Pocket Prayers

"Hello, my name is Max. I'm a recovering prayer wimp. I doze off when I pray. My thoughts zig, then zag, then zig again. Distractions swarm like gnats on a summer night. If attention deficit disorder applies to prayer, I am afflicted. When I pray, I think of a thousand things I need to do. I forget the one thing I set out to do: pray.

Some people excel in prayer. They inhale heaven and exhale God. They are the SEAL Team Six of intercession. They would rather pray than sleep. Why is it that I sleep when I pray? They belong to the PGA: Prayer Giants Association. I am a card carrying member of the PWA: Prayer Wimps Association. Can you relate? It's not that we don't pray at all. We all pray some.

On tear-stained pillows we pray.

In grand liturgies we pray.

At the sight of geese in flight we pray.

Quoting ancient devotions, we pray.

We pray to stay sober, centered or solvent. We pray when the lump is deemed malignant. When the money runs out before the month does. When the unborn baby hasn't kicked in a while. We all pray...some. But wouldn't we all like to pray....

More?

Better?

Deeper?

Stronger?

With more fire, faith, or fervency? Yet we have kids to feed, bills to pay, deadlines to meet. The calendar pounces on our good intentions like a tiger on a rabbit. We want to pray, but when? We want to pray, but why? We might as well admit it. Prayer is odd, peculiar. Speaking into space. Lifting words into the sky. We can't even get the cable company to answer us, yet God will? The doctor is too busy, but God isn't? We have our doubts about prayer.

Prayer is not a privilege of the pious, not the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and his child. My friend, he wants to talk with you. Even now, as you read these words, he taps at the door. Open it. Welcome him in. Let the conversation begin. "
(Pg 5-7, 12)

In typical easy reading fashion, Max Lucado introduces readers to Pocket Prayers, 6 uniquely designed books to help Dads, Moms, Friends, Grads, Military, and Teachers with 40 specific prayers designed to help inspire and encourage your prayer life. They will bring joy and serenity in Pocket Prayer for Friends with Max and Betsy St. Amant. They bring peace and rest to Pocket Prayers for Moms with Max and Andrea Lucado. In Pocket Prayers for Dads, 40 simple prayers help bring strength and faith to our men with Max and Mark Mynheir. Pocket Prayers for Grads promises 40 simple prayers that bring hope and direction in the life ahead of them with Max and Andrea Lucado. 40 simple prayers that bring faith and courage can be uncovered in Pocket Prayers for the Military Life, with Max and Mark Myheir, to anyone serving in our military. Finally 40 simple prayers that bring peace and renewal in Pocket Prayers for Teachers, with Max and Jennifer K. Hale.

These simple but encouraging books provide just the right kinds of prayer in every single life of a believer in just the way they need it. I gifted Pocket Prayers for Dads, to my own father, who is just beginning to discover his life as a believer in Christ, to encourage him in his own prayer life. I have gifted Pocket Prayers for Military Life to a close friend who just made the decision to enlist in the army to help him realize that no matter how far from home he is, God will always be right there for him. Pocket Prayers for Graduates is given to my 17-year-old daughter who is graduating in June to help her always realize that when she faces uncertainty in her future, she can always trust God for the right path in her life. I have given Pocket Prayers for Moms to my own mother, because she has always inspired me that prayer is the one thing we always have any time day or night no matter what we are enduring. Finally Pocket Prayers for Teachers I have gifted to our Youth Pastor who's responsibility it is to help lead the next generation to trust and have faith in God.

I received Pocket Prayers by Max Lucado compliments of Thomas Nelson and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from these free books, in exchange for my honest and personal opinions. The one thing I love about any of Max Lucado's books is the down to earth feel you get when reading them. It's not like reading a book, but having a heart to heart conversation with a close friend. He meets you right where you are, and you feel like you're on the same page with him.

For me, I struggle a lot in my own prayer life, first doing it and then staying focused when I do. These unique hard covered books are perfect for that person in your life that needs the inspiration and encouragement in their prayer life and that is why I give these a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Pocket Prayers, Max Lucado, or where you can pick up a copy of these today, please click on the links below:

Pocket Prayers by Max Lucado

You can find Max Lucado on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest books.

