“The Principle of the Path: How to get from where you are to where you want to be” by Andy Stanley was a better book than I expected it to be.  What is not earth shattering new is or can be a swift boot to the head – in a good way.  Andy calls us to see that our choices of paths are not an isolated choice that doesn’t affect tomorrow or our next decisions.  He uses the Life of David and Solomon to illustrate it and a major section of Scripture he uses is Proverbs 7 – which is a very good scripture for the discussion of path choosing.  This book along with “The Call” by Os Guinness would be great for anyone to read.  Andy also gives some good principles on how to find and choose the right path and a great family prayer that the Stanleys use each day.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone… and as the Graduation season is upon us… it would be a great book for any graduate.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5 stars.

(Disclaimer: As a blogger I received a free review copy - no requirement to give it a positive review, just for the reviewer to call it like they see it.)

The Noticer by Andy Andrews is one of my favorite books of this year.  It is a story of seeing but not seeing and then seeing with a new perspective.  You follow the author as you meet Jones, not Mr. Jones, just Jones as Andy and you learn from himself and others.

I remember reading Nancy Lopez’s quote praising this book as “This is the best book I have ever read in my life.”  And I thought I am a little scared now because what happens if it really is not?  I don’t know if I would say it is the best book I have ever read but I it is one of them.  It reminds me of a Mitch Albom book.  So if you liked “Tuesday’s with Morrie” any other of Mitch Albom’s writings – you will love Andy Andrews too.

While reading this book you will wish “Jones” would show up at your door and you could just sit down and talk and listen for a while.  Andy brings the story alive.  This book is a powerful but quick read.  The author has also included a “Reader’s Guide” for individual and/or group discussions.

The main gift you will receive from reading this book is a new perspective on life and the people who have helped you notice it.

Again, I whole heartedly recommend this book to all people readers and non-readers.

(Disclaimer: As a blogger I received a free review copy - no requirement to give it a positive review, just for the reviewer to call it like they see it.)

Win a free book....

Franchising McChurch: Feeding Our Obsession With Easy Christianity is a very thought provoking book.  It illustrates how the McDonaldization of many churches has come to be, and how easy it is to be sucked in it.

This book is like eating a Home cooked meal that your Grandma made just after you had McDonald’s for lunch.  It is mainly written to Pastors and Church leaders but the individual person can learn a lot from it too.  One of the best features of this book is the “Drive Thru” sections at the end of the chapters – which summarize the chapters main points and also has “Health Inspector” Questions that allow to step back and look at the “Health” of your church or even your own spiritual health.

Franchising McChurch is different from many other books of this genre because it looks at from three different viewpoints, from the front lines, from training new and future leaders, and from being students themselves.  It also looks from the biblical, theological, and practical standpoints.

 If you want to see how the “McDonald’s style” is or can affect the church and the world in general I recommend this book.