CCM: So, Mr. Lucado, why this tour? Why now? ML: I’m celebrating 25 years of publishing and we wanted to do something. To be honest, initially, I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t think that it was a big deal. Then, somebody said, ‘You could use this to do something with the needy around the world.’ I have been really involved in helping World Vision for many years so I thought, Wouldn’t that be cool to find sponsors for 25,000 children? To make sure that a child has clean water, food, health, and vaccinations and education for only $30/month… The idea just really caught fire. I pitched it to Michael W. Smith, Third Day and tobyMac. They got on board really fast and juggled their schedules around to make it happen. CCM: You’re clearly onto something with a lot of cultural appeal. It seems like social justice, helping those devastated by tragedies is at the top of a lot of lists. Do you ever worry, though, that in a strapped economy like ours, thirty dollars a month is too big of a stretch for a lot of people? ML: Every tragedy brings an opportunity to show kindness. It sure seems to be that we’re seeing tragedies in a quicker fashion than we have before. Every month, the strangest things like the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. I’m not a prophet, but it sure does seem like the earth is spinning towards something. We need to wake up and see that a lot of things are happening. We have opportunities. Though we struggle, we’re still the wealthiest generation of Christians than Christians in the history of humanity… the most educated and the best trained. We have access to travel and tools. If we needed to be in China tomorrow, we could be there. But we also live when 25,000 people die every day of preventable diseases. It’s a strange era in which we live—unbelievable challenges and unbelievable opportunities. CCM: The new book, Outlive Your Life, really challenges the reader to make a difference. Why do you think this is often so hard for people? What holds them back? ML: We don’t understand why people are poor. We don’t see how one person can make a difference. I called the book Outlive Your Life because just by doing a small thing you can do something to outlive your life. You can understand why people are poor. Some are lazy; others were born in the wrong latitude that does not have access to clean water or paved roads or health care. Consequently, they’re trying to make up for lost time. Some of us crossed home plate because we were born on third base. So when you ask, ‘What can I do?’ here’s where we have to trust in a sovereign God. There is no government-driven redistribution of wealth. The Holy Spirit is really running this show. He will coordinate that and orchestrate that. The challenge is not for you and I to do equal amounts; the challenge is to respond to the Holy Spirit. For more on Outlive Your Life and other Max Lucado books and ministries, visit www.maxlucado.com. more Deeper with Max LucaDo 36 CCM