To read more reviews on Pocket Prayers, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

To enter a giveaway for the Pocket Prayer's Prize Pack, please click here. 

Glory Days

I don't believe there is one Max Lucado book that I've read that hasn't changed my life in some way or another. They all just seem to speak to me in the moment that I am experiencing and offer hope to what I am dealing with, almost as if God is speaking to me, through the words Max shares between the cover. Glory Days is certainly no different. It is a book that deals with getting us out of the hum drums of our lives and into seeing all the blessings and goodness that come from realizing who we are in Jesus. Taking along the for the journey, the Book of Joshua, each chapter walks us through two very different scenarios from the Bible. The first chronicles what went wrong with the Israelites as they followed Moses through the Exodus from Egypt. How they whined and complained along the way, at times following God and other times, defying Him. They would not see the promised land that they spent 40 years wandering around looking for.

On the other hand, Joshua who took up after Moses died, did in fact not only cross over into the promised land God had spoken of, but Joshua followed God without any doubt. It is this same scenario that showcases how we are either held back by our own insecurities, doubts and fears, like the Israelites or through our rock solid faith, we push forward, believing in the unfailing promises of God and move on to our Glory Days in this life. As always Max illustrates each chapter in our spiritual walk of faith or doubt with classic stories that bring the reader right into the chapter with things we can relate to, pet ownership, raising children, dealing with loss, illness and even watching the events of 9/11.

This book is amazing because not only does it walk us alongside a practical example from modern day life, but Max also shares a section from the book of Joshua in how the people were successful based on what they were doing, how they were living their life at the time, and even how God can use someone with a less than perfect past like Rahab, to bring about the salvation of her family when the entire city was leveled, simply for having the faith to believe in a God she hadn't seen before, but knew existed by the reputation of what He had done up to this point. Stories go a long way, and remember that all Joshua had to go by were the first 5 books of the Bible, with the last in the process of being completed, but he relied on it, body, mind, heart and soul and received the greatest reward in his life for it.

I received Glory Days by Max Lucado compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review aside from a free copy of this book and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. This book will show you how to have the life you always wanted as a Christian, to learn to live your life fighting from victory and not for victory for the battle has already been won by Jesus. How to live a life knowing that better days are ahead and how to overcome rejection by understanding what it means to be a child of God. This book also teaches you how to change those negative mindsets we often make permanent in our life and how to understand the right voice to listen to instead of the wrong one. It leads us to make better choices in our spiritual life and leads us to a great fulfillment of the future God has laid out just for us, if we are only willing to take that first step of faith. Well worth all 5 out of 5 stars and the perfect gift for anyone struggling with self worth or self esteem issues.

For more information about Glory Days, Max Lucado or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Glory Days by Max Lucado

You can find Max Lucado on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest books.

To read more reviews on Glory Days, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page.


Are you stuck in the wilderness known as midlife misery? Can you name the day you became a Christian but can’t remember the last time you defeated a temptation or experienced an answered prayer? Find encouragement in Max Lucado's new book, Glory Days. With God’s help you can close the gap between the person you are and the person you want to be. Like Joshua and the Israelites, you can move from a wilderness existence into a promised inheritance.

Now through August 31, 2015, pre-order Glory Days and receive free gifts!

 

There are two pre-order options:

Option 1:

Pre-order one copy of Glory Days (any format), and receive a free digital download of the abridged audio version of In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado.

After you've pre-ordered, please claim your free gift by submitting your email and proof of purchase at GloryDaysBook.com.

Option 2:

Pre-order one copy of Glory Days (any format) AND one copy of God is With You Every Day (Max's brand-new, 365-day devotional—any format), and receive both the abridged audio version of In the Grip of Grace and a paperback copy of Traveling Light by Max Lucado (U.S. addresses only). 

After you’ve preordered, please claim your free gift by submitting your email and proof of purchase at GloryDaysBook.com.

