Product Description
On Pentecost, the Spirit came down and ignited the hearts and minds of believers to preach the gospel and live out justice for the forgotten. Max Lucado wonders, Might it happen again? Does God still free hearts, minds and bodies from the ravages of sin and poverty? The answer is yes! He does it through you, and in Outlive Your Life he challenges you to make a difference that will last beyond your time on earth. Take a stand for children, widows, and families who only need an opportunity to live.One hundred percent of the author royalties from Outlive Your Life products will benefit children and families through World Vision and other ministries of faith-based compassion.
Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference by Max Lucado
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have to admit that at the beginning of this book, I wasn’t too excited. I have read my share of Max Lucado books. He often has great devotional insight, but I figured I had heard it all before.
As I read, I discovered that this book was different. I got into the meat of the book, and I realized that the premise of his book was to live the gospel we preach in tangible ways. You can tell a hungry child all you want that Jesus loves you, but what will that mean to him or her without giving a hearty meal to the child in need? We tend to get so caught up in our own lives that we just don’t slow down enough to put into practice what we profess to believe.
One of the messages that really touched me was when the Apostle Paul was brought up. We know that he was the chief persecutor of Christians, and then Jesus met him and changed his life forever. Lucado pointed out that even those we think are far gone and seem like they will never turn to the Lord should not be the ones that we abandon and say they will never change. We have to keep praying. In fact, as Lucado points out in another chapter, we should pray first, not last.
This would be a fantastic book use in a small group Bible study or devotional time. There is a discussion guide in the back of the book. But if you are not willing to put action behind what you are learning, you and your group would be wasting your time. One person can make a difference. If everyone on earth believed that he or she could not make a difference, nothing would ever change. He challenges us to be like Mother Theresa who, though dead, still lives on through her tremendous work with the orphans of Calcutta.
I reviewed this book for booksneeze.com, and I received only this book in exchange for my review. I was not financially compensated in any way, and I only shared my honest review of this book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from his website)
Max Lucado says he “writes books for people who don’t read books.’ Even so, his best-selling books have sold 100 million copies across 54 languages worldwide. Perhaps Lucado is converting non-readers with his poetic storytelling and homespun humor. Perhaps readers can sense that his encouraging words flow from the heart of a pastor.
Every trade book Max Lucado has written during the last 30 years began as a sermon series for his home church Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. Max presses every word of his sermons through this sieve: Why would this matter on Monday morning? How can I relate the promises of God to every person, wherever they are, regardless of the burdens they carry?
Since his first book On the Anvil was published in 1985, Max Lucado has been sharing the promises of God in sermons, books, articles and media interviews. His writing is also featured in videos, devotionals, songs, plush toys, greeting cards, booklets, Bible studies, and Bible commentaries. 130 million of these products have been sold around the globe. His books regularly appear on national bestseller lists including the New York Times.
Max’s 40th trade book, Unshakable Hope: Building Our Lives on the Promises of God, released August 2018. This new title explores twelve of God’s promises upon which Max has depended for his entire adult life. “The promises of God work,” Max writes. “They can walk you through horrific tragedies. They can buoy you in the day-to-day difficulties. They are, indeed, the great and precious promises of God.”
National press has noted the global influence of this unassuming Texas pastor. Max Lucado was dubbed “America’s Pastor” by Christianity Today, and Reader’s Digestcalled him “The Best Preacher in America.” The New York Timeshas named Max one of the most influential leaders in social media. He has been featured on countless media outlets including USA Today, “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show,” NPR, CNN, and “Fox & Friends.”
Max Lucado’s childhood was both idyllic and simple. Max was raised in Andrews, Texas, a town with a population smaller than the current membership of Oak Hills Church. Max’s dad was an oilfield mechanic and his mother a nurse. He spent much of his childhood chasing or being chased by his beloved brother Dee. Once Max became a teenager, rebellion kicked in. After one specific drunken night, Max began to wonder if there was more to life than parties and chasing girls. He believes now that if Jesus hadn’t changed his heart, alcoholism would have been in his future.
During undergraduate studies at Abilene Christian University (ACU), Max grew to realize God was bigger—and better—than any rebellion. Max left ACU with two degrees and a heart for telling others about God and his faithfulness. Max’s first ministry assignment was as the associate pastor of a small church in Miami, Florida. In that position he developed his passion for people, ministry, and writing. He began writing when he was assigned a column in the church’s weekly newsletter.
While in Florida Max married Denalyn, now his wife of more than three decades. Max and Denalyn moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1983 to help plant churches. During their five years in Brazil, Max continued to write, updating friends and family back home about their ministry. Eventually Max gathered the Brazil newsletters and Florida columns into a manuscript and sent it off to fifteen publishers. After multiple rejection letters, one publisher finally said yes. In honor of his four decades of pastoring and publishing, Abilene Christian University has become home to the Max Lucado Collection. A curated collection of Max’s manuscripts, journals and personal correspondence are archived and displayed at ACU’s Brown Library.
Max and Denalyn live in San Antonio, Texas, and have three grown daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren.
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- Birth Place: San Angelo, TX
- Graduate: Andrews High School, Andrews, TX
- Advanced Degrees:BA Mass Communications, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX
- MA: Biblical and Related Studies, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX
- Positions Held:Associate Minister, Central Church of Christ, Miami, FL
Church Planting Missionary, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Currently serving as a Preaching Minister of Oak Hills Church, San Antonio, TX
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