God’s Story, Your Story Youth Edition: When His Story Becomes Yours
Max Lucado, adapted by Mark Matlock
Zondervan, 2011, 224 pp., $12.99

As a youth pastor, I’m always looking for creative ways to explain the gospel to my students. With this generation, I’ve found that more than simply presenting them with a rational, propositional explanation of the gospel, story and narrative have a way of bringing truth to heart. In Max Lucado’s God’s Story, Your Story, he presents the gospel as God’s story and shows how redemptive history throughout the Scripture is meant to intersect with our own lives. While my students aren’t readers, this is great stuff to use in developing sermons, devotionals and to use as part of a bigger curriculum.
–Nithin Thompson, Director of Youth Ministries, Stonecrest Community Church

God’s Story, Your Story brilliantly engages the intersection of teenage faith and life. In the world of adolescents where life is immediate and insular, Lucado links teenagers to the larger redemptive story of God in a way that helps young people feel connected to a story larger than themselves. The student responses and real-life application make Lucado’s wisdom accessible to the hearts and minds of an emerging generation.
–Mark Cannister

God’s Story, Your Story is a wonderful weaving of the biblical narrative and everyday life. The comments from teens and Mark Matlock’s guiding thoughts and activities provide excellent ways for teens to begin seeing themselves in God’s story as they hear God’s heart for them throughout history. This book could be used for a book club or guided discussions using the reflection questions in the back that would help teens — believers or not — develop an intimate relationship with God. It would help to have some of the reflection questions refer to some of the teen comments or activities suggested by Mark Matlock. Thay way, if the teens were asked to read a chapter before meeting, the reflection guide could be all the youth leader needed to walk through the concepts and activities in each chapter.
–Andrew Hedges

Drawing kids in with real (and interesting) vignettes in each chapter, God’s Story, Your Story examines the story of redemption and makes explicit how each part of the redemption story is still important today, especially in teens’ lives. Each chapter has points to consider and discussion questions that help make the relationship between Jesus’ story and our teens’ stories even clearer. While complete chapters might be challenging to use in a youth group setting, the discussion questions based on those chapters are profound and will encourage kids to think and wrestle with the story of Jesus’ redemption of their own lives. This also would be an excellent resource for teens who want a book to read on their own and who are looking to deepen their faith and their trust in Jesus.
–Grace La Torra

God’s Story, Your Story will help them see that rather than just becoming a Christian and going to heaven someday, they were uniquely made to connect with God’s direction for His creation. As a youth pastor, I especially liked the discussion questions at the end and easily could see working through this book with a small group of teens. I firmly believe they can and will see themselves as part of a greater story after reading this book.
–Mark Cornelison, Pastor of Pursuit Student Ministries, Faith Bible Church, The Woodlands, Texas

I love the idea of being taken into God’s story and realizing that what I do or do not do has kingdom consequences. Lucado does a good job of laying out what it looks like to walk in step with God. His stories are lively, hit close to home and track well with most audiences; however, the adaptation for teens with the chapter introductions and quotes seems a bit forced. I might refer to a story or two, but I probably would not purchase this book for my teens to read.
–Steven Bonner, Assistant Professor of Youth and Family Ministry/Director of Youth and Family Ministry Program, Lubbock Christian University

Teens will enjoy reading this book while learning basic doctrines of Christianity. Scripture, stories, inserts of teens’ own thoughts and practical “don’t-just-sit-there” challenges all work together smoothly to draw readers into the points being made in each chapter. Quadratus’ letter and the survival of Cecelia Cichan are two examples of captivating references sure to stimulate readers. Chapter 5, “You Won’t Be Forsaken,” expresses the angst many teens go through in their own spiritual journeys, and most of them will identify with points made in this chapter. While the text would benefit from more current teen-interest references — Mandella, Princess Di, Kennedy, Luke Skywalker feel like a blast from the past — this doesn’t diminish the value of the book. I’d make it available to young people in my youth group.
–Ron Belsterling, Ph.D., Nyack College

This special youth edition is a solid resource for a small group or book study group. It is an easy read, and each chapter deals with a central theological issue in the New Testament, yet is short and accessible enough for students without talking down to them. As an added bonus, there are practical application exercises at the end of each chapter and discussion questions for each chapter are provided at the end of the book, so it’s a ready-to-use resource that lends itself well to dialogue and discussion. With some adaptation, it could serve as the basis for a sermon series or retreat theme, as well.
–Carolyn Brown has 15 years of youth ministry experience and serves as the Youth Minister at Mountain View United Methodist Church in Woodland Park, Colorado

What student hasn’t asked the question, “Does God really care about me?” or said to themselves, “I’m not good enough to be used by God.” Author Max Lucado has done an amazing job of helping show how God’s story is still living on in our lives and in the lives of young people. Each chapter is creatively crafted with “Think About It…” at the beginning of each chapter. They definitely help frame the context of the chapter so that students will have an idea of where the chapter is going. The “Don’t just sit there” sections are a great idea to transform the chapters from just words on a page to compelling action that needs to take place in our lives. I love how you can use those as challenges for your students to actively live out the chapter. They also give you something to follow up on — a great tool for the volunteers in any youth ministry to be able to ask their students on how they are doing with living out the chapter. This is a definite must for any youth ministry.

I am grateful to have received the opportunity to review this book. I can’t wait to use it with our high school students on our fall retreat. I especially appreciate chapters 1, 2 and 7 when I think about our current group of students, and I can’t wait to see how they will interact with the material in those chapters. Just a question: On page 145, first full paragraph (You’ve asked such questions yourself…), I am wondering if Max Lucado might consider some different examples of questions. If this book is geared toward 13- to 15 year-olds, they won’t be asking about a dead-end job or struggling church. They are in junior high and high school, and I believe those two examples will be lost on them.
–Terry Okken, Student Ministries Pastor, McKernan Baptist Church, Edmonton, Alberta

This version of Lucado’s God’s Story, Your Story takes a look at life as a teenager through the eyes of the New Testament Story and God’s plans for our lives. Each chapter offers a “Think About It” intro to each theme, followed by a look into the issue(s) addressed with Scripture mingled in to hammer the point home. In addition to this, there are quotes and thoughts from teens addressing the topics covered throughout. Each chapter closes with a “Don’t Just Sit There” section that reviews the subject and calls for some type of reflection/action on the part of the reader. At the end of the book, there are additional study questions that allow this to be a great resource for a small groups, but my suggestion is to use it with high school students as opposed to middle schoolers.
–Matt McKee

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