Pre-order today and get your free gift by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the offer ends on August 31, 2015.

Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe

It would come as no surprise to people who know me to know that I've always wanted to open a coffee shop/book store. Just for the main reason that I absolutely think the two go perfectly together. I absolutely LOVED having the opportunity to review Max Lucado's latest novel, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, a Heavenly Novel. It's a bit like a more contemporary It's A Wonderful Life story tucked between the pages, and it's one without a doubt you will fall absolutely in love with.

Chelsea Chambers is on the brink of making quite a few decisions that will impact not only her future, but the future of her two children as well. Finding out her NFL super star husband Sawyer was unfaithful pretty much impacts her on a personal level. Her kids only want to be reunited again, despite the fact their dad made a mistake and wants a second chance. But Chelsea isn't about to fall for his lines like she did when she married him the first time, despite what her kids want.

Her financial world is rocked when she learns that the coffee shop, Higher Grounds, she inherited from her grandmother, owes back taxes she can't even afford. Even with payments, the amount of business the coffee shop brings in is a far cry from what she will need. The last thing she truly wants to do is sell it. Trying to get money from her soon-to-be-ex-husband Sawyer is not possible since his get rich quick schemes and the affluent life style the NFL provided him has left him with nothing and he cleaned out what remaining savings they both had. Chelsea has nothing to fall back on but a prayer that God will help.

That's when Manny shows up to help, an angel who has been sent on an answer to prayer to help fix the problems in Chelsea's life. Yet the only way to truly shake things up is to bring the coffee shop into the 20th century and that includes internet. But the only website, customers are able to log into while at the cafe is provided by an unnamed company who offers a router and service to try for three months without any obligation. It seems that God has gotten his own blog in which He alone will answer any one question that you might have. Is it real or simply a gimmick to help get Higher Grounds out of debt? You definitely want to pick this one up and see how it all turns out.

I received Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe by Max Lucado compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. This is one of my favorite novels from Max Lucado and hope he plans on extending this into a series. I love the many inspirational ideas that stem from what happens when the entire community is involved including the local pastor. People will soon realize that God is a lot more concerned about the little things going on in their lives than the answer to a bigger prayer they might have in mind. This would make a wonderful Hallmark Channel movie and hope that this is not the last of these novels from Max Lucado. I'd rate this one an unbelievable 5 out of 5 stars and a Reader's Discussion Questions are included at the conclusion of this novel.

For more information about Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, Max Lucado, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe by Max Lucado

You can find Max Lucado on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest books.

To read more reviews on Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page. 


In Max Lucado's new fiction release, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, he asks, If you could ask God anything, what would you ask—and how would he answer? When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask, and heaven answers in a most unexpected way.

Join Max in celebrating the release of his new fiction book by entering his iPad giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• A copy of Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 23rd. Winner will be announced March 24th on the Litfuse blog.



{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}

The Christmas Candle

What I love most about any of Max Lucado's books, is that they follow you wherever you go. The message you are bound to find will undoubtedly find its way into your heart and soul. What I have discovered is the perfect gift for those that love a great book just in time for Christmas. One that you can incorporate into your family devotions as well as a late night reading for your family next to a warm fire on a snowy night. The best part is that this is finding its way into being made into a movie so that it can enjoyed in a multitude of ways for Christmas.

In The Christmas Candle set in the late 1600's in Cotswald, England, we meet when the story originated with a candle maker and his wife. They are awakened in the middle of the night by a heavenly angel that appears and touches just one candle before disappearing, ensuring that the candle maker knows just which one was touched. The candle is then given to a woman who is desperate for food. She has no means to find money to help her children out and the candle maker instructs her to light the candle and pray to God for help. The next day at church service in St. Mark's the widow informs the church of the Christmas miracle that happened when she did just what the candle maker told her to do. She was given a farm by a wealthy uncle she didn't know so she can live in it and provide for her children without payment.

