lucado asks a deeper question: Have you been changed by grace? Shaped by grace? Strengthened by grace? Emboldened by grace? Softened by grace? Snatched by the nape of your neck and shaken to your senses by grace?

God’s grace has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you. It rewires you. From insecure to God secure. From regret riddled to better-because-of-it. From afraid to die to ready to fly.

Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.

Let’s make certain grace gets you.

My Review:
I once heard Max Lucado speak and quickly became a fan. His straightforward ability caused me to sit still so as to not miss a bit of his important message. He writes the same way he talks. His books read as if he is speaking directly to the reader.

Each chapter contains Bible verses, Bible stories, and anecdotes from life. That alone makes the book worthwhile; however, Lucado goes to the next level--the Reader's Guide.

A unique feature about Grace is the Reader's Guide section. More than a list of questions, each chapter is thoroughly covered. There is a guide for chapter one, chapter two, etc. making the book a useful tool for personal or small group Bible study. Scripture is reviewed, life-changing questions are listed, a prayer is included, and life applications are given. This comprehensive section allows the reader to more deeply study and apply the biblical truths. I recommend this book!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for my copy.

Max On Life by Max Lucado

Answers and Inspiration for Today's Questions

We have questions. Child-like inquiries. And deep, heavy ones.

In more than twenty-five years of writing and ministry, Max Lucado has been the receiving line for thousands of such questions. The questions come in letters, e-mails, even on Dunkin Donuts napkins. In Max on Life he offers thoughtful answers to more than 150 of the most pressing questions on topics ranging from hope to hurt, from home to the hereafter.

Max writes about the role of prayer, the purpose of pain, and the reason for our ultimate hope. He responds to the day-to-day questions—parenting quandaries, financial challenges, difficult relationships—as well as to the profound: Is God really listening?

A special addendum includes Max’s advice on writing and publishing.

Including topical and scriptural indexes and filled with classic Lucado encouragement and insight, Max on Life will quickly become a favorite resource for pastors and ministry leaders as well as new and mature believers.

My Review:
Prolific Max Lucado has done it again! Each page contains an engaging question that the reader might have wondered, along with Lucado's succinct answer. He never wavers; he goes straight to the point, usually with anecdotes and biblical verses that clarify.

There are six major sections:
Help: God, Grace, and "Why am I here?"
Hurt: Conflict, Calamities, and "Why me?"
Help: Prayer, Scripture, and "Why church?"
Him/Her: Sex, Romance, and "Any chance of a second chance?"
Home: Diapers, Disagreements, and "Any hope for prodigals?"
Hereafter: Cemeteries, Heaven, Hell, and "Who goes where?"

This book could be used as a daily devotional or Bible study. However, I prefer reading it slowly, stopping to consider the truths. I highly recommend this book for personal use or as a terrific gift!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze for my copy. If you'd like to investigate further, click below.

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