Max Lucado - You'll Get Through This [Book Review]

I have read Lucado since I knew the worth of books. I remember finishing “The Applause of Heaven” and taking a long walk with a friend. We talked about our expectations of heaven and lots of things beyond this place. I remember finishing “Travelling Light” one cold morning in my sophomore year in college. As I read the last chapter holding the book with one hand, I rummaged for my school things, finished my mug of cocoa and headed out the door wishing my roommate a great day ahead with my eyes still glued to the book. I remember finishing “A cure for the common life” and heading into the discussion section at the back of the book. It felt so surreal. Like my whole life was laid before me as I pulled out my journal and wrote, planned and dreamed. It was a moment I would never forget, a defining one. I can remember a lot more and each book had been an experience except a few I wish I didn't bother starting and of which I am not mentioning these titles.

Every moment with Max is one worth marking down. No doubts, you want Max in your house. You two continually carrying an ongoing discussion on life, faith and the things that matter most throughout the day. In fact you would opt to be a baby again and hear Max read you bed time stories. In fact there’s a modern joke that goes around that: if Max lived in bible times, he would be one of the book authors of the bible. No doubt Max Lucado is an excellent writer and he has earned that title over the years.

You will get through this. It won’t be painless. It won’t be quick. But God will use this mess for good. In the meantime don’t be foolish or naïve. But don’t despair either. With God’s help you will get through this. 

This is the central premise of Max’s new book and he does justice to it well. In a part, You Will Get Through This is also a study on the life of the biblical Joseph. You will love it as Max draws modern, relevant and practical insights from the age old story.

You Will Get Through is very practical and actionable, reminiscent of all we loved in The Cure For Common Life and yet so inspiring the usual Max style. In an interview with Ken Coleman of Catalyst, (a tribe of next generation leaders) discussing his new book, Max says “Gratitude is the vitamin C for a tough day”. Max’s new book is power combo of lots of spiritual and practical vitamins. You need this. 

Charlotte Gambill - Turnaround God [Book Review]

That I want to give this book a five star and end this review isn't because I’m a fanatic. In fact ‘Turnaround God’ was my first contact with Charlotte Gambill, the author. I had never read or heard anything from her before this. 

First, a fact to be established: ‘Turnaround God’ isn't just worth the read; it is one to be handled with urgency. Charlotte has something vital to say to this generation of Christians that I think few or no ther authors are saying in recent times. So pulling back the urge to just rave and say ‘Go get the book’, I will be professional and review this book in two parts, the writing style and the content.

The Writing

I read ‘Turnaround God’ with so much surprise as most preachers and pastors [I have read] don’t really get to have a distinct writing voice or style. Most times they tend to fall flat on the page and as a reader, you read the book at the mercy of what they have to say into your life. But right from the first page of ‘Turnaround God’, I noticed Charlotte Gambill immediately begged to differ from this stereotype. 

While not extremely ‘poetic’ like the likes of Max Lucado, Rob Bell and the Canadian pastor Mark Buchanan, Charlotte’s writing is bold, upbeat, illustrative, imaginative (in fact very imaginative) and punch line oriented. You would love it. She’s good with one liners, does a good job of telling the right stories at the appropriate time and uses real life stories and issues as spiritual allegories. A clap for her with this craft cause it helps the message stick.

Reading Charlotte for me was like having a seaside coffee conversation with a friend who was teaching me new things say ‘how to swim’. And in that conversation, she never hesitated to get us to leave the coffee for a while and head over to the river for some practice. Yes, it was that engaging and practical. No dull moments at all.

Content

In ‘Turnaround God’ the message is all round. Charlotte Gambill does not hesitate to address elephants in the church’s room today. I loved the chapter called ‘Turn the Other Cheek’ a chapter on forgiveness and using our energies for the important things. Charlotte has this to say on the matter:

“Every time we allow our differences to shout louder than our commission as the body of Christ, our eyes are off the things we are called to turn around. . . When we lose sight of the true fight to which we are called, the enemy can cause us to take fire at the very people we need alongside us”

Every chapter had a unique and urgent message to offer. I'm trying hard not to put Mrs Gambill’s book in a box by describing it in one line as a book about the transformation God wants to bring in us and around us in our communities cause I think it’s so much more than that.

I think a good book is one that does two things to you. First, you want to read it again and second you are not the same person who opened the first page when closing the last page cause something’s changed.

I’m going read ‘Turnaround God’ again and as for the change, I’m waiting for the people I do life with to tell me that something’s different cause I know something happened in those pages. I think I can boldly say Turnaround God helped turn me around. It can do the same for you too.

Kyle Idleman - Gods at War [Book Review]

Having not read the viral 'Not a Fan', I loved 'Gods at War' from the very beginning. Not necessarily for it's writing style as names like Rob Bell, Max Lucado, Mark Buchannan or Phillip Yancey might come up when it comes to writing that wants you to get to read a book for a second and a third time but more for it's introspective and insightful moments and the author's ability to handle a topic such as idolatry in such a relevant and realistic format.

'Gods at Wars' is a book about the various gods that contend for the space of the one true God in our hearts. 'I've heard that before' I hear you say but it would shock you some unseemly things we have gotten comfortable with in our culture which are actually and out-rightly gods! 'bronzed'  images we have carved for our selves. After all, Idols aren't so old school. They are still much around. All they did was just morph and Kyle Idleman tells us the why,how and what they morphed into.

For anything chapter 12 'God of Family' is a must read. Kyle switches the bouncy mood writing in which most of the book is written for a sage style say the Max Lucado style and the truth therein is weighty and impactful. It's a no miss at all.

Ann Voskamp (Author of 'One Thousand Gifts: a Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are') says this about this book

"Pick up this book only if you are weary of losing battles, if you are done with band-aid solutions, if you are ready for the real winning. You won't finish it and be the same person"

And I didn't. Get the book, you sure won't.

Max Lucado - Wild Grace [Book Review]

Wild Grace is an adaptation for teens of Max Lucado’s new book titled Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine. And the unsaid thing about most adaptations is usually how they could be watered down but half –way through wild grace, I was wondering why Max Lucado didn’t set it out as a whole new project cause though targeted towards teens, it’s a book I think everyone should read.

One of the outstanding things about this book is its practicality. For a topic like grace, you expect to hear lots of theological terms and references that might make you grasp for the next bible dictionary but Wild Grace is simple but yet deep. Please when planning to read make sure your highlighter is at hand.

In Wild Grace, Max in his usual Story telling style explains how God’s grace flows into everyday life, how it affects decisions, how it changes life and how tangible it is. He even takes it a step further to answer tough questions not just teens but everyone faces about salvation whether it’s eternal or not. Another amazing part of this book is the real life stories of well-known Christians imbibed in the book. This would sure be an encouragement and a reminder of how God’s grace comes through to teenagers.

I really think more books should be written like Wild Grace and one thing that really stands out with this one is that it is so real and practical. It meets you at the junction of everyday life. Isn’t that how books are meant to be?