"Just Like Jesus" by Max Lucado

"God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be like Jesus."

What a very strong and true statement that I believe is lost on us at times in the hustle and bustle of our every day lives. Lucado makes us stop and really examine our actions and thoughts and poses the question, "What if, for one day, Jesus were to become you?" I don't about you but for me that is a daunting thought but the flip side is if we were to become Jesus for a day how much different would we look at life and all the things we face.

In this work Luacdo examines the different aspects of Jesus' life and gives us easy to understand examples. While the concepts are simple the impact they can have on a life is profound. This book is well worth the time to read and even better the application to one's life is invaluable.

"The Gunslinger" The Dark Tower Book 1

"The Gunslinger" is the first book of the Dark Tower series. It is also one of the first books Stephen King wrote. I read the revised and expanded edition I picked in a boxed set containing the first four books of the series.

The tale takes place in a very hot and dry land with Roland (the gunslinger) in pursuit of the dark man. He eventually comes to settlement the dark man passed through and in which he leaves Roland a trap. Seeking information about the dark man Roland learns of the magic the dark man did in resurrecting a dead man and before he leaves the trap is sprung by the woman he was sleeping with and getting information from. The Gunslinger is forced to kill the entire town to escape and thus he continues his pursuit.

Roland then encounters a boy named Jake and he learns his strange tale and knows that he is also a trap left by the dark man. They travel together and experience many trails but in the end Jake loses his life when Roland is forced to choose pursuit of the dark man or saving Jake.

At the end the gunslinger and the dark man palaver and the gunslinger learns more about the nature of the dark tower but he does not fully comprehend all he learns. He also learns the dark man has been a part of his life for a very long time and after the palaver finds remains of what appear to be the dark man but he does not believe it to be so. So the gunslinger continues his quest for the tower.

"The universe (he said) is the Great All, and offers a paradox too great for the finite mind to grasp. As the living brain cannot conceive of a nonliving brain-although it may think it can-the finite mind cannot grasp the infinite."

"The Gunslinger" by Stephen King

"The Great House of God" by Max Lucado

Another wonderful study by Max Lucado this time focusing on The Lord's Prayer. He takes the tact of using a house to explain the Lord's Prayer. He goes from room to room and explains different parts of the prayer and helps us understand each part. He gives us a unique look on the prayer and encourages us to live in the prayer rather than just saying the words.

I highly recommend this book and it comes with a study guide to help with the application to every day life. Lucado does a great job of making the gospel easy to grasp and he does it with everyday language and illustrations.

"The Lord's Prayer is a floor plan of the house of God: a step-by-step description of how God meets our needs when we dwell in him. Everything that occurs in a healthy house is described in this prayer. Protection, instruction, forgiveness, provision . . . all under God's roof."

Max Lucado "The Great House of God"