Max Lucado - Wild Grace. What Happens When Grace Happens

[ NOTE ]

The text ofWild Gracewas adapted from Max Lucados bookGrace. Gray boxes behind the text indicate places where new words and stories were added by James Lund specifically for our teen readers.

2012 by Max Lucado

Karen Hill, Executive Editor for Max Lucado.

Adapted for teens by James Lund.

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE: NEW TESTAMENT. 1958 by the Lockman Foundation (used by permission). CEB from the Common English Bible. 2011 by Common English Bible. All rights reserved. MSG from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. NASB from NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission. NCV from New Century Version. 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. neb from THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE. 1961, 1970 by The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press. Reprinted by permission. niv from HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. NLT from Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. TLB from The Living Bible. 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Studiogearbox.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lucado, Max.

Wild grace : what happens when grace happens / by Max Lucado ; adapted by James Lund.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-4003-2084-4 (pbk.)

1. Christian teenagersReligious life. 2. Christian teenagersConduct of life. 3. Grace (Theology) I. Lund, James L. II. Title.

BV4531.3.L83125 2012

248.83dc23 2012018285

Printed in the United States of America

12 13 14 15 16 QG 6 5 4 3 2 1

4. Grace Is All We Need

8. Better Than Perfect

Conclusion: When Grace Happens

I m waving a banner of gratitude to these folks who made Wild Grace possible:

James LundYour ability to relate to teens is exceptional. Thanks for your great work.

Michelle Prater BurkeThanks for shepherding this book from idea to completion.

Laura Minchew and the rest of the Thomas Nelson teamYoure more than colleagues; youre friends. Im grateful.

Shelby Di Giosia and Nathan Crosby, our teen editorsYour insights were super. Thanks!

Y ou steer your kayak downriver, your heart hammering like a hummingbirds wings against your chest. Are you ready for this? No turning back now. The swirling eddies and cascading currents that lead to Monster Rock are just ahead.

You surge forward, the foam flying and rapids roaring. A shout escapes your lips before you even realize it: Wooooohooooo!

This is living.

Quick paddle strokes move you past one boulder, then another. Suddenly, there it is. A black mound bigger than your garage. The Mother of All River Rocks.

You know from scouting this spot that the current is your true enemy. Youve got to veer left, before the raging water takes your cork of raging water takes your cork of a craft, slams it against stone, and mashes you into pumpkin pulp. Time to paddle!

An overworked waitress approaches a regular customer and asks, Do you know the difference between you and a kayak? The customer shakes his head no. Sometimes, the waitress says, a kayak tips.

You pull with all your strength. Your heart is beating so loudly that youre scared your eardrums will explode.

Left! Left! Are you going to make it?

Suddenly, you shoot through the mist into calmer waters. You did it! Youve conquered the Monster!

Only a moment ago your heart was pounding like a drummer on steroids. Relentless. Desperate. Now the danger has passed. Youve pushed through the moment of near panic. And your heart is changing. From rushing like a freight train to the calm thump... thump... thump... of a heart at rest.

If only it were that easy to change the rest of your heart. You know, the part that houses those other monsters. Im talking about selfishness. Superiority. Anger. Greed. Guilt.

Nope, no easy switch for any of us. But for God? Not a problem. Hes in the business of changing hearts.

We would be wrong to think this change happens overnight. But we would be equally wrong to assume change never happens at all. It may come in fits and spurts, an aha here, a breakthrough there. But it comes.

Could you use some?

You stare into the darkness. Your cat slumbers at the foot of your bed. The ceiling fan whirls above you. In fifteen minutes the alarm will sound and zoom you like a snowboarder on a half-pipe into another free-for-all with teachers, classmates, teammates, and friends-who-might-not-be-friends. For the millionth time, youll make your bed, breakfast, the bus, and homework deadlines ... but for the life of you, you cant make sense of this thing called life. Its beginnings and endings. Makeups and breakups and due dates and drama and questions. Whats it all about anyway?

You turn the page of your Bible and stare at the words. You might as well be gazing at a graveyard. Lifeless and stony. Nothing moves you. You yawn through the daily reading with the same barely awake expression you save for sixth-period calculus. But you dont dare close the book, no sirree. Youre afraid God will give up on you if you do.

You run your finger over the photo of your moms face. You promised her youd never touch drugs. Then your best friend asked if you wanted to smoke some pot. You were curious. You only meant to try it once. But once became twice became a few times a week. Now its practically a habit. Even worse, your mom guessed something was up. When she asked if you or your friends had ever tried marijuana, you said no. You lied to her face! Now you feel terrible. How are you supposed to fix this?

You listen to the preacher. A tubby sort with jowls, a bald dome, and a thick neck that hangs over his clerical collar. Your dad makes you come to church, but he cant make you listen. At least, that is what youve always muttered to yourself. But this morning you listen because the minister speaks of a God who loves prodigals, and you feel like the worst sort of one. You cant keep the pregnancy a secret much longer. Soon your parents will know. The preacher will know. He says God knows already. You wonder what God thinks.