Tag Archives: Review

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The Principle Of The Path by Andy Stanley – Extended Review Part 2

This is the next part of my series of reviews about Andy Stanley’s new book The Principle Of The Path. If you haven’t read the previous parts of this series, check them out here:

Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Review
Extended Review – Part 1

In these next few posts, I will take a closer look at a few of the chapters that spoke to me the most.

The Principle Of The PathChapter 5: The Heart of The Matter
This chapter pointed out to me that we (I) deceive ourselves. We are lead by our hearts. We trust our hearts.

But Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that…

“The heart is deceitful above all things? Who can understand it?”

Our hearts have the ability to deceive us. Our hearts have the ability to lead us astray. And yet we frequently say things like “Trust your heart.” “Follow your heart.”

If our hearts are deceitful by nature, then it’s no wonder we are so prone to deceive ourselves. We justify our actions, our poor decisions, our course changes that lead us away from our desired destination. And quite often, we do it without even knowing that we’re doing it.

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The Principle Of The Path by Andy Stanley – Extended Review

The Principle Of The PathThis is the second part of my series of reviews about Andy Stanley’s new book The Principle Of The Path. If you haven’t read the previous parts of this series, check them out here:

Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Review

This book review started out at a simple review for the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program. This is an excellent opportunity. They give you free books, and you read and review them on major retail websites. Check them out here.

However, they prefer that you keep your reviews to around two hundred words. That’s simply not enough room to say what I really think about this book.

And so, the brief review above gets posted to Amazon. And I continue to write a more detailed review beginning here. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dig a little deeper into this book.

Maybe no one will ever read my reviews. If not, oh well. That really doesn’t bother me. The process of reading and writing a review helps me to better assimilate what I’ve read. And the writing helps me to articulate better what I want to think and say about what I’ve read.

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Book Review – The Principle Of The Path by Andy Stanley

The Principle Of The PathAndy Stanley’s new book is a smash hit. Full of practical advice, The Principle Of The Path really doesn’t tell you anything that you don’t already know. But then, most of the time, the best advice usually confirms that which you already know at some level anyway.

And Andy Stanley couches his advise in terms that allow the glaringly obvious (and yet we still miss it…) to be massively insightful.

We are all on a path. And the decisions we make, whether large or small, determine the direction we are headed. Andy Stanley makes a very strong argument that there is no decision that we will make, or have made – not one – that does not play a part in the direction of our lives.

What are the things in life that have your attention? Are they the things that should have your attention? Because whatever captures our attention determines our direction; we tend to head toward what our attention is focused on. And our direction determines our destination, our end result.

Where are you headed? Is it where you want to be headed? Or are you traveling down a path that may take you to other places than where you know your life should be headed? The Principle Of The Path can help you to clarify your vision, and make sure your focus is where you, and God, want it to be.

Check out The Principle Of The Path. And find out how to get from where you are to where you want to be.

If you are interested in reading The Principle Of The Path, by Andy Stanley, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Book Review – Green by Ted Dekker

GreenTed Dekker has done it again. Green is an incredible story, wrapping up the Circle Trilogy… Or does it begin it…?

I must confess, when I read the previews on Ted Dekker’s blog, or when I read reviews of Green, I was confused. Everything I read about Green insisted that this volume both begins and ends the Circle series. Green brings everything full circle. How could that be? Dekker’s own blog says that you can begin to read the series with Green, and then follow it with Black, Red, and White. Or you can read Black, Red, and White, and then finish the series with Green. It makes no difference.

Green brings full meaning to the Circle Series as a whole, reading as both prequel to Black and sequel to White, completing a full circle. This is Book Zero, the Circle Reborn, both the beginning and the end. The preferred starting point for new readers… and the perfect climax for the countless fans who’ve experienced Black, Red, and White.

This is book Zero.

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Book Review – The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

The Lost SymbolDan Brown has done it again. And I mean really done it. The Lost Symbol has received huge amounts of publicity and has been highly promoted, largely due to the overwhelming success of The Da Vinci Code, and the surrounding controversy.

The Lost Symbol promises to be no different. It’s already sold over a million copies, and that’s just on its first day of sales!

At the very front of the book, just before the Prologue begins, Dan Brown makes a statement very similar to the one found in The Da Vinci Code. He says that there is a cryptic document locked away in the personal safe of the director of the CIA that has Masonic implications. Is this true? Hard to tell. Brown also states that all organizations mentioned in this novel exist, as well as all rituals, science, art and monuments. Ok, easy enough to verify.

But what he doesn’t say is crucial: This is a fictional story. While the setting and locale are based in reality, the simple truth is this: This story is just that, a story. It is fiction. It is the product of Dan Brown’s (very creative) imagination. Just like The Da Vinci Code. But so many people read his fiction, and are convinced that it is real. We need to wake up and take a look around us. We need to stop accepting the truth of a statement, simply because it is in print.

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Book Review – The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight

The Blue Parakeet I have to admit I was hesitant to read The Blue Parakeet. I have decidedly placed myself (I think) in the non-Emergent (or even emerging) camp. I don’t believe that the Emergent discussion is as biblically accurate as most Emergents claim it to be. For more information, see my review of Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). Better yet, see the book itself. Order it from Amazon here. 

However, the Emergent discussion is in the forefront of Christianity today. And I need to know what it is, and what it claims, so that I can compare and contrast that with what I find in God’s Word, and in time-tested authors. And so I picked up this book. 

And frankly, it really ticked me off. 

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Book Review – Fearless by Max Lucado

Fearless

“Heaven’s message for you is clear: when everything else changes, God’s presence never does.”

And with that statement, Max Lucado summarizes the premise of his entire book, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear.

Fearless is a challenge. It’s the gauntlet thrown down, daring you to let go of your fears, your worries, your concerns, and allow God, who is already there with you, to handle them for you.

Fearless is a series of chapters addressing many of the most common fears we face: insignificance, violence, death, disappointment, challenges. Why do we fear so much? Why did Jesus have to tell us not to fear so much? Why can’t we just let God handle our fears for us?

These are the questions Max Lucado asks in Fearless. And the answers are a lot closer than you think…

Max Lucado has knocked it out of the park with Fearless. In my opinion, this is one of his best books to date. An easy read, and yet challenging on every level, you will benefit greatly from this examination of our deepest held fears.

I recommend that you read Fearless. And allow your life to be changed!

If you are interested in reading Fearless, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”