Customer Reviews

Every Day Deserves a Chance: Wake Up to the Gift of 24 Hours

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." So doesn't every day deserve a chance to be a good day? An opportunity for us?

I know it easier said than usually done, "rejoice and be glad every day." And Lucado means "EVERYDAY", even when you have a final exam, your spouse complains about everything, you get fired, you have messed-up big time, you learn that your spouse is having an affair, the car needs lots of repairs, or you're in the middle of a divorce.

In this book author Max Lucado shows us how to emerse ourselves in Jesus' love, grace, and acceptence of His direction for our lives, and how that will upgrade each of our days to where Jesus wants us to be.

Lucado reminds us that God is in charge. So these lousy days are opportunities for us to grow, to serve others, and to find joy in our lives.

One thing I have learned to do is each morning as I wake is to drench my day in Jesus' grace, telling myself and believing that Jesus has forgiven me for whatever mistakes, sins, I made the day before, even though I have asked for forgiveness the night before. I need to now believe it.

Other things Lucado reminds all of us to do:

We need to forgive others and not hold-on to our hurts or they will become bitter.

We all need to always embrace the direction that God has put us in.

We need to seek God's provision in all that we do.

At the end of each chapter are inspiring and motivational "Daylifters." And at the end of the book is a study guide.

This is a great book. And if you read this book and apply it to your life I do believe it will change your life and will accomplish the goal set out by Max Lucado for writing this book, and that is to help others "have a good day every day."

With his trademark enjoyable prose, this short motivational pep talk from Max Lucado, one of America's most beloved pastors, proposes that we live each 24 hours to the fullest. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn't here, he writes. But EVERY DAY DESERVES A CHANCE, and if we can stack one good day on another, then we can link together a good life.

"Doesn't every day deserve a chance to be a good day?" he asks. Lucado formats his book in three sections: Grace, Oversight and Direction. The first is no surprise -- it wouldn't be a Lucado book without an emphasis on grace, and EVERY DAY DESERVES A CHANCE is no exception. What about our shame? What about our mistakes? Our addictions? Our broken promises? Using the scene of Jesus on the cross interacting with the thieves nailed to crosses on either side, Lucado reminds us that grace is possible. "When others nail you to the cross of your past, he swings open the door to your future. Paradise. Jesus treats your shame-filled days with grace."

Each chapter chronicles a different sort of day. One of my favorites was the humorous "Ungrateful Days," which begins with excerpts from the diary of a dog and follows up with excerpts from the diary of a cat. The dog, of course, sees life as an amazing gift. The cat finds life as one long unappreciated imprisonment. Cat lovers may take issue with this, but Lucado gets his point across. "Which diary reads more like yours?" he asks. Gratitude for each new day begins with our knowledge that we are forgiven. "Gratitude lifts our eyes off the things we lack so that we might see the blessings we possess." As Lucado says, "Make gratitude your default emotion."

The themes continue, chapter by chapter. If we refuse to forgive, we hoard our hurts and have "bitter days." Anxiety "ruins our health, robs joy, and changes nothing." Don't be afraid. Find your purpose. These are well-worn concepts, but in Lucado's hands they become something fresh.

Interspersed throughout are the perkily-titled "Daylifters," which offer motivational reminders to make each day count. I found myself tearing out one Daylifter page, which is now posted on my refrigerator, reminding me to "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life" (Proverbs 4:23 NCV). If you don't want to mutilate your copy of the book in the same way, you can xerox the Daylifters you like best.

Lucado is always ready with a scriptural story and a personal anecdote, often one that doesn't cast himself in a particularly good light. This vulnerability is one of Lucado's most endearing traits as a writer, and one that helps readers connect the ideas he espouses and apply them to their own lives. It's difficult to sound humble when your books have sold more than 50 million copies, but somehow Lucado consistently achieves it. His sense of humor provides many laugh-out-loud moments, although if you take yourself too seriously, you might not handle phrases like "Christ offers a worry-bazooka" very well. But if you relax and go with the flow, you'll find that Lucado offers a solid pep talk for making the most of life. You'll be reminded to be grateful for each new day.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

(Teen version also available July 2007)

Bad days are avoidable, right? Are bad days beyond redemption? Shouldn't there be hope for every day to be a good day? Max Lucado assures readers that each day--regardless of circumstances--has a shot at being a good day because every day is a gift from God.

