The Principle of the Path

I'm an Andy Stanley fan. He's a first-rate preacher and a top-notch writer. He is a man of vision and creativity.

That's why I was disappointed in his book, The Principle of the Path. Put simply, the book's theme is that "Your direction, not your intention, determines your destination." Nothing particularly mind-blowing there, and the author admits as much early in the book. But I was still expecting it to take me somewhere I haven't been and teach me something I didn't know.

Maybe I expected too much. Maybe I just wasn't in the right place as I was reading it. Maybe I'm not the audience Stanley is aiming for.

I think--and I hope--that last "maybe" is closest to the mark. I could envision recommending this book to someone who simply doesn't understand that their poor decisions are not going to take them where they want to go. I could even imagine stocking copies of the book to hand out to people in a pastoral or counseling ministry, people who are at a loss to see the connection between their thought processes, their lack of self-discipline, their choice of friends, etc., and their repeated arrival at unintended and disappointing destinations. For many readers, I have no doubt that the readability and simple, straightforward wisdom of this book would be extremely helpful.

But I had hoped for more.

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(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher, for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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”)