Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God (Hardcover)

by Max Lucado (Author)
Key Phrases: Read John, Grace Llewellen Smith, John Newton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Some of the most powerful stories from the Bible will come alive for today's readers through these inspiring selections from the writings of Max Lucado. Max provides a compelling look at the most high-impact moments in the biblical narrative, drawn from his previous 20+ years of writing. 

At the end of each chapter will be study guide questions so the reader can go deeper into this scripture.

Extraordinary stories are told about the following characters:

Mary, Peter, Matthew, Joseph, Nicodemus, Woman at the Well, David, Esther, Job, The Samaritan Woman, John, Rich Young Man.

And more

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849921244
• ISBN-13: 978-0849921247
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,517 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How God uses flawed people..., October 19, 2008

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Max Lucado is one of my favorite Christian inspirational authors, and his latest book Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God continues to reinforce that opinion. Max has a gift of taking a character or story from the Bible, resetting it in an unusual environment, and then drawing out the application and message. It's wonderful to encounter a common passage and see it in a whole new light.

Contents:
Joseph - Joseph's Prayer; Matthew - Friends of Flops; Woman Who Washed Jesus' Feet - The 7:47 Principle; Mephibosheth - The Privilege of Paupers; Samaritan Woman - Two Tombstones; Mary, Martha, and Lazarus - Your Place in God's Band; Abigail - Barbaric Behavior; Paralyzed Man - Bright Lights on Dark Nights; John - I Can Turn Your Tradegy into Triumph; Paul - Hidden Heroes; Two Criminals - I Will Let You Choose; Moses - The Voice from the Mop Bucket; Joseph - When Crickets Make You Cranky; David - Facing Your Giants; Esther - Touching the King's Heart; Job - Where Man Covers His Mouth; Nicodemus - The Most Famous Conversion in the Bible; Jairus - The Sparkle from Eternity; Rich Young Ruler - The Affluent Poor; Sarah, Peter, and Paul - The Kingdom of the Absurd; Lazarus - The Final Witness; Peter - The Gospel of the Second Chance; Conclusion - Cast of Characters; Notes; Sources

It's tempting to look at Biblical characters and attribute spiritual qualities to them, to "clean them up" to fit the way God used them. But the reality is that most of them were common people who were deeply flawed in many ways. Despite their failures, God used them in ways that made a huge impact. For instance, Moses was used to lead an entire nation to a land promised to them by God. But he spent many years hiding out in the desert, trying to escape an act of murder he committed. Peter turned his back on Jesus when he was being led to His death, yet he was used to spread the gospel to many nations. And Paul... an avowed enemy of Christianity who became an evangelist after a close encounter with God on a road in Damascus. Thought-out the book, you see that your background and status is irrelevant in terms of how God wants to use you.

On top of his inspirational messages, Lucado does an exceptional job in resetting the stories in ways that make you stop and think. Moses and the burning bush becomes Henry the janitor and the glowing mop bucket. Matthew the tax collector is living the life of a organized crime member, complete with all the bling. Jairus the rabbi becomes Wallace the high ranking official of a religious denomination. Even though the trappings of the story change, the underlying truth remains the same. Each chapter ends with a series of questions for reflection and discussion, so it can easily be used for personal devotions or small group discussions.

This is one of those books that you'll read and reread a number of times depending on whatever particular crisis you might be experiencing. And each time, you'll see facets of God's character that you never noticed or understood before...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting inside the mind of God's cast of characters, November 15, 2008

By	Shaun Tabatt (Cottage Grove, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There's a strange phenomenon that sometimes occurs when we read a book, watch a movie, or have an experience in the course of our daily lives. This phenomenon is often referred to as déjà vu. Déjà vu is the sense that you've been here, seen this, or had this experience before. It may be hard to put your finger on it, but there is a sense of the familiar. As I stated earlier, there are times we all encounter this when reading a book, especially in the pages of our Bibles. As the stories of Joseph, Job, Peter, Paul, and others Biblical persons unfold, we may relate to their experiences, personality, and character traits. Our life experiences, personality, and character traits that intersect with those of the Biblical persons draw us into their stories and make us feel like we're a part of them. The reason we can so easily relate to them is that they were normal ordinary people like you and me. Like us, they had many faults and flaws. In spite of this, God used them to change the world. This is precisely what Max Lucado is trying to communicate in his new book Cast of Characters.

Max unfolds the stories of various Biblical persons over the course of twenty three chapters. Each chapter has three parts: scripture passage, explanation of the Biblical person(s) in the scripture passage, and study questions. As Max helps the reader relate to the Biblical persons, he offers a message of hope in a God who is able to transform the direction of people's lives, just as He did with and through these Biblical persons who live so many years ago.

It's been quite some time since I've read a Max Lucado title. His work tends to be a departure from the more technical and reference type books that I'm drawn to. I was happy to find that I enjoy Max's writing style just as much as I did many years ago. The strength I see in this book is that he goes to great length to help the reader get inside the minds of these Biblical persons. I felt like I came away from reading this book with a better grasp of the heart and mind of David, Matthew, Lazarus, and others.

The layout of the book makes it ideal for a small group setting or for personal devotional reading. If you've enjoyed other books by Max Lucado, I'm confident you will find this new title to be enjoyable as well. This book would be a perfect gift for the Max Lucado reader in your life during the upcoming Christmas season.

Max Lucado is Minister of Writing and Preaching at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. He is married to Danalyn and they have three daughters. Max is the author of numerous bestselling books. Learn more about Max Lucado and his writings at [...].

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read! , January 6, 2009

By	Crafti Ger "Bearhugs" (Newark, DE) - See all my reviews

Definitely a Max Attack! & Hilarious at times, too!!! Max Lucado at his best! "Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God" takes you on a Bible ride you would have never expected. I highly recommend this for all....especially for those you have strayed away from the Bible because it may be too hard for them to comprehend. Max takes some of the stories from the Bible & turns them into our every day lives, every day situations, for us...the "Common People". Read some of the excerpts from the book and you'll feel right at home!!