Max Lucado: You are part of God's story

Often dubbed "America's Best Preacher", Lucado's new book, God's Story, Your Story: When His Becomes Yours, "reveals the truth behind some of life's simplest but greatest mysteries."

Combining the strength of the Lucado brand - more than 100 million products sold, multiple New York Times best-sellers - with a best-selling and often controversial topic-life's purpose and eventual destination-Lucado's forthcoming title is his only new book release for 2011.

Lucado's new book, God's Story, Your Story , out from Zondervan on September 20, helps people make sense out of their own circumstances in their search for purpose.

"Everything changes when you know the rest of your story," writes Lucado.

"We need to know where we came from. Knowing connects us, links us, bonds us to something greater than we are. Knowing reminds us that we aren't floating on isolated ponds but on a grand river. That's why God wants you to know his story. . . And we are a part of it."

In true Lucado style, he poignantly tells personal stories from his encounters with family, friends and strangers. The 288-page book journeys with readers through God's stories in the New Testament, intersecting Lucado's personal stories with his thought-provoking comments on how to apply this to each reader's life. Readers will be comforted, entertained and challenged.

Lucado's writings have grown into a cottage industry comprised of trade and devotional books, Bible products, curriculum resources, kid's books, greeting cards, animated videos, live-action movies, gift products and more. He has been awarded more Evangelical Christian Publishing Awards than any other author in history with multiple nominations for 2011.

"For the first time, I cover the scope of the New Testament. This book has a larger horizon than any of my earlier books," said Lucado in an e-mail interview with ASSIST News.

In the new book, Lucado writes that it is important for Christians to know how they fit into God's grand plan, and that everything changes when you know the rest of your story.

"To not know the story of God is to travel on a plane and not know the itinerary. The peanuts may be nice, but the bewilderment is unsettling. The big news of the Bible is this: this plane has a destination and a reliable pilot," he said.

Lucado said it helps Christians to have an eye towards purpose and the big picture in life, "(In) the same way it helps a long distance runner to know the layout of the track, an actor to know the script of the play, a singer to see the sheet music of the song."

He was asked how do Christians make God's story their own?

Lucado said: "We submit to His Story as the only one. We resist the urge to write our own apart from His plan."

In responding to whether or not society is becoming more conscious with our final destination, and if we are more concerned about where we are going after we die, Lucado said: "There is a high interest in heaven, just not much confidence in it."

Lucado said America's faith has changed since 9/11.

"On 9/11 we ran for cover. On 9/12 we ran to God. Churches overflowed. Synagogues were packed. Sanctuaries and temples swelled to capacity," he said.

Lucado said that his congregation in San Antonio, like many others, hastily assembled a post-attack prayer service. "'Come and Pray for Peace' our outdoor sign invited. You would have thought it was Easter Sunday! Standing room only."

He said: "Religious leaders across the country gave similar reports. What does this say about us? At least this much: we are a spiritual people. For all our talk about secularism and self-sufficiency, where we do we turn in turbulence? We turn to God.

"Everyone anchors to something. A retirement account, a resume. A person or a position. 'When the storm comes,' they say, 'this will get me through.' The great thing, if we can attribute something positive to this tragedy, is that 9/11 revealed the reliability of our anchors. It was a reminder that even as we change, even as circumstances change, we can rest in the fact of knowing that our God does not change and He is always there."

Lucado cites many stories about ordinary people in this book, and he told ANS that the story of Carl McCunn, the adventurer in Alaska who failed to make provisions to be picked up from the wild, was his favourite, commenting,"Remarkable oversight!"

He said of the youth edition being made available that it is important for young people to find their place in God's story early on, "For the same reason that we all need to, if we don't know our destination, how can we thrive on the journey?"

Lucado stated that, in writing his inspirational books, "Grace inspires me; new mercies, fresh forgiveness. The story of Jesus inspires me. Good friends inspire me. I initially wrote this book as a guide for our church. We were studying through the whole Bible, using The Story as a template."

At the end of the day, he hopes the message that reaches readers through this book is that "they are part of a saga, a far-reaching Story that eclipses our lives".

A small group curriculum is also available for churches to use for either small groups or as pulpit material for the entire congregation to participate. Each church member will learn how to incorporate God's story with his or her own through materials and sermon resources at www.ChurchwideJourneys.com.

A teen edition of Lucado's new book will simultaneously release on September 20. Targeted for teens ages 13-16, stories from the New Testament are illustrated through contemporary examples to help teens see how God is at work in lives today. Lucado lays out a roadmap designed by God to help each teen reach the destination God has planned for him or her.