"GLORY DAYS..."

How timely is this title! Declaration of "Glory Days"

..."These days are Glory Days. My past is past, my future is bright,God’s promises are true and His Word is sure. With God as my helper,I will be all He wants me to be,do all He wants me to do,and receive all He wants me to receive. These days are Glory Days."

"GLORY DAYS"

"Glory Days ... " by Max Lucado, is simply a glorious rendition of Joshua with lessons we can learn through another of Max Lucado's finest, not to be missed books, especially if you're in the midst of a battle or trial, in need of some encouragement and the strength to encounter your vision of the Promised Land that is yours for the taking of really, actually "...Living Your Promised Land Now." The contrast to the immigrants that first came to America seeking entering into a bright, new beginning is such a wonderful insight to how we too might seek our new beginning in Christ and God's Promises. 

I just love the down to earth writings of Max Lucado, yet somehow this one is still filled with so much GLORY! It is sadly true that "Life has a way of taking the life out of us" so that "often we go through situations where the challenge seems so much greater than our strength" however Max has a way of teaching and retelling the story of Joshua in this new release of "Glory Days" with lessons that are still true for us today, where we can find hope and inspiration from Joshua, to move us from whatever our "wilderness situation" or wanderings may be into a new mindset of victory toward our own Promised Land. Max has a special gift of writing that makes stories in the Bible come alive as he relates Joshua to our own lives in a wonderful story-like fashion as if you can hear him actually telling you this and opening your eyes to grasping the truths so you can live this faith and believe the promises that your best days - our "glory" days - are still ahead of us.

After reading each of his 16 chapters of "Glory Days" that parallels with chapters from Joshua in the Bible, you will have a new, victorious mindset of "God Fighting for You" and giving you a new vision for your life where you can move "from a wilderness existence into a promised inheritance". And if you follow and do the *added bonus* included, you will be better equipped to deal with "Life" - your Christian life - following God's promises for every step and "Living your Promised Land Now" as more than a conqueror. The chapter that stood out the most to me, for me personally, was "Voices, Choices, and Consequences" wisely followed by "Pray Audacious Prayers" which I did and will continue to do, as I lean on God to fight my battles, learning this truth: that I (like those in Canaan with Joshua) not fight for victory rather from victory, the one Christ has already won and I cling to believing and receiving. "Heeding God's Word is more critical than fighting God's war." I do want the Promised Land life and desire the fullness of "Glory Days" ... I long to experience Canaan ("a life defined by grace, refined by challenge and aligned with a heavenly call") to the fullest, which I learned reading this (as if I did not know or hear this before) requires obedience to God's commands. As Max writes: "In God's plan, in God's land, we win more than we lose, forgive as quickly as we are offended and give as abundantly as we receive." Obedience leads to blessings and favor. "Security comes as we put God's precepts to practice. We're only as strong as our obedience." I need all of the benefits of obedience. Since I know I am a child of God's, I need to choose obedience since I am indwelt by His Holy Spirit, I am equipped and empowered for an eternal assignment, not an easy life but one that is blessed; hearing the right voice, making the best choice, enjoying blessing upon blessing.

"Obedience, " wrote C.S. Lewis in "Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis", "is the key to all doors."

Thankful to know  it's the key for me and I do believe after reading "Glory Days" that I will have a "Crossing Over" moment or moments soon, because I now see the "potential of a Promised Land life" better and I will break forth from my many years of "wilderness wanderings" and "dry desert days" into fully experiencing more of God and His promises. I highly recommend this book as a small group study or individually. I was not at all surprised how much I loved and learned once again from Max Lucado, knowing that the truths in "Glory Days" is one book I will refer back to again and again to be reminded with God's help "I can ..." and even a not so favorite book in the Bible - like "Joshua" - due to its bloody battles and violence, can reveal how I will better embrace God's grace through times like these.

