It's Not About Me: Rescue From the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Max Lucado (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

There really is more to this life than you've been told.

We've been demanding our way since day one ...

"I want a spouse that makes me happy and coworkers that always ask my opinion."

"I want weather that suits me and traffic that helps me and government that serves me."

Self-promotion. Self-preservation. Self-centeredness ...

"It's all about me."

They all told us it was, didn't they? And we took them up on it. We thought self-celebration would make us happy ...

But believing that has created chaos -- noisy homes, stress-filled businesses, cutthroat relationships. We've chased so many skinny rabbits, says Max Lucado, that we've missed the fat one: the God-centered life.

If you want to shift into high gear with purpose, this is it: life makes sense when we accept our place! Our pleasures, our problems, our gifts and talents ... when they're all for the One who created us, we suddenly gain what we've been missing and find what we've been seeking.

Let Max Lucado show you how to make the shift of a lifetime. How to bump your life off self-center. How to be changed and experience the meaning-charged life you were meant to have. Your discovery starts here.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For nearly two decades, evangelical preacher Lucado has been writing about God's inexhaustible grace, and his books have been snapped up by readers hungry to know they are loved, accepted, forgiven and saved. In his latest book this message, though still present, has moved to the background. A Copernican revolution is in order, Lucado says: it is time to understand that life revolves around God, not ourselves. The God he describes is neither Santa Claus nor a kindly, reassuring grandpa. He is a God of glory and holiness, eternal and unchanging. "To seek God's glory is to pray, 'Thicken the air with your presence; make it misty with your majesty. Part heaven's drapes, and let your nature spill forth. God, show us God.' " Our role, once we have seen God's glory, is simply to reflect it. We do this by proclaiming his message, using our bodies the way he intended, trusting him in the midst of suffering and acknowledging him as the author of our success. Even our salvation "showcases God's mercy. It makes nothing of [our] effort but everything of his." Sterner generations of Christians memorized the answer to the first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism: "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." Lucado brings this concept to life with his trademark breezy style, good humor, homey anecdotes and passion. His fans may be surprised by this new emphasis, but they will not be disappointed.
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From the Inside Flap

What would change if we finally found our place--and lived it?

For our entire lives we've been urged to look out for number one. To find our place in the sun and soak it for all its worth. To make a name for ourselves as if we are the headliners in the life's drama.

But what happens when the sweet life we imagined proves to be sour? When our expensive toys break and our work is no longer needed and our bodies grow soft?

What's next when all our efforts to take care of number one leave us feeling unsatisfied and the thrills we were promised turn up empty?

Best-selling author Max Lucado turns the greatest lie we've believed on its head--the one that says, "It's all about me"--and sets our sights on a different goal. "We were not made to live this way," Max insists.

What would happen if we all took our place and played our parts? If we started living like "Son" reflectors than individual stars and suns? If every person's priority became a divine pursuit, not a performance?

We'd see our families differently. We'd view our jobs differently. We'd treat our bodies differently. We'd respond to our problems differently. We'd find our place in the universe...finally. And we would be changed.

"The God-centered life works. And it rescues us from a life that doesn't," Max assures us. Here is your lifeline to a life of purpose. Grab hold and let the rescue begin!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1st edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159145042X
• ISBN-13: 978-1591450429
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In just under two decades of writing, Max Lucado has accomplished more than most writers hope for in a lifetime. Most of his books have appeared on one or more best seller lists, including those published by the "New York Times," "USA Today," "Publishers Weekly," and the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA). Aside from hardcover books, Lucado's writings have also been published as children's books, videos, CD-ROMs, DVDs, music CDs, mass paperback booklets, apparel, giftware, bookmarks, calendars, study Bibles, workbooks, curricula, and plush products. In spring 2003, Hallmark/Dayspring Cards launched a new gift card line featuring excerpts from Lucado's writings--and has already sold more than one million cards.

All this success has drawn more than a little attention to a previously low-profile Texas author and minister. Lucado has been featured in a wide range of media, including "USA Today," "Larry King Live," and "NBC Nightly News." He has spoken at the National Prayer Breakfast before the President of the United States. He has traveled with internationally renowned musicians as a special speaker on their music tours, such as the highly successful "Come Together & Worship Tour" (sponsored by Chevrolet) with Grammy Award-winning artists Michael W. Smith and Third Day.

Journey to the Top
Lucado was born in 1955 in San Angelo, Texas, and raised in Andrews, Texas, the youngest of four children. His father was an Exxon oil field mechanic who, Lucado remembers, always smelled of grease cleaner. "It makes it easy for me to see a God who is loving and kind--because my dad was," he says. His mother was a nurse who grew up working in the cotton fields.

Lucado went through a period of rebellion against his parents' values and their God during his teens and into college. But it wasn't long before he found himself drawn back to his roots, back to God. He married, spent time serving as a missionary in Brazil, and returned to the States, where he began working as a church minister and writing on the side.

Secret to Success
From all accounts, Max Lucado is not a man consumed by sales, awards, and achievements. He often turns down media interviews since they impede on family and ministry commitments. He spends the bulk of his week serving as senior minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. And he is truly surprised by his own success--more impressed by his one-in-a-million wife and three amazing daughters than by his successful writing career.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living a Life of Purpose, April 19, 2004

By 

V. L. Wilson "V. L. Wilson" (Millville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Not About Me: Rescue From the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy (Hardcover)

Max Lucado is the master of inspirational writing. I love the tricky title "It's Not About Me". After all these years - most of us thought it was!

The editorial reviews are so well done, I can do little to improve them. This is a small engrossing book that explores why we are here on earth in the first place - it is to reflect the glory of God. For anyone who has never read a Max Lucado book, and there are several, I recommend this one first. I have read two others and plan to read them all. They are not "preachy" nor difficult to understand. They are written by a humble Christian pastor who never fails to give credit to his wife and children for their support and encouragement.

This book touches a chord in all of us as we often forget our Creator and how much He loves us. Once you are rescued from a life of self-promotion, self-preservation and self-centeredness, and realize you are here to reflect God's glory, your life becomes changed. This book makes a wonderful gift and it deserves a place in your library where you can reread it often.

107 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy read... weighty material, March 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: It's Not About Me: Rescue From the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy (Hardcover)

I bought this book while out of town on a business trip and began reading it over dinner. By the time I went to bed that night in the hotel room, I had finished the entire thing. I usually am not a fast reader, but Lucado writes so poetically and conversationally that you can't help but keep turning the pages. I've read many books on this topic, some more "scholarly" than this one. But "It's Not About Me" hangs with the best of them. Don't let the big print or the easily read conversational tone fool you. This is a serious book about a weighty matter, and Lucado has done a wonderful job of covering the topic biblically.

I would like to also comment one of the other reviewer's statements. The reviewer named Peniel G.G.G. has made a mockery of this entire system by using the review space to promote his own heretical work. Read his other reviews, and you will see they all say the same thing... "Jesus told me he likes this book. Now go buy my book too." I can guarantee you Jesus doesn't like some of the books he's positively reviewed. I don't know what voice this man is hearing, but if you really want to hear Jesus' voice, read the Bible!!!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick Read....some good points, March 10, 2006

By 

J. Bedgood (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Not About Me: Rescue From the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy (Hardcover)

It's Not About Me was a good read in that it was quick, short chapters, and some really good material. Although I'm not a big fan of Max Lucado, this book reminded me that my life isn't about me and my selfish objectives. My life is about God and how he plans to use me for his glory. I think it's a great book for someone who might be on a new walk with Christ and needs some guidance on what that's all about.