Tag: Andy Stanley

That’s Not Like Me!

imageEnemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley

How many times have we heard,

I can’t believe I just said that or I don’t know where that came from?

Dr. Luke records the words of Jesus that put these exclamations to rest: “A good man brings good things out of the good things stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45) As Pastor Stanley points out, regardless of our attempts to control, hide or otherwise diminish its impact, the heart is the source and control of our speech, action and thoughts. Troubles in the heart will soon become troubles in life.

Four enemies of the heart capture Stanley’s attention in this excellent book: guilt, anger, greed and jealousy. Four poisons that we allow to take root in the soul and then act surprised when their green tentacles reach out at the most inopportune time and damage the relationships that we value so much. Though Oprah would suggest a different path, Stanley correctly identifies these monsters as having spiritual components. Ever the excellent pastor, Andy devotes the largest portion of the book to armor and weaponry needed to combat them.

Pastor Stanley has penned a long string of must-have books for any Christian’s library and this volume belongs on the top shelf. Better yet, buy two copies so you can keep one and pass the other one around to everyone you know. (You should be aware that the book was previously published as It Came From Within, and you may already posses the material.) A useful discussion guide is included with the book enabling you to develop a dialog around the material, whether in a one-on-one relationship or in a group setting.

I am grateful to Multnomah who provided this copy for review.

Hurtling Headlong in the Wrong Direction

The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley

image“Cars have problems that can be fixed. Computers have problems that can be fixed. Lawn mowers have problems that can be fixed. But generally speaking, people have directions that need to be changed.”

Prolific author and Pastor Andy Stanley sets out the straight-forward proposition that the path we choose determines our destination. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? And yet, as Stanley recounts in the numerous vignettes that illustrate this principle, many people wind up at a crisis point in life, head in hands, asking “how did I get here?” This is like jumping on I-70 west in Denver and then being surprised when you show up in Utah. Each path leads to one destination.

Stanley’s plain-spoken account of the principle makes you wonder why it needs to be spoken out loud or published. Most people are capable of analyzing the destination of the paths they choose in life. Relationships, finances or health; all of the eventual destinations are determined by the path we choose at the beginning of our journey. More often than not, we can see the destination at the end of that path, and yet, we ignore it to our peril.

The simplicity of the preceding paragraph illustrates my disappointment with this book. The principle that Andy presents is simple and requires little adornment or augmentation, and it would make for an excellent topical sermon. One, maybe two. Repeated over and over and touching on the same handful of life-paths, it becomes repetitious. Each chapter treads the same ground, albeit with different illustrations drawn from the pastor’s life experiences.

I am grateful to Thomas Nelson for providing this volume for review.