I chose to read Andy Stanley’s Enemies of the Heart for a number of reasons:
1. It had a nifty looking cover.
2. I’ve heard of Andy Stanley,
which means the book has to be good,
right? (Don’t mind that I’ve never read anything written by him.)
3. It was available on Kindle,
which is always a bonus.
4. I was actually interested in the topic of the book.
And though I’ve been prone to
delivering rather cynical and negative reviews as of late, I was pleasantly
surprised with this book. It was one of those books I actually wanted to read in my spare time, instead
of feeling obliged for whatever reason. And it actually made a few good points.
The premise of the book is that
we don’t look at the condition of our hearts nearly enough. Instead, we fix our
behaviors and then wonder why we blow up at people and are unsure of why it
happens. Stanley proposes that if this is the case, there’s a “heart” problem.
The book is organized well,
addressing the four sicknesses of our hearts that Stanley has concocted: anger,
guilt, greed, and jealousy. Without a doubt, we’ve all experienced each of
these things at some point in our lives or another. Stanley does well to
examine why these sicknesses exist
and then proposes tangible solutions to
those problems, not just clichés such as “pray more” or “trust God.”
After the what, the why, and the how are examined, Stanley wraps up the
book by touching on leaving a legacy and leading by example for our children
and addresses lust, another heart condition that is a little different from the
other four (but important nonetheless).
Ultimately, though, this book is
well put-together, well thought out, thorough (yet concise!), and it makes you
think and moves you to action. What more could you ask for?
(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)
(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)
