Tuesday, September 25, 2007

3:16 by Max Lucado

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Now, this is the Max that I love! "3:16" gets to the heart of Scripture, and is an excellent breakdown and thorough examination of the most pivotal verse in the entire Bible.

The book opens with Nicodemus and his nighttime visit to The Master. Then what follows is a nearly word by word exegesis (analysis of Scripture). With his trademark humor and wit, Max brings the Word to life with relevant anecdotes that paint a gorgeous picture of the 3:16 message.

His message is direct; but gentle. Pointed, but tender. And inescapable. That's what I truly love about this book. No one can read it and say, "I don't understand God and what the Bible says He did at all."

Packed with other Scriptural references, this book is rock solid sound. No gimmicks, no flash and bang. Just the love of God, poured out richly and impossible to miss.

I love what Max's marketing group is using for the back text: the entire verse, written out in the shape of the cross. Gorgeous.

As Max says, "If you know nothing of the Bible, start here. If you know everything in the Bible, return here. We all need the reminder. The heart of the human problem is the heart of the human. And God's treatment is prescribed in John 3:16.

This includes a 40 day devotional, and there's an entire curriculum based on the book for small group study or personal study. A worthwhile investment.

I give "3:16" five out of five bookmarks, with a heart shaped tassel. Thanks, Max, for reminding me of what is most important, and for spelling it out so well.

Happy Reading!

Deena

5 comments:

Nise' said...

I was waiting for your review on this one! Is this a book that should be purchased to keep rather than borrow from the library?

amyanne said...

And check out the teen edition of 3:16. Tricia Goyer has co-authored it.

You can find out more on her blog
http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/2007/09/316-teen-edition.html

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...as a norm Idon't like Lucado's style of writing. But your review has made me wonder if I should not give him another try. Maybe he has matured in his style since his earlier works. Thanks for the good review.

Lana G! said...

I saw this at the airport bookstore! I will definitely be adding it to the list. Thank you for your review.

Lana G!
http://airmiles.wordpress.com/

Rebekah (monkeygirlsmama) said...

I need to read this. I've really enjoyed the couple of books by Max that I've read in the past.

Thanks for the review.

Rebekah