The Applause Of Heaven

Lucado's exploration of the Beatitudes shows how this familiar but revolutionary prescription for living can bless your life beyond your wildest imagining.

Do you long for a joy that can't be quenched? A calm that can't be broken? A happiness that can't be threatened? There is such a joy, and it is within your reach. You can't open your Bible without reading about it. You can't live a truly satisfying life without it. It is a sacred delight, a holy gladness. And it's nearer than you think. Jesus describes this sacred delight in the astonishing mountain message we now call the Beatitudes. Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado explores Jesus’ prescription for enduring joy and the ways this familiar but revolutionary pattern of living can bless your life beyond your wildest imagining. In The Applause of Heaven you’ll discover that God promises a special blessing to: the poor in spirit those who mourn the meek those who hunger and thirst the merciful the pure in heart the peacemakers the persecuted As you seek to live out the message of the Sermon on the Mount, you’ll find your biggest fan walking alongside you. Imagine your best friend—the King of kings—in your cheering section and the applause of heaven ringing out . . . just for you. But don't just imagine it. Open your heart to it. Receive the heavenly joy of knowing the God who delights in you.

Selections in this book are taken from the previously published 'When Christ comes' ... c1999 Max Lucado.

Forty-nine short inspirational stories offer encouragement to people who find themselves facing struggles, being tempered and crafted into the image of God through challenging circumstances. Beautiful gift book, previously published as On the Anvil.

The extraordinary journey of this book shows revolutionary discoveries that transcend across the physical into the metaphysical. By replacing mythology and faith with reason, the meaning and vision of enlightened spirituality for humanity is opened. As a compelling story, it connects you to a timeless philosophy, revealing a thought-provoking and perhaps controversial new version of humanity's evolving future. The author transports you beyond "the tunnel of light" to explore the vastness of our evolutionary future! Imagine that at the moment of your birth, when your body first experienced the sensations of being out of your mother's womb and feeling air for the very first time, you were an open canvas, a fabric of being ready for imprinting with the colors and the human concepts of life. At that instant, were you actually a "blank canvas?" Were you open in spirit, pure in being, and free of any influences or proclivities? What are your natural tendencies? In the wondrous assemblage of your being, your fabric already carried the indelible imprints of the heritage from your ancestral bloodlines. Your genetic construction imbued you with natural talents, abilities, and tendencies that in combination cause you to be a unique individual. When you were born, you were the most recent extension of your familial path that had preceded you through hundreds of generations. Then what happened? You developed and evolved through a progression of experiences, information, and teachings that when superimposed onto the fabric of your natural self, shaped you. Some of these influences and experiences wholly complemented the inherent nature of who and what you are. Other influences could have failed to complement your nature, setting up conflicts that might have impeded the efficiency of your path toward optimal self-advancement. In some individuals, the influences applied could have dramatically conflicted with their nature, possibly resulting in many diverse consequences to their personalities such as through turmoil, anger, withdrawal, or confusion. When you were young, influences occurred and experiences gathered that might have been easy, or difficult, for you to cope with. Collectively, all of your influences and emotions embedded within you to form a "belief system" - which is your mental acceptance, your personal conviction, of values and truths that constitute a foundation upon which you reference your life. It can be an amazing and formidable challenge to probe into your reference foundation, see the vistas beyond its boundaries, discover your true nature, and develop a new reality that you can use to evolve yourself. Memories of events may fade over time, but the inadvertently implanted emotional reflexes within you can remain influential to your personality and behaviour. Implanted effects can have many consequences for you. These may span the whole range of positive to negative, from intended and volitional reactions to circumstances and people, to emotionally reflexive where you act without the use of deliberate thought. When you ask yourself the question, "Who am I?" first listen with your mind then open your emotional heart. You may experience deep and unexplained emotions, reminding you of some forgotten memory of long ago, or dreams of something that you cannot recall nor define. Observations of individuals tend to indicate that it is not precisely what occurred to you that remains with you as your reference system in life: it is how you reacted and "believe" what happened that matters as you define yourself. Rationally gaze inside yourself and deliberately examine your processes. You may learn more about the mysteries of your mind by examining your responses to the descriptions presented to you during this Journey! Take advantage of this invitation to make an assessment through your own exploration into what might be a vast unknown: your inner self.

Life with no end? Space with no bounds? And what about Armageddon, The Lake of Fire, The Mark of the Beast? Are we supposed to feel good about all this? When we wonder about these things, we aren't alone. There is much about the end of history we don't understand. But while thoughts on the final day will stir our questions, they needn't stir our fears. Regarding that day, Jesus urged, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me" (John 14:1). Max Lucado believes the day Christ comes will be the "beginning of the very best." And our primary task is to be prepared and peaceful while we wait. If we have some questions about the end of time ... If we have concerns about what will happen to us ... If we want to look to the end of times as a source of comfort and not chaos ... Then this is the book we need. New York Times best-selling author Max Lucado walks us through Scripture to find peace in the present and hope for the hereafter.

God's greatest desire is to be your dwelling place -- The home for your heart. He doesn't want to be merely a weekend getaway. He has no interest in being a Sunday bungalow or even a summer cottage. He wants to be your mailing address, your point of reference, your home ... always. He wants you to live in the Great House of God. Using the Lord's Prayer as a floor plan, Max Lucado takes you on a tour of the home God intended for you. Warm your heart by the fire in the living room. Nourish your spirit in the kitchen. Seek fellowship in the family room. Step into the hallway and find forgiveness. It's the perfect home for you. After all, it was created with you in mind. There's only one home built just for your heart. No house more complete, no structure more solid: The roof never leaks. The walls never crack. The foundation never trembles. In God's house, you're home. So come into the house built just for you. Your Father is waiting.