A Bounty of Books

Previously released as Choosing to Cheat, Andy Stanley's When Work & Family Collide: Keeping Your Job from Cheating Your Family is a great little resource for every person to keep handy. Stanley clearly lays out the problems of balancing work and family, establishes clear principles that should determine how one handles these struggles, and offers clear steps to help one give one's best where it belongs - to one's family.

Stanley's books are like his sermons - clear, concise, and engaging. When Work & Family Collide is no exception. One of the great things about this particular book is that it is a quick and easy read; this aspect should be particularly appealing to those who already feel overwhelmed, and are seeking guidance about balancing responsibilities in one's life. Stanley's examples from his own life as well as those he has counseled, helped me connect with the principles he lays out. While Stanley never compromises on the importance of the principles presented, neither does he pretend that taking the steps to implement them in one's life are simple. His acknowledgment of the struggles gives him credibility; the fact that he has personally gone through them as well as watched many others in his life do so gives the reader hope and encouragement that he/she can do the same.

Overall, it is worth the time of anyone who struggles to any degree with balancing one's work and family responsibilities to read When Work & Family Collide. Andy Stanley is one of the most effective communicators in the church today, in part because his own obedience in the areas he addresses allows him to connect with people in what seems like a personal way. Though not always easy to follow or implement, his advice is biblical, clear, and simple.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. 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