“Define your dream. Claim your promise. Spell your miracle.”- Mark Batterson As Mark Batterson continues Chapter 3 of The Circle Maker, he references Matthew’s account of “Jesus Heals Two Blind Men” (Matthew 20:29-34). When two blind men sitting on the roadside outside of Jericho hailed Jesus, the disciples saw it as human interruption. Jesus, however, […]
“So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”- Galatians 4:7 (ESV) “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I […]
“Drawing prayer circles begins with identifying your Jericho.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson begins Chapter 3 (“The Jericho Miracle”) of The Circle Maker by stating that prayer is something people instinctively do when facing a challenge far beyond their ability. Pastor Batterson has no doubt the Israelites were praying as they silently circled Jericho. Even though […]
“Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D. C., wrote The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears in 2011. Max draws and shares powerful insights from the true legend of Honi the circle maker. Honi, a first-century […]
Glory Days (Thomas Nelson, 2015) Glory Days: Living Your Promised Land Life Now is the latest book by Max Lucado, teaching pastor at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. Max’s book is based on the Glory Days of Israel- seven glistening years sandwiched between the difficult days of Exodus and the dark days of […]
“God Fights for You” is the concluding chapter (16) of Glory Days. Max Lucado describes how Joshua was in dire need of God’s protection as the children of Israel ventured into the Promised Land. Brutal and bloodthirsty enemies inhabited Canaan. Joshua’s men were untested in battle and his leadership was unproven. Despite those odds, God […]
“No Falling Words” is the title of Chapter 15 of Glory Days. Max Lucado states the theological heart of Joshua is: God keeps His word! In Joshua 21:45 we read: “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” Yet, we live […]
“Your best thoughts are God-thoughts.”- Max Lucado “Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him. . . I will remember You from the land of Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar.”- Psalm 42:5-6 (NKJV) Max Lucado concludes Chapter 14 of Glory Days by emphasizing that we, like the psalmist, […]
“The God- Drenched Mind” is the title of Chapter 14 of Glory Days. Max Lucado begins by debunking any wishful thoughts of a problem-free life. Max quips that it is not likely, albeit faintly possible, that pigs might fly or that men might surrender the remote control. However, you shouldn’t hold your breath in expectation of […]
“I have come to see God’s definition of promotion: a promotion is not a move up the ladder; it is a move toward your call.”- Max Lucado “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given,, and then sink yourself into that.”- Galatians 6:4 (The Message) As Max Lucado […]
“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high, he had a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ ” -Ephesians 4:7-8 “Your existence is not accidental. Your skills are not incidental.”- Max Lucado In Chapter 13 (“You […]
Max Lucado concludes Chapter 12 of Glory Days with the observation that, like Greg Pruett, God and prayer are all you have left as well. Like Joshua, you are facing battle and five kings are bearing down upon you: “Discouragement, deception, defeat, destruction, death. They roar into your world like a Hells Angels motorcycle gang. Their […]