Most helpful customer reviews
|
|
3.0 out of 5 stars
Subtle and Somewhat Predictable, Sep 24 2009
Andy Stanley is the son of Charles Stanley. As such he is a second generation leader but one who has gone on to establish his own "path" apart from his Father and has been successful in church planting and ministry expansion to where his voice is more his own than what you might expect.
I was somewhat impressed, that while Andy does refer to his famous father there's not the usually continued name dropping and anecdotal appeals within the book that would be somewhat characteristic of someone with a famous name seeking to capitalize upon that association.
The writing style is conversational and I rather suspect that the book is an expression of what was originally spoken or preached as it has the quality of a revised sermon, albeit one that is strong on story telling to reinforce what in essence is a very simple message.
The message of the book is less heavy handed in its message than what it could been and so in that regard it exercised some restraint and avoided going in to moralizing and hammering those mistakes that all of make in life. The author's willingness to be self-deprecating and to draw examples from his own life that illustrate poor paths was noted and appreciated.
In the end however, and perhaps this is a reflection of this reviewer's background, this felt like a somewhat warmed over offering of what has been preached for years and is pretty common material in many churches. The authors writing style and voice (which is very reminiscent of his father's) is what carries this and the material is pretty standard fare.
3 Stars and worthy of a quick read.
Bart Breen
|
|
|
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Principle of the Path, Jul 12 2009
There are times in life where everyone has a moment of uncertainty, disappointment, and confusion about why they are in that particular situation. Why am I in so much debt? Why don't my relationships last? How did I gain all this weight? People react differently to bad circumstances. Some people have excuse the problem as the fault of someone else. Some people get angry at God. Some people throw their hands up in the air and cannot pinpoint the problem. The problem with all these options is that self-deception reigns supreme. We are, in essence, poisoning our lives slowly. If we actually took a good look at our problems, chances are that a series of decisions in our life led us down that path. Granted, it can be very, very painful to acknowledge that our choices determine where in life we will be in the future. But, as Andy Stanley states in his book, The Principle of the Path, this understanding is key to changing your direction to a new path: a debt-free path, a healthy relationship path, a nutritious lifestyle path. We may have had good intentions of paying off that debt and of eating healthy, but ultimately, if we continue to choose to walk the road of maxing out credit cards or buying impulsively, intentions don't matter anymore. Only the decisions we've made direct our paths. When life throws a curve ball, like the loss of a loved one, which isn't determined by us, our choices determine how we handle those unforeseen situations. This book is a back to the basics understanding of how we got to where we are. Slightly simplistic, this book would be a good read for those unhappy with their life, teens who need to understand the impact of their decisions today, and those who need a reminder of where they want to be.
|
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read, Jun 25 2009
Excellent Read - I wish I had read this book many years ago, when I was making my life decisions. Andy is able to make the very "out there" concept real and simple. It is direction of the Path that we set ourselves on that determines our outcome - with solid Biblical examples of good and wrong path directions, Andy walks us through real life reasons to pay attention to the paths we choose.
I think this is a must read for every couple getting married, every graduate from high school, and anyone contemplating a life decision. Armed with this principle - we can get to where we want to be.
|
|
|
|
by Andy Stanley
by Bill Hybels
by Andy Stanley
by Francis Chan
by Dave Gibbons
