The APPLAUSE of HEAVEN MAX LUCADO To Stanley Shipp, my father in the faith CONTENTS Publisher's Preface vii Foreword ix Before You Begin xiii 1. Sacred Delight 3 Blessed . . . 2. His Summit 17 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 3. The AZuent Poor 27 Blessed are the poor in spirit ... 4. The Kingdom of the Absurd 37