Psssst! Kimber here. Letting you in on a secret. Mom is weird. Okay. So that’s not exactly a major newsflash.

Binge Reading

But A Typical Mom Weird-ity? Gobbling up every book in sight by a particular author and devouring them like they’re fresh-off-the-barbie filet mignon. Call it Binge Reading. She’ll do this for a while. Read everything she can get her hands on from a specific multi-published author. Then all of a sudden, Poof! She stops. And moves on to other literary barbecue thingies.

See? Told ya Mom’s weird.

To the Max

Anywho, one of Mom’s favorite “binge read” authors is Max Lucado. Ever since A Gentle Thunder and The Applause of Heaven. She scarfs up Max titles like I chow down extra crispy bacon. At least she did back in the day. When the earth’s crust was cooling. Then she kinda forgot about him. For years. Decades. Centuries.

But Max kept writing.

And Mom found him again the other day.

On the Loose!

So watch out, world! Cuz Her Weirdness is on the loose! With a lot of catching up to do. (Has the earth’s crust cooled yet?)

 

Mom found Max’s You Were Made for This Moment at the library recently (Thomas Nelson, 2021). Based on the Old Testament Book of Esther, Made for This Moment is vintage Max. Crisp. Clear. Saturated in hope. Soaked in perspicacity and promise. As fresh and sweet as a cup of cool water on a hot summer day. Especially if you’re as parched as a Texas tumbleweed in August.

And Mom was.

So grab the nearest cup – or your swimsuit- and let’s dive in, shall we? Like this: 

The 4-1-1: 

Are you discouraged? Defeated? Dejected? Running on empty? Feeling like winter’s icy grip on your life is permanent, raw? Like spring is a distant memory?

Then hold on a min, friend. Because pastor and NYT bestselling author Max Lucado unpacks the book of Esther’s promise, invitation, and a mountain of hope: Relief Will Come. Will You Be Part of It?

Based On

Made for this Moment is based on one of our favorite Old Testament personalities: Queen Esther. The setting is the city of Susa in 5^th century Persia, modern-day Iran. Using the story of Esther as his canvas, Max Lucado paints the Old, Old Story of relief, restoration, and redemption with bold, bright brushstrokes. 

The Cast:

• Xerxes the king. He ruled over Persia and had convictions that changed with the weather. Xerxes is an accomplished drinker but not much of a thinker.
• There’s also Haman. A wealthy and influential figure in Xerxes’ cabinet, Haman is all about death. In fact, he’s bent on wiping out the Jewish people.
• Mordecai. An exiled Jew, he really got under Haman’s skin. He choose to keep his ancestry under wraps. But a person could only take so much of Haman.
• Esther, the orphaned cousin of Mordecai. She’s a beauty. She becomes queen of Persia and gains access to Xerxes because of her appearance. But her story speaks to us because of her conviction.

The Story

Queen Esther concealed her Jewish identity. As far as anyone knew, she was pure Persian. But then came the royal decree that would annihilate her people. She had to make some tough choices. Would she remain silent of would she speak up? Would she blend in or would she stand out? Esther could have refused. She could have cowered in fear. But she spoke up. She stood out. And God used her to save the nation. It’s not hyperbole to say that her courage changed the course of history. Nor is it an overstatement to say that God can do the same with you.

Fresh

With fresh biblical insight that’s profound but not preachy, Max reminds us that no condition is too dark, no situation is too difficult, no problem is so severe that God can’t intervene, overturn, and reverse the course of events. Just like with Esther.

Are you staring at an unscalable wall or impossible challenge? Then you’re going to love what happened next.

Skillfully interwoven into the narrative are vivid illustrations of each lesson gleaned from Esther. Lucado’s an expert storyteller. So he sprinkles real-life stories from real people to illustrate each concept and connection. Like:

• A depressed, suicidal mom who picks up a book “by chance,” reads it and changes her plans.
• A Vietnam boat person plucked out of the churning South China Sea who winds up a Harvard grad.
• A Christian woman in an unfriendly country who chooses to risk death by taking a chance that results in new life.
• A Kenyan street kid who knocked on doors and later became “a part of the solution.”
• An American war correspondent in London during the blitz.
• An Alabaman statue and a boll weevil.
• Peripety.
• Tables turned.

It’s brilliant. And effective. So is Lucado’s trademark self-deprecating humor. I mean, who can resist lines like, “Modern-day insomniacs listen to Lucado sermons for treatment”?

Our fave chapter? They’re all awesome. But chapter 10, A Purim People is a stand-out.

What kind of story can do this? What sort of narrative has the power to lift the spirits of dead men walking?

Do we not need such a story today?

We have one.

To find out more, click here.

Yea, verily. Max has penned a galaxy of glittering words and poured truckloads of Practical and Profound into his published works. Champagnesque and effervescent, Made for this Moment is a breath of fresh air foaming with fountains of hope. So drink deeply, friend. Cuz you were Made for this Moment.

It gets Five Stars, Baby!

Kimber: I’ll keep ya posted on any further Max sightings. You never know, right?