Out Live Your Life -- by Max Lucado

It is a fact of life.  We all will die one day. But we can choose to "out live" our lives by the choices we make each day. Renowned author, Max Lucado, encourages his readers to do just that in his newest book, Outlive Your Life. We were created to make a difference in the world in which we live. Max Lucado attempts to help us see that we can make a positive difference in the lives of a hurting world around us. The things we do today will have an impact that can last years into the future. Even after we die, what we have done will live on.

Outlive Your Life opens our eyes to the physical and spiritual needs that sometimes make us feel uncomfortable. Lucado wants us out of our comfort zone and in the trenches, trying to make a difference. Each chapter ends with a verse of Scripture and a prayer, to help solidify the emphasis of the chapter.  The end of the book contains a Discussion and Action Guide which helps facilitate discussion in a small group, (or give you things to contemplate in a personal study), and then gives some practical ideas on how these concepts can be put into practice. To me, this enables the reader to become a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.

If we each begin to be that positive influence in the communities and cities we live in, and then reach out to our state, nation, and beyond, will eventually make the dramatic impact on the whole world. You may do something big or small, but God can use each thing to make a lasting impact.

Max Lucado wants to be an example of putting into practice what he is encouraging his readers to do, so he is donating one hundred percent of his royalties from this book to "benefit children and families through World Vision and other ministries of faith-based compassion."

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Boy Who Changed the World -- by Andy Andrews

The Boy Who Changed the World, written by Andy Andrews and beautifully illustrated by Philip Hurst, is a story written to show children that everything they say or do, whether it's big or small, can make a difference in the world around them now and in the future. Andy Andrews takes the same theme and story from his book, The Butterfly Effect, and translated it into a book that children can understand. The illustrator also includes pictures of butterflies throughout the book to emphasize this fact.

The book recounts the story of the life of Norman Borlaug who developed "super seeds" of corn, wheat and rice that saved 2 billion people from starvation. Even though he was credited with this great accomplishment, there were many people, including Henry Wallace, George Washington Carver, and Moses and Susan Carter, who played a part in who he became and what he did.

This book would be appropriate for children ages 6-10. Younger children would enjoy the pictures, but may need help understanding the people mentioned in this story. Children of all ages can learn that God made them special and everything they do is important.

This book encourages children to understand that everything they do matters and can and will have an effect not only on their own life, but on the lives of others.  This book shows them that God made them special and even as a child, they can make a difference. Who knows....one day THEY may change the world!


I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.

The Butterfly Effect - by Andy Andrews

Have you ever wondered if your life really matters?  The newspaper is filled with reports of important people doing spectacular things. Perhaps you see yourself as ordinary.  You do not hold an important position. You're not in a position to influence great numbers of people. Does what you do even matter?  After reading the book, The Butterfly Effect, you'll see the answer is YES!  You will see how everything you say or do can have an effect on those around you now and in the future.

Andy Andrews builds upon the theory called the butterfly effect.  This theory states that "a butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which in turn moving more molecules of air -  eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of the planet." Andrews expands that idea to include people.  His premise is that everything you do matters.  It may be a small, ordinary act, which starts in motion, events that eventually turn out to be of great importance. One ordinary act, can make all the difference in the world -- literally!

In The Butterfly Effect, Andrews recounts the stories of two people whose lives forever altered world events.  Joshua Chamberlain, an ordinary school teacher, fighting in the Civil War, made one decision that had a profound effect on the future of the United States. Norman Bourlaug, was honored for producing hybrid high yield and disease resistant seeds which have saved the lives of billions around the world -- but he did not do this alone. You can trace his success back to various people, who were simply living their lives. These people's actions influenced situations, that ultimately produced events that changed the world through Norman.

This book is an attractive gift book which can be read easily in one sitting.  It will inspire and encourage you to look at yourself and your life in a new light. As Andy Andrews writes, "Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world."

God can take your ordinary life and make something extraordinary out of it. Reading this book will help you realize that everything you do really does matter.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.