Glory Days by Max Lucado

      
         I must confess, I had never read a Max Lucado book prior to this month. Even though Max is a popular Pastor, speaker and best selling author of dozens of books, I had never found anything that I wanted to read specifically. That is, until now. I recently received a copy of "Glory Days" to read for free, thought the book review program for bloggers, available at www.booklookboggers.com recently and began to read. The views expressed are entirely my own.
         The book is a series of lessons found in the Bible book of Joshua. Rather than going in depth into every single verse in the story, the author chooses to discuss major sections of the chapters, and still manages to cover a significant portion of the material. The subtitle 'Living Your Promised Land Life Now' is a concise statement of the focus of the pages, to help believers to live the life that God intends for them to enjoy now, while on earth. Through the stories he elaborates on from the book of Joshua, Max Lucado systematically helps others learn the things we'll encounter on the way to 'promised land living'.
         Some of the nice features of the book include study questions at the end. The questions focus on each individual chapter, and are divided into three parts, based on whether you feel like you're living in your 'wilderness', 'crossing moment' or 'promised land'. And, in the hardback copy I obtained, there was even several pages of preview for Max Lucado's new devotional book, "God Is With You Everyday".
         Overall, it was an enjoyable read and very simple. I think that some of the author's Pastoral experience comes in his handling of the issues people face daily, and he addresses them with compassion and sensitivity, including death, failure and loss. If you want encouragement and hope that God is with you through your own wilderness and that He desires even better for your life, this might be a good read for you.

Good Things by Kevin Gerald

 Life can tend to be negative, at least if you view it that way. With all of the pain, suffering, abuse, loss and hardship that everyone endures, it can sometimes be a challenge to "look on the bright side". Author and Pastor Kevin Gerald, in his new book, Good Things, does not deny that there can be trials in this life. He, instead, endeavors to help us adjust our focus in life, to see God, who is good, and to expect good things in our lives.
          Kevin Gerald is the Pastor of Champions Centre in the state of Washington. He has previously authored other books, but his latest effort is an attempt to help us view life from a different perspective, with the expectation of good. The book has 19 chapters, divided into 5 major parts. He begins with the foundation that God is in the good, and moves on to the origin of favor. He ends with training us to expect a life of good things, of favor, of not settling for less. The book does not ignore the pain and suffering faced by many, but instead discusses it openly and allows us to see how even these things can be used to bring about good, because of the grace of God.
          I particularly like his use of personal and applicable illustrations. He communicates through the pages well and takes you on a journey with him to discover the goodness sometimes missed when traveling the road of life. For those looking for deep Bible study, you won't find it here. But for those looking for encouragement, a new perspective and hope for the future, in spite of a rocky past, this may be worth your time to read.
         This book was provided for free to me through the program for bloggers, available at www.bloggingforbooks.com. The views expressed are my own. I hope that Kevin Gerald continues to encourage others and shares scriptural insights from his years of experience as a leader. We all can greatly benefit from more good things coming our way.