A month or so ago, I was given the opportunity from Thomas Nelson Publishing to review this book by Pastor Andy Stanley. I’ve read a lot of ‘leadership books’ – both sacred & secular – I like them; so I was excited to read this.

The editorial review states:

Your Direction, not Your Intention,
Determines Your Destination.
There is often a tension between where we want to end up in life and the path we choose to get there. We fail to see that having good intentions is never good enough. Like Charlie Brown, we wrongly believe there’s something to be said for trying hard. We need to understand why, in spite of our good intentions, we may have ended up at the wrong destination with our finances, our marriages, our careers, or a host of other dreams. So how do we get from where we are to where we truly want to be? The Principle of the Path is a road map to proper direction and discipline.

I’m a man, and yes, I hate to ask for directions. And, now that I have GPS on my iPhone, I rarely have to. However, as a church planter on the verge of our next plant, I find myself in need of clear strategy, guidance and yeah, direction!  I certainly need guidance in getting from where I am to where I want to be. So, I naturally gravitate towards  books like this…

I took the book on one of my summer speaking engagements – I always have more time to read when I’m away from my church & home!  The first chapter, Swamp My Ride, was great – interesting, humorous, informative and inspirational.  I found myself saying, “Yeah, I’m really gonna like this book!”… unfortunately, the book didn’t get better & better. I’m not going to say that it got worse but, I guess, I found it to be a bit repetitive for several chapters. The note-taking that I started doing in chapter 1 had pretty much diminished by chapter 5.

I still enjoyed the book – I’m a sucker for any book that makes leadership comparisons with, the Shepherd-King, David. I definitely learned things and was also reminded to apply some things I already knew. Pastor Stanley is a great writer and, obviously, seeks to assist his readers in practical, truth-filled, change & application.

Ultimately, after reading this book, I felt equipped, empowered and encouraged. It didn’t make it into my Top Ten list, but it was certainly helpful & practical. I’m better for having read it.