Now the legend continues in the small town that whenever the church service begins each 25 years, a Christmas miracle occurs by whomever the candle is given by the candle maker's family. This year however much has changed. Will the miracle of the Christmas candle still work in the hearts of the people living in the town of Gladstone? You'll have to pick this one up and find out. The best part is that this is coming to the big screen on November 22nd to a theater near you.

I received The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This is such a wonderful and heartwarming story that I can see it becoming a Christmas tradition much like the reading of The Christmas Story or the Night Before Christmas. It definitely opens up the conversation around what happens in the book and compels us to look deep inside our hearts to see how wonderful the birth of Jesus Christ was so many years ago and how even today, that miracle still works the lives and hearts of those that believe in Him. Hands down a perfect 5 out of 5 stars! What a life-changing book this would make as a gift for someone this Christmas!

For more information about The Christmas Candle, Max Lucado or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

You can find Max Lucado on Facebook to stay up to date with all his amazing books.

To read more reviews on The Christmas Candle, visit Thomas Nelson's website.

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Reprint edition (September 24, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401689949
• ISBN-13: 978-1401689940
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.9 x 1 inches

Beyond Heaven's Door

" I make no claims to being a good golfer, but I readily confess to being a golf addict. If you know of a twelve-step program for the condition, sign me up. "Hi, I'm Max. I'm a golfaholic." I love to play golf, watch golf, and on good nights, I even dream golf.

Knowing this will help you appreciate the extreme joy I felt when I was invited to attend the Masters Golf Tournament. A pass to the Masters is the golfer's Holy Grail. Tickets are as scarce as birdies on my scorecard. So I was thrilled. The invitation came via pro golfer Scott Simpson. Each player is given a certain number of passes and Scott offered Denalyn and me two of his. (If there was ever any question about Scott's place in heaven, that gesture erased the doubt.)

So off we went to Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, where golf heritage hangs like moss from the trees. There you find the green where Nicklaus sank the putt. The fringe where Mize holed the chip. The fairway where Saranson hit the approach shot. I was a kid in a candy store. And like a kid, I couldn't get enough. It wasn't enough to see the course and walk the grounds; I wanted to see the locker room. That's where the clubs of Hogan and Azinger are displayed. That's where the players hang out. And that's where I wanted to be.

A guard stopped me at the entrance. I showed him my pass, but he shook his head. I told him I knew Scott, but that didn't matter. I promised to send his eldest child through college, but he didn't budge. "Only caddies and players," he explained. Well, he knew I wasn't a player or a caddie. Caddies at the Masters are required to wear white coveralls. My clothing was a dead giveaway. So I left, figuring I'd never see the clubhouse. I made it all the way to the door but was denied entrance.

Many people fear the same will happen to them in heaven. They fear being turned away at the door. A legitimate fear, don't you think? We're talking about a pivotal moment. To be turned away from seeing golf history is one thing, but to be refused admission into heaven is quite another.

That is why some people don't want to discuss heaven. It makes them nervous. They may be God-fearing and church-attending people but still nervous. Is there a solution to this fear? Need you spend the rest of your life wondering if you will be turned away at the door?

According to the Bible, it is possible to "know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13 MSG). How? How can any of us know for sure?

Curiously, it all has to do with the clothing we wear." (pg 10-11).

Written in a comfortable style that is uniquely Max Lucado, Beyond Heaven's Door takes the reader through an amazing way to assure you that when this life is over, if you have clothed yourself in Christ, then you will have eternal life the instant you close your eyes when this one ends. No more worry or doubt will cross your mind when you rest in the assurances that after reading this and following the simple steps Max provides, you can be assured of your final destination.

The book not only tells us how to get to Heaven but assures us that even when our loved ones pass away here, as believers their life is only so much better than we could have ever dreamed or imagined. Taking all of his references and information directly from the Bible, Max makes the entire trip towards Heaven, a personal one. You truly feel like the words from this book are like words from a trust and close friend and I believe that is where the appeal in all of Max's books I've been honored to read comes from.

