Outlive Your Life - Max Lucado

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

For years I have read Max Lucado's writings and have been impressed.  This book is an outstanding look at a problem within our society that seems to be growing by the minute.  The problem of complacency or laziness within our spiritual walk is something that is addressed in the pages of this book.  There were some instances where the book raised my eyebrows with its overly laid-back approach, but overall it gave great insight into what the church is going to face for years to come.  Lucado examines the problem from the standpoint of the apostles in the book of Acts.  The idea is that if God could do that much with 12 ordinary men, what could he do with thousands or millions of ordinary people today?  Over and over again, Lucado drives home the point that God did not call the qualified, He qualified the called.  God can still do that today, but our society is not as willing and open to that call as the apostles were in their day and age.  Overall, I view Lucado's writings as a great conversation starter with someone who has never discussed religious matters, but it is not necessarily a book for someone who is looking for a deep, theological discussion on discipleship.  This book is a good read for the everyday Christian life, and if treated as that type of book, it can be extremely beneficial for those who read it.

The Gospel According to Jesus - Chris Seay

“The Gospel According to Jesus” by Chris Seay

This book is a great analysis of the current state of modern-day views on righteousness.  Seay does an incredible job of connecting the word righteousness to a discussion of justice, rather than just an accepted belief that righteousness is doing good things.  Most Christians think that righteousness is simply doing something good.  However, there is a difference in how the Christian will live when he or she understands that doing what is right is a good thing, but it is not righteousness by definition.  Seay instead suggests that righteousness is defined as God’s “restorative justice.”  

The other major discussion hosted by Seay in this book is what it means to live a life of shalom.  Shalom, a word representing peace, is given to people who come in contact with God’s “restorative justice.”  Seay discusses the ten ideas that can lead a person to a shalom lifestyle in the final chapter of the book, giving great insight into how any person can develop this mentality, not just Christians.  The one detraction that I would offer concerning this book is that Seay seems to have had a negative experience with a more traditional-style church and that carries over into some of the writings in this book.  Overall, however, this book was an excellent read and gave some excellent thoughts in the idea of how the church’s definition of righteousness has changed throughout the years.