Review: You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be by Max Lucado

I received a complimentary copy of the book You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be by Max Lucado from Thomas Nelson Publishing. This book is 127 pages long and contains excerpts from another Lucado book, Cure for the Common Life. It contains encouraging passages about how each of us is uniquely created by God and He has given each of us specific gifts and talents that make up who we are. Each section has scripture and various stories to better explain Lucado's points. The sections are only 2-3 pages each and which makes the book easy to pick up and put down periodically.

I see this book as a "gift book" or a "coffee table book." I enjoyed the insights Lucado gave, and that it was a quick easy read. However there were times I was wanting more and therefore for someone struggling with who they are in Christ, I think even more could be gained from reading the original book in its entirety, Cure for the Common Life (which I have not read, but am interested in after reading this shorter book). However, as a gift book or an encouraging word for someone struggling in their job or current life situation, I think this would be great to give away or read for yourself. Max Lucado does a great job of focusing on scriptures and he has a unique, easy to follow style of writing. I recommend this for new graduates, those starting new jobs, or seeking a career change. The book itself even came with a sticker marketing it as a gift for graduations. If you are looking for something deeper and more instructive, I would recommend looking into the full version instead of this shorter version of excerpts.

Review: Gigi’s Big Break DVD by Sheila Walsh

I recently watched Gigi’s Big Break on DVD. It contains two stories: “The White Lie” and “The Pink Surprise.” The first story is a lesson in honesty and follows Gigi as she tells a bigger and bigger lie, eventually admitting the truth and asking forgiveness. At the end a Scripture verse relating to honesty is shown. The second story: “The Pink Surprise” is about loving siblings. Gigi’s parents reveal they will be having another baby. At first Gigi is excited, but that soon changes. The storylines move in between Gigi’s make believe world and the real world.

The animation on the DVD is pretty basic and not very exciting. At the beginning of the story this bothered me as the characters seem incredibly stiff. However, once I was involved in the story this no longer bothered me. I liked the fact that the story includes real conversations between Gigi and her mother. Some other highlights include a family prayer before a meal, Gigi praying before bed, and scriptures included at the end of each story. The lesson is told clearly and interestingly. I do recommend this video and other Gigi products for young girls. Young girls (preschool) would enjoy the cuteness of the characters and animation while school age girls would be more likely to get something from the story.

**A complimentary copy of Gigi’s Big Break (DVD) was provided for me by Thomas Nelson Publishing for the purpose of this review.

Learn more about this DVD at Thomas Nelson Publishing