I received Beyond Heaven's Door by Max Lucado compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This one is a must read for anyone who really wonders what lies beyond death's door and is looking for the absolute truth before it's too late to make that decision to accept Christ. This book also provides comfort for those of us left behind when a believer dies and shows us in a small way just what is on the other side waiting for all of us that accept Jesus Christ into our lives. An unforgettable book and well worthy of 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Beyond Heaven's Door, Max Lucado or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Beyond Heaven's Door by Max Lucado

You can also follow Max Lucado on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest books.

Looking for more inspiration, check out Max Lucado's website.

Christmas Stories by Max Lucado

OK most of you already know what a huge fan I am of Max Lucado's books and have already established quite the library containing his novels, but recently I had the opportunity to review Christmas Stories from Max Lucado as well compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and Net Galley for my honest review. Once again, Max takes the reader by the hand and leads them into another time and place with his magical ability to weave a great story. Only in this book, you get a collection of short stories geared to make you truly appreciate the real meaning behind Christmas and that is the birth of Christ.

One of my favorites is called The Christmas Candle and it takes up almost half the book. It begins in the 1500's when a candle maker's family receives an unexpected visit from an angel on Christmas Eve. Touching only a single candle, the one that receives that candle, prays and then lights it will receive a Christmas miracle. Now in the mid-1800's the story picks up once more with the same family of candle makers who have been maintaining this tradition in the town of Gladstone, England. Every twenty five years, an angel visits the candle maker on Christmas Eve and once again touches only one candle. That family that receives it receives a Christmas Miracle and so the legend has grown over the years with each family hoping that the candle maker will give that candle to them. Only this year, things are about to get a whole lot more complicated and a new pastor is about to come to the church. Will the miracles continue or has it been merely a legend after all?

This is just one of the heart-warming stories you will find along with some tidbits of wonderful Christmas quotes and scriptures from the Bible. If you're looking for the perfect way to celebrate the Christmas season or provide a wonderful gift to that hard to shop for person, this is the ideal way to share a little love that will linger long past the Christmas season. A must read and rates a 5 out of 5 stars!For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Christmas Stories by Max Lucado

You can also find Max Lucado on Facebook by clicking here.

Max On Life

Ever been asked a really difficult question in your Christian life that you wish you had the answer to? Such questions as:

• Do angels really walk among us?

• Why do I worry so much?

• I can't pray for more than a few minutes without getting distracted no matter how hard I try. Why does this happen to me? Does this mean I am a weak Christian?

• We've taken a big hit in this economic down turn, and every day I fear losing my job. How can I be less fearful about this situation?

• What does God think of suicide victims?

• How could a loving God send people to Hell?

• I was saved as a teenager and then stopped praying to God, obeying Him, reading my Bible and quit going to church? During that time was I saved? How can I be sure?

Wouldn't it be nice to have a great resource to go to for those answers even though we may not be so knowledgeable in Scripture? I would recommend the latest book from Max Lucado, Max On Life.

It's a great book of with 172 great questions Christians get asked all the time. The ones I have listed are the ones I get most often. Now in addition to the Bible Scriptures, Max also provides some great advice to go hand in hand with that. In addition to that, you can search the back index for subject topics like honesty, paradise, lust and choosing a mate for marriage. Here's an example of just what you will find:

156. What does God think of suicide victims? What does that mean for their salvation? For our memories? For our peace of mind?

Suicide victims battle life's rawest contests. They often faced a mental illness of illnesses and felt the peril of mental fatigue. What you and I take for granted, they coveted. Optimism. Hope. Confidence that all will be well. Their clouds had no silver linings: their storms had no rainbows.

Didn't we wonder, Why couldn't he snap out of this slump...shrug off this case of the blues...buck up and move forward? Of course, had the struggle been a physical one, we wouldn't have asked those questions. Of cancer patients we don't ask, "Why didn't they get rid of that melanoma?" We understand the power of cancer. We may not understand the mystery of mental illness. I certainly don't. But this much I have observed. Depression causes good people to make the wrong choice.

Let's be clear: suicide is the wrong choice. The date of our death is God's to choose, not ours. He gives life, and he takes it. When people orchestrate their own death, they make the wrong choice.

