Review: "Outlive Your Life"

Max Lucado is a very consistent writer, and his latest book and my latest review for Thomas Nelson – that being Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference – is no exception. Check out the product information at http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0849920698&title=Outlive_Your_Life&author=Max_Lucado

Lucado’s latest book is structured around a number of passages from the book of Acts – the book of the Bible, Lucado argues, best shows us how to “outlive” our lives – that is, that we would be willing to look beyond our mere lives to the Glory of God that is coming upon us and thereby be willing to give everything we are and everything we have for the sake of the Gospel.

Each of his chapters is based upon a Scripture and then amplified with a modern story. He shows that what we do has an impact n others, whether w know it or not. God calls us to live beyond our comfort zone in order to reach the world for Christ. He encourages us to embrace the fact of persecution and to reach out to those who are neglected and looked down upon, the sick and the hurting – the type of people Jesus spent time with.

Lucado also stresses the importance of prayer to center us in God and to prepare us for all that God has planned for us.

As usual, Lucado’s writing is approachable, based in Scripture, and helpful for the Christian life.

If I were to have one complaint, it is his use of many different Bible translations and paraphrases. Paraphrases should rarely if ever be used, and it would help the consistency of the quoted biblical text and its reading if it all came from the same translation. Preferably a good, stable one like the ESV.

That being said, I like Lucado’s writing, and he has much good to say to the Church.

Note: All the author’s royalties from this book and other materials are being donated to World Vision.

[This review appears on my blog and Amazon.com]