Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot » (Bargain)

Max Lucado, Minister of Writing and Preaching for the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, is the husband of Denalyn and father of Jenna, Andrea, and Sara. He is the author of multiple bestsellers and is America’s leading inspirational author. Visit his website at www.maxlucado.com.

"Sweet Spot."

Ever swung a baseball bat or paddled a Ping-Pong ball? If so, you know the oh-so-nice feel of the sweet spot. Life in the sweet spot rolls like the downhill side of a downwind bike ride. But you don't have to swing a bat or a club to know this. What engineers give sports equipment, God gave you. A zone, a region, a life precint in which you were made to dwell. He tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in his jigsaw puzzle. And life makes sweet sense when you find your spot.

But if you're like 70 percent of working adults, you haven't found it. You don't find meaning in your work, or you don't believe your talents are used. What can you do? You're suffering from the common life, and you desparately need a cure.

Best-selling author Max Lucado has found it. In Cure for the Common Life, he offers practical tools for exploring and identifying your own uniqueness, motivation to put your strengths to work, and the perfect prescription for finding and living in your sweet spot for the rest of your life.

Publishers Weekly

Bestselling author Lucado (Come Thirsty) dedicates his latest book to helping readers discover their "sweet spot"-the job or life calling they were created for. He guides readers on their search to find the unique abilities God may have built into them. First step: "read your life backward" to see where you've been successful and what you've loved in the past. Readers are directed to find their personal "S.T.O.R.Y."-strengths, topic, optimal conditions, relationships and "Yes!" moments. This acronym originates with People Management Inc., whose theories helped Lucado find his own strengths and form much of the foundation for this book. For Lucado, discovering one's life purpose is really about honoring the God who gave the unique abilities in the first place, so he instructs readers not to make decisions based on greed. Instead, he exhorts them to "make a big deal out of God" rather than worrying about their own reputation and to trust God to use their "small beginnings" in his overall purpose. The book contains a "Sweet Spot Discovery Guide" with detailed exercises from People Management to help readers uncover their own personal "S.T.O.R.Y."-though some will want further guidance. As always, evangelical readers will appreciate that Lucado is easy to read while still substantive and orthodox, and many struggling to find the work that's right for them will find this book very helpful. (Jan. 3) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Acknowledgments     9
Your Sweet Spot (You Have One!)     13
Use Your Uniqueness     25
Unpack Your Bag     30
Read Your Life Backward     41
Study Your S.TO.R.Y.     55
Don't Consult Your Greed     69
To Make a Big Deal Out of God     79
Take Big Risks for God     84
Come to the Sweetest Spot in the Universe     96
Applaud God, Loud and Often     108
Join God's Family of Friends     117
Tank Your Reputation     126
Every Day of Your Life     137
Take Your Job and Love It     142
Pause on Purpose     153
Trust LITTLE Deeds     165
Decode Your Kid's Code     174
Don't Be Too Big to Do Something Small     187
Conclusion: Sweet Spots: Two People Who Found Theirs     197
Sweet Spot Discovery Guide     207
Notes     295