"He closes the open sores of our heart and straightens the gnarled limbs of our inner being. He swaps sin rags for righteous robes. He still heals. And He still looks for gratitude." p. 23

Lucado looks beyond the usual good days: sunshine-drenched vacation days, super sale Saturdays and unscheduled holidays. He explains that every day--even divorce days, final exam days, surgery days, tax days and days when the cemetery dirt is still fresh--every single day can be a good day. It's possible, Lucado explains because God is at work in every situation. And when we begin to see our days from God's perspective, our focus is sharpened; the good in every day becomes evident.

Lucado shares stories from daily living and from the Bible to illustrate how every day, even bitter days and fearful days can be transformed into truly good days. This book starts with the familiar Old Testament passage: "This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it," and moves through stories from Jesus' life as the ultimate example of rejoicing in the day given.

This is more than a silver-lining attitude, more than seeing the cup as half full, there is more to life than what meets the eye. The book offers a memorable formula for upgrading each day to blue-ribbon status: saturate your day in Jesus' grace;entrust your day to His oversight; accept His direction. --Grace, Oversight, Direction (G O D) pg. 7

One hint that this book has innovative marketing as it is in a container disguised to look like a cereal box. At the end of every chapter is a page called Daylifter that serve as a mini-devotional. Twenty-four blank pages at the back can be used as a place for your study notes.

Armchair Interviews says: Inspirational and uplifting, Every Day Deserves a Chance is a feel good book that would make a great gift for an ailing friend.

I am about 2/3 of the way through the book, and it's the first Max Lucado book I have read. His writing is like talking with a good friend, and I enjoy his illustrative stories. It has truly motivated me to want to start each day with an attitude of a fresh start, leaving any negatives from the past behind. It would make a great gift!

Very simple truths that we often forget but very important. This book has already changed my life and has made it less stressful. VERY GOOD book.

This author is the best. He uses word pictures any of us can understand. After I read I am encouraged to live a life worth living and not waste any minutes.

I read this book in less than 5 days, I just couldn't put it down. The book offers simple motivation to enjoy every day. In anticipation of reading this book I swear my outlook changed. The day I planned to start the book my alarm didn't go off. I was about 30 minutes late for work and hit traffic on top of that. I thought "I can't possibly be upset about this, I'm reading a book about giving every day a chance." Well, everything worked out and I had a GREAT day. I just had to trust that everything He makes happen is for a reason and whether I like it or not, God knows what's best for me and my day, not me!

Our women's bible study group is enjoying this book. In the back of the book, it has questions for each chapter

I have enjoiyed this book. I first heard of it at my Women's Ministry gathering of "Encouragers" when a friend read a passage from the book to us. When I was home recently visiting a cousin who is facing challenges with her health, we read tiogether the chapter on anxiety and found it very comforting. I would give this book to any friend going through a difficult time in their lives.

I do have to confess that Max Lucado is one of my most favorite christian authors and i have most of his books. I usually am waiting for a release date to get his next book. This one slipped by me and was actually a gift from my husband last Christmas when we were going through tough financial times. It couldn't have been a more perfect book. As always, Max has the amazing gift with words to take the richest nugget of truth and wrap it in an easy bite to swallow. It is such easy reading yet delivers some hearty, hopeful truth. I love the line that says something like, "If you were having terrible computer problems and Bill Gates was your dad, would you worry? Well we have the dad who is creator of the universe, yet we forget he's got us covered." Max has a light yet profound way of refocusing your perspective to see the hope and the possibilities and not just the problem and he writes it all without being condescending or smug. When life feels more like a curse than a gift, this book will help to shed hope, humor and truth to get up and try it again with a better attitude. And as the old saying goes, sometimes our attitude is the only thing we have the power to change but that alone can make a huge difference in how we weather the storm.
This is terrific gift for those that need help to see the world as a "Tigger" rather than an "Eyeore" - and on that note, I also highly recommend the book "The Last Lecture" by Professor Randy Pausch - he was an amazing man (google him if you are unfamiliar, you will be amazed).