The website for this book (glory days book (dot) com) is filled with many other bonuses as well as through Faith Gateway (a free 64 page - ebook as a companion book to the "Glory Days" of 40 Promises for everyday battles - it's great and just as worthwhile as this book)! My favorite part is the Study Guide!

***BIG BONUS included!***

I just LOVE the STUDY GUIDE

included {actually just called} "Questions for Reflection" by David Drury broken into 3 categories Take a look at the intro to the Study Guide:

"YOUR WILDERNESS questions come from the struggling seasons of life, born of waiting, disappointment, discouragement, or heartache. For the Hebrews it was a season of wandering for forty years in the desert. Your wilderness, a wasteland of unfulfilled hopes and dreams, may feel no less barren. However hard such wandering can be, it can also be a season of spiritual growth and learning. These questions are designed to help you learn about God and yourself during your wanderings. YOUR CROSSING MOMENT questions point to a symbolic Jordan River that separates your current life from the Promised Land life that is possible for you. You can cross over to this life because you have victory in all things through God, who showed His great love for you (Rom. 8:37 NCV). These questions will help you find motivation and practical steps to move out in faith and enter God’s promised life. YOUR PROMISED LAND questions will inspire you to see the potential of your Promised Land life. It can be hard to imagine what a life of victory looks like. Those who have experienced victory are sometimes so humbled by it that they don’t share how it feels to win over sin and shame and sickness. But victory is not only possible for the faithful; it is promised by God. You can close the gap between the person you are and the person you want to be! It’s time to fully experience the Promised Land life. "

"GLORY DAYS..." releases  September 15th

Author Chat LIVE web link (video to view later)

Monday, September 14, 2015 at 11:00 am EST/ 8:00 am PST

I've shared more in other posts before today's 'cause I could hardly wait as I read and enjoyed both the book and the e-book!!! And, of course, I wanted you to be able to enjoy being blessed too! Enjoy your GLORY DAYS!

* not to be confused with Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" so be sure you add book or Max Lucado with it "PRAY Audacious PRAYERS" a sample of Max's "Glory Days" at Faith Gtaeway

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the book review blogger's program BookLookBloggers . I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the F T Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

"FOR THE LOVE ..."

"... Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards"

by Jen Hatmaker

Being that this is the first time for me to read a book written by Jen Hatmaker, I just had to take a little longer soaking in "For the Love ..." to grasp all that "... Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards" might have to say and why Jen is so popular and so "loved" by many. It did not take long for me to discover that clearly her gift is her humor and frank honesty of being REAL in her writing and world. Jen Hatmaker, recent release of "For the Love", is filled with her passion and compassion for the loves in her life, her family and others. Distinguished and known even on the back cover of this book as ... 

"The popular writer, blogger, and television personality reveals with humor and style how Jesus' extravagant grace is the key to dealing with life's biggest challenge: people. The majority of our joys, struggles, thrills, and heartbreaks relate to people, beginning first with ourselves and then the people we came from, married, birthed, live by, live for, go to church with, don't like, don't understand, fear, struggle with, compare ourselves to, and judge. People are the best and worst thing about the human life.Jen Hatmaker knows this all too well, and so she reveals how to practice kindness, grace, truthfulness, vision, and love to ourselves and those around us. By doing this, "For the Love" leads our generation to re-imagine Jesus' grace as a way of life, and it does it in a funny yet profound manner that Christian readers will love. Along the way, Hatmaker shows readers how to reclaim their prophetic voices and become Good News again to a hurting, polarized world."

Jen Hatmaker has raised the bar on "impossible standards", in my humble opinion. She clearly is a "people person" and she stretches herself to the limits in loving and invites us to do the same: "love others", yourself and God! She relates to the reader in a comfortable, conversational way with practical and spiritual truths without ever sounding preachy. Expanding throughout "For the Love" with GRACE: first for your very own self; next for "all these people who live in your house" (namely family); then going beyond to friends, neighbors, strangers and enemies and finally the Church: "Church people, Not church people, and God". Each of these 4 parts has 5-7 chapters and ends with hilarious "thanks you notes". "For the Love" covers a wide range of topics: from marriage, family issues, schooling to fashion, Haitian moms, supper clubs, poverty, even social media. Her 10 points of marital insights to "dear darling lamb wife" (new wives and moms) certainly had some endearing truths delivered with her wit. 

