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.

Let Hope In by Pete Wilson

         When trouble or tragedy strikes our life, it can be easy to lose hope. Many people, Christian and non-Christian alike fit that description. And, whether it's because of repeated loss and failure, circumstances that seem overwhelming, or not knowing where to turn for help, it can sometimes feel like hope is gone. Author Pete Wilson knows this, and his book Let Hope In is an encouragement that things can get better, you can have hope again and you can know how loved you are, but you have to make the choice to let hope in.
         Pete Wilson is the founding Pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has served as the Senior Pastor for several years. Using the scripture and stories from his own life and others with whom he has interacted over the years, he shows both how we can feel like hope is gone and hoe we can let it back into our lives again. The four choices that will change your life, from the subtitle, are choosing to transform instead of transfer, choosing to be ok with not being ok, choosing to trust rather than please and choosing to free people rather than hurt them.
         The subject of hope is very important, and one that we all wrestle with at times, even if not chronically. So, I commend the author for addressing an important topic. However, I did not find the book to have engaged me as much as I would have desired. I found it to be strong on illustrations but not as strong on scripture. While stories make the material more personal, it is only God's Word that can offer us true hope. Jesus is our hope. This book does tell us that, but only in ways that are underemphasized to me. Still, it is an important topic and if you need hope, you may find a few keys inside,
         I received this book free from the publisher through the http://www.booksneeze.com book review program for bloggers. I was not required to write a positive review. The views expressed are my own. You will probably find yourself needing hope sometime in the future. Don't choose to give up. Choose to let hope in and allow Jesus to transform your life. 

The Reason For My Hope: Salvation by Dr. Billy Graham

            There is undoubtedly one thing that Dr. Billy Graham is known for and that is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the hope of salvation for all mankind. So, even though he has advanced in years, it is no shock to read through one of his most recent books and find that it centers around the very subject of salvation, and specifically the hope that is found in Jesus Christ.
            While telling the story of why Jesus came, what He did on the cross and how anyone can receive Him as the Savior of their own life, the book addresses issues that are prevalent in the day and age in which we live. From chapters entitled "Sin is in" to "There's no hope of happy hour in hell", Dr. Graham is not afraid to tackle issues that many Christian leaders would rather avoid.
             This book is also filled with many stories and illustrations. At first, I wasn't sure if it was going to contain only stories without scripture, but it quickly fills with the Biblical basis for salvation and what God's word says about hope. Jesus is our hope of salvation. And as he has done faithfully for decades, Dr. Graham explains how Jesus can be your hope too. He is not afraid to use words like sin and hell, as I mentioned earlier. And he's also not afraid to use words like judgment and repent.
             Who should read this book? Anyone who has forgotten quickly what Jesus did for them on the cross. Anyone who has lost hope in a chaotic world. Anyone who is a believer but needs to remember how good God has been to them. And, most of all, anyone who has never entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. I received this book free from the publisher through the http://BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. And I recommend it to those who fit the categories I have listed.