But is the mistake a spiritually fatal one? Do we despair of any hope of their eternal salvation? Are we left with the nightmarish conclusion that heaven holds no place for them?

By no means. For while suicide is the wrong choice, have not we all made wrong choices? And did Christ not come for people like us? Frame their lives rightly. Remember good decisions. Catalog blue-ribbon days. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28 NKJV). God does not measure a person by one decision, nor should we.

I received this book compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review, and LOVED it!! I know I will using this book a lot as a parent who has teens in and out of my life, as well as for questions from my readers on my blog, Heart2Heart, my online ministry. This rates a 5 out of 5 stars! I love how easy it is laid out and how easy it is to find the answers and scriptures I need. In addition to using my Bible, it provides me with the why behind what the scriptures mean as I grow in my own spiritual walk.

This makes a perfect gift for any Christian regardless of where you are at in your spiritual walk and think its a great resource for our young teens as well who will require these answers through their own journey through life. Also for anyone who loves Max Lucado's books, this one is a must have to add to your collection! It's available in Hardcover and eBook formats.

You can find more information about the book, the author and where to purchase this book at the link below:

Max On Life by Max Lucado

Out Live Your Life - Giveaway and Review

We are common folk.

We sit in the bleachers, eat at diners, change diapers, and wear our favorite team's ball cap. Fan's don't wave when we pass. Servants don't scurry when we come home. Chauffer's don't drive our cars; butlers don't open our doors or draw our baths. Doormen don't greet us, and security doesn't protect us. We are regular folk.

And we wonder: Does God use people like us?

He did. God stampeded the first-century society with swaybacks, not thoroughbreds. Before Jesus came along, the disciples were loading trucks, coaching soccer, and selling Slupee drinks at the convenience store.

Their collars were blue, and their hands were calloused, and there is no evidence that Jesus chose them because they were smarter or nicer than the guy next door. The one thing they had going for them was a willingness to take a step when Jesus said, "Follow me."

Are you more dinghy than cruise ship? More stand-in than movie star? More blue jeans than blue blood? Congratulations. God changes the world with folks like you. (Excerpt back cover).

In the book, Out Live Your Life by Max Lucado, he takes each of us through the first couple of chapters in Acts to show us how our lives are very similar to the people in each of the chapters and the differences they made and how we can do the very same things. We simply need one thing. A willingness to do it. That's it. We need more yes's and a lot less no's!

Max in his usual way of writing directly from the heart and as a close, personal friend touches your heart and shows you the different ways we can all begin to take care of people around us. He provides perfect examples of everyday people who made less than $1.25 a day and they too are changing lives. So what's our excuse? Find out by reading Max's latest book!

I received this book, compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review and believe every single person living today should read this book. That is why I am offering a giveaway for a copy of his book. Here are your guidelines:

1. Must be a follower of Reviews From The Heart!

2. You must reside in the U.S.

3. I need a way to contact you by email if you are the winner, so please include it in your comment. You may use (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols when leaving your email address.

4. I will close comments by September 17th and notify the winner by email. If I don't hear from you in 5 business days, I will select another winner.

5. Leave me a comment on how you are changing the world or providing acts of kindness in your life.

For more information on this book, the author or where to purchase a copy, click on the title of the book below, and the giveaway ends on September 17th.

Out Live Your Life

You Changed My Life

Kind people not only say Good Morning, they make the coffee.

You've met them. Your life is probably better because of them.

They're the people who make life nicer, more beautiful...and for some, bearable. They're real people with remarkable hearts. People whose unselfish generosity wraps a strong arm around your shoulders and walks you from brink of despair to the axis of hope.

They give whether anyone notices or not. They sacrifice without being asked. They give up personal dreams for the sake of others.

What would we do without them? Let's hope we never have to. What can we do for them? Let's recognize what they've done and give them a medal of gratefulness. Let's say, "Thank you!" (excerpt back cover).

