Balancing your Priorities

I have family who attended Andy Stanley's church, North Point, in Atlanta when they lived there. Our family still catches his podcasts when we can. You won't find another man of God who speaks the truth and makes it relevant to today any more than Andy Stanley. I vividly remember my brother-in-law recommending a sermon series entitled Choosing to Cheat. Well, here it is in print format.

Andy begins by accusing us all of cheating. He's right. All of us choose to give up one thing in hopes of gaining something better or of greater value. This is especially true of our time. We live in a world where there are so many things vying for our attention. Our to-do list is never ending and full of necessary tasks. What usually suffers from our being pulled in so many different directions? Our families. Why? As Christians, are they not our priority? Do our actions reflect that? What is the motive behind our spending so much time at work? Is it only to provide for our family or are there other more deep seated reasons? If parents are always at work, who is providing for the emotional needs of their children? I'm convinced God did not create nor does He approve of this all exhausting whirlwind we now call "life".

Whether you are are the one who is unknowingly choosing your career or to-do list over your family or are the spouse or child feeling cheated, Andy's words will strike home and lead you in the direction you need to go, using real life examples of current day to illustrate. There is never enough time to get everything done you think is important but God gave us 24 hours in a day for a reason. Choose the spend our time in the role only we can fill--that of spouse, father, mother... Easier said than done, I know. I believe there is plenty of time to get the things done HE wants you to do. Our calendar clearly shows our priorities. What does you calendar illustrate?

But Andy doesn't just give us the facts about how we cheat our families when work draws us, he also gives us practical steps to take to change our way of living in When Work & Family Collide through the Old Testament character of Daniel. The book is a quick, easy, practical read but you may find yourself needing to stop after each chapter to consider his words and how they apply to you. The book also includes a four week discussion guide making it perfect for small group discussion or an accountability group. I haven't ever read anything of Andy's that I didn't love and find to be life changing and this is no exception. Whether you are a mom, dad, parent, work outside the home, or within the home, this book will most likely convict and speak to your heart.

I did receive this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.