MIRACLE AT THE HIGHER GROUNDS CAFE by Max Lucado

Chelsea Champers inherited the Higher Grounds Cafe when her mom died. She has great memories of the place - and a significant need of somewhere to put her energy - so she decides to run it on her own. But she discovers she owns a crazy amount of back taxes on it. How will she ever make that kind of money? Enter The God Blog. It's the only website her router gets and customers come from miles around to have a chance to ask one question and have God respond. What will The God Blog do for Chelsea's business? For her family? For herself?

This is a touching story of faith and family. Glimpses of angels and dark forces at work give this a little different tone at times. I enjoy stories which touch me emotionally and this did that. It's a fairly typical relationship story ("Can the main characters work out their history and problems?") with angels thrown in. The build up was a little slow, but once The God Blog became a factor, the story really got interesting.

4 out of 5 stars

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

FRIDAY: Outlive Your Life

I swear I could pick a Lucado book out from a handful of samples. His "voice" and style are distinctive, taking the "same old" Bible story and adding details and layers to draw you into the story emotionally and to think of it in new ways.

In this book, the text is Acts, teaching time-tested ways of making a difference in your world, one moment and choice at a time - sharing the love and forgiveness of God, working together, showing hospitality, preparing for persecution, fleeing from pride and hypocrisy, etc.

I didn't walk away from this book with a life changing moment or insight, but it contained good, solid reminders of how to live a life that shows care for others. Would make a good resource for a Bible study group or Sunday school class.

[I am an Amazon Associate. When you connect to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.]

Waiting on WEDNESDAY

I am a fan of Max Lucado - have been for awhile. This is his latest book. To me it sounds like something along the lines of a previous book of his, Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot which I really enjoyed. This one is waiting in my library bag for me to carve out a few hours and dig into it. I think the timing is good as I am working on a personal mission statement, something I have been talking about on my other blog. The subtitle for Outlive Your Life is "You Were Made to Make a Difference."

[I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.]

WEDNESDAY: Fearless by Max Lucado

Yes, I know it is Tuesday. No, I didn't make a mistake in posting a book about faith today, when I should be talking about a great book for kids. Today is the release date for the new Max Lucado book, Fearless and as a reviewer for Thomas Nelson, I needed to post my review today. So, come back tomorrow to hear about a fun children's book my son and I enjoyed this summer.


Fear. It paralyzes. It discourages. It holds back. It robs. Fear can keep us from enjoying the life God has given and it can keep us from venturing out on any new adventures with Him. Max Lucado's latest book, Fearless, hopes to challenge readers to leave behind the life of fear and keep our eyes on Christ.

For me, it succeeded. I was challenged and inspired by Fearless. There were portions of the book that seemed written just for me and brought me to tears. Each chapter examines a different sort of fear (fear of insignificance, fear of death, fear of violence, etc.) and gives recommendations for dealing with that fear. Each chapter includes trademark Lucado Bible analysis. I love how he breaks down a Bible story in a way you may not have seen before (my favorite in this book is a discussion of the Transfiguration). I believe this is a book I would read regularly, to refocus my eyes off my fears and onto Christ. It comes with discussion questions for groups or individuals looking for ways to dig farther into the material.

[I am a reviewer for the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program. I received a free copy of this book to read and review with no expectation of a positive review.]

WEDNESDAY: Cure for the Common Life

I am always on the look out for a book to help me pinpoint where to focus my energies, or discern my gifts/passions, etc. This was one of those books - I also bought the workbook, which is a nice accessory for the book. In this book. Max Lucado encourages readers to look back in life to see where the "sweet spots" have been. Then they can use that history to highlight strengths and passions for the future. I really enjoyed this book.