I was pretty sure that the chapter on "Dear Kids" was my personal favorite ... until I read on and found each chapter more and more love-able! So then the one that spoke most to me had to be "Poverty Tourism". Oh my, what profound points and wisdom Jen Hatmaker makes as regards "short term missions", the church, the community, the outreach. She hits the nail on the head with her perceptive, excellent questions for every missional conversation, beginning with local leaders, local families, local perspectives ... "when the minority voices say the same things, those with privileges should listen." She bars no holds as she shares what she's learned from the mission field from missionaries and her own. I appreciate her direct words and insights that inspire us to "indeed help instead of hurt ... a noble, necessary work". Awesome, heartfelt expressions throughout even when surrounded by humor, Jen Hatmaker is sure to convict and deliver a real substance message of giving and receiving Grace. Jen has the capacity to deepen the conversation in minutes from humor to serious. You will laugh and love this best-selling author and understand much better how to:

" Break free of guilt and shame by dismantling the unattainable Pinterest life.  Learn to engage our culture’s controversial issues with a grace-first approach.  Be liberated to love and release the burden of always being right. Identify the tools you already have to develop real-life, all-in, know-my-junk-but-love-me-anyway friendships.  Escape our impossible standards for parenting and marriage by accepting the standard of “mostly good.” Laugh your butt off.

"For the Love ..." by Jen Hatmaker, will actually make you want to do better and stand up and shout as we press forward and "...fight for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards" where we can join Jen Hatmaker saying:

"I hope the world sees a community with wide-open arms, which comforts and welcomes and seems determined to build one another up. I hope they find us kind and generous, committed and loyal. The church raised me, held me tight, and continues to be my steadfast family; and I haven’t the slightest idea where I would be without her. May we show love in big and small ways, and may that love reach people accustomed to being shamed or ignored. The bright stars shouldn’t get all the attention; let’s search for those whose lights are dimmed, because we are not a tribe of supernovas but of steady, collective light. ... May the world see a thankful, committed family who loves their God, adores their Savior, and can’t get enough of one another. This is a story that saves, a story that heals, and the right story to tell. ... You are writing a good story for your children. Your community and church need you, your neighbors and family need you ... Our generation will cross the finish line having loved God and people with all our might. We’ll have imperfect lives to offer, sure, but I dream of heaven, seeing millions of folks loved by our hands, where hopefully we’ll hear: “Well done, good and faithful servants. You sure were fun to watch.” ... I hope our community is marked by grace and affirmation instead of defensiveness and exclusivity. Sure, some wander down paths we don’t understand, but there is room in the neighborhood for all of us."

So many wise quotes from my highlights of "For the Love...", which defines love through every facet of Jen's fabulous fight for Grace beyond her own life into the world. "...Let’s fulfill the good work we’ve been commissioned to. Silence any voice that whispers “not enough” and stand in truth as an approved worker. You are. Jesus made you so." More than enough encouragement and so much appreciation exemplified by Jen. If you love humor and God's truth, I highly recommend you add this as a finishing touch to your summer reads! 
You'll laugh, learn and love so much more. Thanks Jen!
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Thanks Book Look Bloggers for making this book available in ADE for me to read & review!

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book free from the publisher Thomas P. Nelson through their book review blogger's program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the: Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

GO HERE for an added BONUS of  Faith Gateway's BOOK CLUB for just 4 weeks with JEN HATMAKER and "FOR THE LOVE"
{perfect timing-this was in my email today-yeah}
Like I wrote --- Fun way to finish off the summer with Friends