The Gift for All People

My disclaimer is: I am a huge Max Lucado fan. I have all of his books and when a new one comes along I jump at the chance to add it to my library.  Originally this was printed in 1999 but has been updated with a new title and I actually did not have this. It had different chapters highlighted from different books he has written. The thoughts on God's great grace fill this book of 127 pages.

Max tells us that God's gift of grace is limitless and we are so unworthy but he still offers grace.  We must never forget that God's endless grace is a free gift that cannot be earned. Hard to imagine a God that has such limitless love when we see ourselves as so unworthy with sins piled high and mistakes made over and over again.  We take detours and God puts us back on the path and extends strength through faith.  Do we take this gift for granted?  Yes, we do and what a high price that gift cost for God to give us.  His very son paid for it with his body, breath, and blood..  As you ponder the truths in this book you will see new insights and reflect on the gift of grace that God shares with us daily.  One of Max's best lines come in the chapter titled He Saw You. He recounts how alone Jesus was in the Garden and how Jesus can empathize with how we feel when we have be confused, plotted against, torn between two desires and how we beg God to change his mind and God says no.  On the eve of the cross, Jesus made his decision.  He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.  What a Savior we serve!.

This is easy reading and could be used for a daily devotional but one book that you would pick up over and over to reread the messages of God's love and grace to his people. I am sure that the gift for all people, will speak to you personally through these pages.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for this free copy just for my honest opinion.

 http://www.randomhouse.com/author/74949/max-lucado
 http://www.randomhouse.com/book/104170/the-gift-for-all-people-by-max-lucado

God's Not Dead 2

I did see the DVD God's Not Dead last year and was very impressed. Travis Thrasher is one of my favorite authors and having the chance to read the book to God's Not Dead 2 by him was exciting.  I just finished the book yesterday and the movie came out last week which I want to see and it will be interesting to see just how the book holds up to the movie version.

Grace Wesley is a high school history teacher when she is asked an honest question about Jesus in a public school.  Her reasoned response lands her in deep trouble in a court case that could cost her the career she loves. The principal and the superintendent and a zealous civil liberties group join forces against Grace wanting to expel God from the classroom and the public square-once and for all. Tom Endler is a lawyer with the teachers union who represents Grace.  What makes it interesting is that Tom doesn't even believe in the cause that he is representing.

The characters are updated  in this book so it is not necessary to have seen the first movie. This story did start out slow for me..had trouble getting into the story line but halfway through I found it to be enjoyable and was trying to see just how the lawyer is going to pull it off and get Grace acquitted. With each passing day, the name of Jesus is welcomed less and less in the public square.  If Christians don't take a stand today, will we even have the choice tomorrow?  Where will you stand?

Thanks to Tyndale Publishers for this free copy just for my honest opinion.
  http://www.travisthrasher.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq6lG4GeEMI
https://www.facebook.com/GodsNotDeadTheMovie