This is an encouraging book for Christians who want to live optimistically and in strong faith in Jesus. Based on the story of Joshua, the book could be a great discussion starter or study guide for a group of people. ( )

Rated: B+
Max Lucado's commentary on the book of Joshua. Nobody today is better than Max in bringing to light God's word and its application to our lives. "To live in the Promised Land, you must face your Jericho." ( )

Do you remember that moment when you found out your dad really couldn't beat up all the other dads? He was, to your utter dejection, just a man. Glory Days is that experience for me - only on a Christian book level.

Max Lucado has been tremendously used of the Lord in my life! In my teens and my 20s, I devoured his books. They laid out for me a vivid picture of God's love and grace. The Applause of Heaven, And the Angels were Silent, and Six Hours One Friday were tent posts in my young faith. As educational and pastoral responsibilities kicked in, I found myself driven more towards other types of authors. Commentaries, church growth, and theology became my staples.

So, I was hopeful and thankful when a discipleship group in which I participate chose to read Glory Days. Two of my favorite things are united in this book: the book of Joshua and Max Lucado books! Little did I know that the list of two favorite things was on its way to becoming 1 favorite thing.

Glory Days, in my opinion, completely misses the bigger theme Joshua. As presented, the book of Joshua is a sort of roadmap for us to follow so that, like the children of Israel, we can experience the bounty of the Promised Land - or as Lucado puts it, our Glory Days.

Is this idea truly the intent of the book of Joshua? To show us how to be like Israel and push into our own proverbial Promised Land? OR is the big idea of Joshua the unmerited, unthinkable faithfulness of God? I submit that Joshua is a treatise to Jehovah, who has not forgotten his promises to Abraham and is bringing about those promises as Joshua leads Israel into Canaan. The book of Joshua, properly understood, has little to do with you or me; it has everything to do with the character of the God whom Christians serve.

The best example of this misappropriated theme is found in chapter 13, "You Be You." Here, Lucado uses Joshua 11-22 as a platform to demonstrate how you can take hold of your spiritual inheritance. Granted, Joshua 11-22 is a difficult text to preach. It is, as Lucado points out, "a land survey" that makes "for due reading."

In the opening four paragraphs of the chapter, only 18 lines of type, the word "you" or "your" appears 19 times. These paragraphs set the tone for the chapter and encapsulate the entire book. What God has done is all about you. The emphasis of this work is ultimately on man. While God's bigness and glory are recognized at places, it is often done for the purpose of showing what a big and powerful God we have at our disposal.

My question is this: "Is the emphasis of Scripture man? Or is the emphasis of Scripture God?" Fairness demands that we recognize a fair amount of attention is given to both, but ultimate in emphasis, power, authority, rule, knowledge, and being is the Lord God Almighty! Scripture is His story! Man is included in the story of how God creates and then redeems all of his creation as a display of His glory. Man is not the center of Scripture; God is. This perspective is missing in Glory Days.

I have a sneaking suspicion that if I were to go back and read my Lucado favorites from the past that I would find similar emphases on man. That makes me sad. I love to see God proclaimed in his bigness. Max Lucado has a big gift from God (few can turn a phrase like he can) and a big megaphone (influence through preaching and writing) that I wish declared a Christ-centered theology and avoided the man-centered drone of the modern American church. We don't need our "best life now"; we need to serve a big God who promises that the best is yet to come!

Max Lucado's books were greatly used of God in my life in a season a long time ago. I am thankful for him and his gifts. But now I see through a different lens. I'm not really looking for my Glory Days. I just want to see His Glory. ( )

Just like his other books, he does not disappoint. Most of the book is from the book of Joshua which I really didn't know much about. I will be passing this book onto my sister. I think she will enjoy it too. ( )

Basically, Glory Days is a deeper look at the Old Testament book of Joshua as it applies to our lives as New Testament followers of Jesus. Some of the truths in here will do a Gibbs-slap on your spirit (any NCIS fans in the house?). Some of the truths will refresh a battle-weary soul. All of the truths are timely and imperative for the times in which we live. Full of Bible verses to encourage and empower, Glory Days would be perfect for a small group discussion study. As I read the book for this review, I ended up reading portions from just about every chapter to my husband – which prompted a spontaneous prayer time for the two of us together.

Max Lucado knows what makes people tick, what keeps us from living in our spiritual Promised Lands. He gets to the heart of the problem and provides practical, Biblical solutions that can empower us to live in our Glory Days, to live out of our inheritance, to fight from victory not for it. And boy, do we need some of that! According to a study that Lucado mentions, nearly 9 out of 10 Jesus-followers are stuck in the wilderness, living in defeat. That’s about 2 billion of the 2.2 billion people alive today that call themselves Christians, around a third of the world’s population. Can you imagine what it would look like if 2 billion people suddenly started living a spiritual Promised Land life??!??

Can you imagine what it would look like if you suddenly started living out of your spiritual inheritance? If you remembered that He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3). If there was no longer an apparent disconnect between God’s promises and your reality. Reading Glory Days will be a wonderful place to start.

I found particularly meaningful the chapters on “Don’t Forget to Remember”, “Pray Audacious Prayers”, and “You Be You”. Very relatable themes with extremely practical application. You will definitely know what to do with what you’ve read by the time you finish Glory Days.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for only my honest review.)

Read my full review here: https://readingismysuperpower.wordpress.com/2015/08/24/glory-days-max-lucado/ ( )