My Review:

What a wonderful breath of inspiration as always in a gift book from Max Lucado, called simply, You Changed My Life, Stories of Real People with Remarkable Hearts. This wonderful hardcover book is a gift book of all the wonderful stories we have all come to love and know as we have read through Max Lucado's books.

Here's a classic short story of just what you will find tuck inside this wonderful book:

Chapter 1 - Changed by Love

Confident of Dad's Love

Dropping a fly ball may not be a big deal to most people, but if you are thirteen years old and have aspirations of the big leagues, it is a big deal. Not only was it my second error of the game, it allowed the winning run to score.

I didn't even go back to the dugout. I turned around in the middle of left field and climbed over the fence. I was halfway home when my dad found me. He didn't say a word. Just pulled over to the side of the road, leaned across the seat, and opened the passenger door. We didn't speak. We didn't need to. We both knew the world had come to an end.

When we got home, I went straight to my room, and he went straight to the kitchen. Presently he appeared in front of me with cookies and milk. He took a seat on the bed and we broke bread together. Somewhere in the dunking of the cookies I began to realize that life and my father's love would go on. In the economy of male adolescence, if you love the guy who drops the ball, then you really love him. My skill as a baseball player didn't improve, but my confidence in Dad's love did. Dad never said a word. But he did show up. He did listen up.

I received this amazing book, compliments of Thomas Nelson publishers for my honest review and think this would be a wonderful way to say thank you to a friend or family member. I would even think this would make a wonderful graduation gift to someone who is graduating from school or to someone who has really changed your life!

If you would like more information about this book, the author or where to purchase a copy, please click on the title of the book below:

You Changed My Life

You Can Be Everything God Wants You To Be

God gave you a zone in which you were made to dwell. He tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in his jigsaw puzzle. A sweet spot, if you will. And life makes sweet sense when you find your spot. But what pills do you order, class do you take, or informercial do you watch? None of the above. Simply quarry....your uniqueness.

Da Vinci painted one Mona Lisa.

Beethoven composed one Fifth Symphony.

And God made one version of you. He custom designed you for a one-of-a-kind assignment. You cannot be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be. (excerpt from back cover).

In the book, You Can Be Everything God Wants You To Be, by Max Lucado, there are 30 cute, life changing stories from how to manage work stress to how to live up to the potential God has in store for you.

This book would be a wonderful graduation gift to anyone from high school to college to inspire them to the greatness that lies within us all if we would only see ourselves the way God does, instead the way the world judges us.

Written in true Max Lucado style, the down to earth stories show us all how simple it is to live the way God has our lives laid out for us. We simply need a little light to shine on them to let us see how much we may have been living in the dark.

Here's one classic example called Find Your Sweet Spot:

Each person is given something to do that shows who God is. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:7 MSG

"SWEET SPOT."

Golfers understand the term.

So do tennis players.

Ever swung a baseball bat or paddled a Ping-Pong ball? If so, you know the oh-so-nice feel of the sweet spot.

Connect with these prime inches of real estate and kapow! The collective technologies of the universe afterburn the ball into orbit, leaving you Frisbee eyed and strutting. Your arm doesn't tingle, and the ball doesn't ricochet.

Your boyfriend remembers birthdays, the tax refund comes early, and the flight attendant bumps you up to first class.

Life in the sweet spot rolls like the downhill side of a downwind bike ride.

But you don't have to swing a bat or club to know this.

What engineers give sports equipment, God gave you. A zone, a region, a life precinct in which you were made to dwell. He tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in his jigsaw puzzle. And life makes sweet sense when you find your spot. But how do you? Where do you go? What pills do you order, what class do you take, or informercial do you watch? None of the above.

Simply quarry... your uniqueness!

I was provided with a complimentary copy of the book from Max Lucado to review for Thomas Nelson Publishers and found this one just as equal as any of Max Lucado's previous books. The stories are short enough and sweet enough to offer a bit size dessert of what God has in store for all of us, and one I would highly recommend.

For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase your own copy, click on the link below:

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0849946654&title=You_Can_Be_Everything_God_Wants_You_To_Be

The book comes in Hard Cover only!