Showing results by narrator "Ben Holland" in All Categories

"Sweet spot." Golfers understand the term. So do tennis players. Ever swung a baseball bat or paddled a Ping-Pong ball? If so, you know the oh-so-nice feel of the sweet spot. Life in the sweet spot rolls like the downhill side of a downwind bike ride. But you don't have to swing a bat or a club to know this. What engineers give sports equipment, God gave you. A zone, a region, a life precinct in which you were made to dwell. He tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in his jigsaw puzzle.

Max Lucado invites you to examine the cross, contemplate its purpose, and celebrate its significance in He Chose the Nails.Go ahead and linger on the hill of Calvary. Rub a finger on the timber and press the nail into your hand. Taste the tinge of cheap wine and feel the scrape of a thorn on your brow. Touch the velvet dirt, moist with the blood of God. Allow the tools of torture to tell their story. Listen as they tell you why the hope of all humanity balances on the truth of the claims of the cross.

Are you ready to move from insecure to God secure? From regret riddled to better-because-of-it? From afraid to die to ready to fly? Today, find freedom in God's grace. We often talk about grace, but do we really understand it? Grace politely occupies a phrase in a hymn and fits nicely on a church sign. It never causes trouble or demands a response. When asked, "Do you believe in grace?" who could say no? Best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado helps us dive deeper into what it means to be changed by grace.

Do you want to overcome your anxiety? Do you want to be free from the worries that weigh you down? If you're trembling on a tightrope of fear and worry, get ready for the best trade ever: your cares for God's calm. That's God's offer. Best-selling author Max Lucado understands what it's like to feel overwhelmed by anxiety. You'll learn how to exchange your burdens for an abundance of mercy, gratitude, and trust; replace striving and stress with a faith-filled life, so you can see God's goodness; feel calm in chaos and find peace through prayer; and make faith your default reaction.

They are simple phrases. They sound Christian - like something you might find in the Bible. We've all heard these words. Maybe we've said them. They capture some element of truth, yet they miss the point in important ways. Join Adam Hamilton in searching for the whole truth by comparing common Christian clichés to the message and ministry of Jesus.

Embrace your identity as God's beloved, step out of your own brokenness, and bring hope to a darkened world. You have a calling to fulfill. Are you ready to take the risk of moving past your past to fulfill it? Christine Caine faced hurdles that seemed insurmountable - abuse, abandonment, and the loss of a child. Yet she decided to answer God's call on her life no matter where it would lead her. Many times, the only thing that kept her going was knowing that she was God's beloved. She was God's chosen.

Pop culture and psychobabble tell us to make ourselves the center of the universe in order to be happy. Churches have communicated the false idea that God exists to give us all that we selfishly want. In this book, Max Lucado reminds us that it's not about us, it's all about God. It is through this shift in thinking that we can truly live an unburdened, happy life.

In more than 25 years of writing and ministry, Max Lucado has received thousands of such questions. They come in letters, emails, even on Dunkin Donuts napkins. In Max on Life, he offers thoughtful answers to more than 170 of the most pressing questions on topics ranging from hope to hurt and from home to the hereafter.

Weary travelers. You've seen them - everything they own crammed into their luggage. Staggering through terminals and hotel lobbies with overstuffed suitcases, trunks, duffels, and backpacks. Backs ache. Feet burn. Eyelids droop. We've all seen people like that. At times we are people like that - if not with our physical luggage then at least with our spiritual load. We all lug loads we were never intended to carry. Fear. Worry. Discontent. No wonder we get so weary. We're worn out from carrying that excess baggage.

Jesus’ ministry on this Earth only lasted three and a half years, yet in that time, his words turned heads, turned hearts, and ultimately turned the world upside down. The words of Jesus offer much to those who have ears to hear. They are his legacy. They are our heritage. In Experiencing the Words of Jesus, you will have the opportunity to hear his voice for yourself. 

One day in the life of Christ. Call it a tapestry of turmoil: A noisy pictorial in which the golden threads of triumph knot against the black, frazzled strings of tragedy. Call it a symphony of emotions: A sunrise-to-sunset orchestration of extremes. One score is brassy with exuberance -- the next moans with sorrow. Whatever you call it -- call it real.

In Before Amen best-selling author Max Lucado joins listeners on a journey to the very heart of biblical prayer, offering hope for doubts and confidence even for prayer wimps. Distilling prayers in the Bible down to one pocket-sized prayer, Max reminds listeners that prayer is not a privilege for the pious nor the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and his child. Let the conversation begin.

Grace for the Moment by New York Times best-selling author Max Lucado has inspired millions. Families can share the help and hope of God in everyday moments with their children by listening to the family devotional edition. With 100 days of devotionals, this family-friendly edition includes a daily devotional for adults and a separate kid-friendly devotional that touches on the same topic.

The wilderness. Maybe you know it well. The Israelites sure did. After all, they spent 40 years wandering the desert. Victories were scarce. Progress was slow. They were free from Pharaoh but not free from fear. Saved but stuck. Sounds a lot like midlife misery. Caught in a rut. Stalled out. Running on empty. Are you mired in the same? You can name the day you became a Christian and escaped Egypt. But you can't remember the last time you defeated a temptation or experienced an answered prayer.

In his best-selling title Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado explains that God loves you just the way you are...but he refuses to leave you that way. Why? Because our ultimate goal should be a life that is just like Jesus. And with determination, faith, and God's help, we can all change for the better, no matter how long the bad habits have settled in. The reputation and recognition of the best seller is sure to make this new edition an instant favorite.

In this compelling quest for the Messiah, best-selling author Max Lucado invites readers to meet the blue-collar Jew whose claim altered a world and whose promise has never been equaled. Readers will come to know Jesus the Christ in a brand-new way as Lucado brings them full circle to the foot of the cross and the man who sacrificed His life on it.

Does it ever feel like life is out of control? Could you use the reminder that God is in control? When tragedy strikes, people desperately search for answers. Believers and unbelievers alike find themselves turning to God. Best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado tells us that, though it may not be quick or painless, God will use this mess for good.

It's early in the final week. The props and players for Friday's drama are in position. Five-inch spikes are in the bin. A cross-beam leans against a shed wall. The players are nearing the stage - Pilate, Annas and Caiaphas, Judas, the centurions. Players and props. Only this is no play; it's a divine plan. A plan begun before Adam felt heaven's breath, and now all heaven waits and watches. All eyes are on one figure - the Nazarene. Commonly clad. Uncommonly focused. He's on his final journey.

You're the best, Mom. Mothers, for so many, are a welcoming hug, a helping hand, a comforting ear, a wise source of guidance. They do so much for so many, and in the devotional Grace for the Moment for Moms, bestselling author, husband, father, and grandfather Max Lucado offers moms comfort, encouragement, and some much-needed moments of grace and appreciation....

How a bomb-making white supremacist, once called "the most dangerous man in Mississippi", met Jesus in prison and emerged a committed advocate for Christian discipleship, peace, and racial justice.