Book Review: The Principle of The Path

Title: The Principle of The Path
Author: Andy Stanley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Self-help books are a dime a dozen. I’m sure this isn’t news to anyone, so wading through the useless, over-obvious or the more dangerous, complete fallacies, is a skill in and of itself. I can’t believe how often I hear about well meaning Christian friends who get caught up in the Eckhart Tolles or and take those concepts as an addendum to their Christian walk or completely disregard the faith of their childhood for a new more fashionable and less “restricting” faith fad.

This book will probably not become Oprah’s book-club pick, nor will it likely gain the worldwide attention that Eckhart Tolle’s books have, but it should. Andy Stanley has captured a principle so important and vital to our lives that it can’t be ignored and if you read this book, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree.

The thing about principles is this, a principle is a principle whether you know it (and how to apply it’s rules) or not. You don’t need to know a principle exists in order for it to work or to benefit or be affected by the outcome. The principle applies it’s rules to the situation regardless of how you respond. The best example of this in the book is when Andy refers to Archimedes’ principle that “…any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.” This principle exists whether you know it or not, just ask any child who saw a pool full of people swimming, decided it looked like fun, jumped in and immediately sank to the bottom! The child hadn’t been taught the principle of buoyancy, but if he/she had learned what Archimedes knew about floatation AND (the most important part) applied it to his/her situation, their outcome would be much different and more enjoyable!

So, what if we could know the outcome of every situation and how to apply the principle of the path to every aspect of our lives. According to Stanley, we have already fallen victim or conquered situations in our lives by inadvertently applying the rules of the principle of the path or ignoring them. Andy Stanley’s conversational approach to this concept affords an easy (but no less informational) read about improving every aspect of our life by understanding that no matter what decision we make, we are on a path and our decision has the potential to alter that path for the good or the not-so-good.

Take the time, read the book and enjoy Andy’s relaxed and matter-of-fact writing style. You’ll learn a lot about yourself and I know you’ll be the better for it. A very highly recommended book.

Book Review: Couples Who Pray by Suire Rushnell & Louise DuART

Title: Couples Who Pray
Author: Squire Rushnell & Louise DuART
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Couples Who Pray: The Most Intimate Act Between A Man and a Woman

This book intrigued me because it listed quite a few celebrity couples such as Denzel & Pauletta Washington, Donna Summer and Bruce Sudano as well as Scott and Tracie Hamilton. The reason for my intrigue was two-fold. I wanted to know how and why these people were involved in this book and secondly, and maybe even a little skeptically, I wanted to know if this book was just an attempt to cash in on the wave of pseudo spirituality that Oprah’s camp seems to capitalize on. Do you want to know my thoughts? Read on…

The book plain and simply makes a good case of the need for prayer in a marriage. I wholeheartedly agree. Although often repetitive, the book makes a good argument that not many could argue with even if you were looking at this from a purely “Spiritual” or worldly meditative perspective. At the very root of it all, the act of prayer is intimate; involving your marital partner in honest and heartfelt prayer can only improve your relationship.

If I have any issues with this book it would be that there were times I couldn’t relate to some of the stories from the couples. In particular, a story comes to mind where one couple talks about a discussion they had in a casino while they were on vacation. This bothered me slightly, as a born-again Christian, I was always taught that gambling is wrong so I left this story a little confused. My only other complaint about this book would be that it comes off just a little too watered down for my tastes. I understand the need to appeal to a mainstream audience, but I’m afraid there’s not enough meat for the Christian audience and quite possibly just a little too much for a complete non-Christian to stay engaged until the end.

The perfect audience for this book would be an engaged or newly wed couple with a background in the church. Maybe they’ve slipped away during their college years or haven’t really committed themselves to their faith. For those who have been married and grown up in the church, there are probably better places to spend your money.