Stanley summarizes the heart of this book in two lines: "direction, not intention, determines destination" and "attention determines direction." Weaving together personal stories and Biblical wisdom (especially Solomon by way of Proverbs 7), Stanley presents this principle ("the principle of the path") with his trademark clarity and eye towards application. This was imminently useful content and an easy to read book - although painfully redundant at times. B ( )

This book doesn’t mince words, the author tells it like it is and sometimes that’s a hard thing to hear. But if you are somewhere you don’t want to be, then you need this book. He’s not just talking spiritually, he’s talking everything.

Are you having financial, relationship, personal, and/or employment problems? If so, you need to stop and figure out what you need to change and how to do it. The author offers Bible and personal stories from his ministry to help you find the right direction. He gives you questions to ask yourself and explains how to tell yourself the truth, instead of the lies that got you in the mess in the first place. Honesty is the best policy, even to ourselves. Everyone else sees through the lies we tell them and us, so save yourself the trouble and don’t lie in the first place.

His next section made me really think. Attention determines direction, so where is your attention? What are you spending your time doing? That will be the direction you are going. Do you really want to go that way? Do you want to get out of debt, but you need to buy the latest gadget no matter what the cost? Do you want to marry someone you respect and adore, but you troll bars where the less then desirable members of society hang out? Do you want a promotion, but you arrive late and leave early whenever its convenient(more often than not?) These are tough questions, but direction determines your destination and many of us start out on the wrong road and years later wonder what happened. Decide where you want to be and get started going that direction and doing the things that will get you there.

I saw myself in this book. I’ve taken the easy way out more times than not and then wondered why I ended up without the job, education, or finances I really wanted. Where I am now is from the attention I placed on things in the past. I really can’t complain too much, but maybe a different major in college would have been a good idea, and if we had read Dave Ramsey years ago we would be better off financially now. Read this book and you will see yourself and maybe, like me, you will have the desire to make a course correction and get on the right path again.

Everything you do determines where you end up in life. Think about it and I bet you can see times you took the wrong path. What’s amazing is, that it’s not always your parents fault.

I enjoyed this book, maybe not the fact that I now realize how many times I've screwed up and lost my direction, but it was well worth reading. It is short and to the point, take a few hours and discover a thing or two about yourself. ( )

Given to me by an amazing reader and influencer, this book was an amazing read.

Written by a pastor, this book doesn’t have to be taken strictly with a religious overtone but can be read with the overall intention of the book. The meanings and lessons he shared can be adapted by anyone in any situation to improve your life and as he states “get from where you are to where you want to be”.

It was a very influential book that I’m sure I will find myself referring back to over and over, reading multiple times to apply to the different stages of life I am in.

Whether you’re single or married, Stanley has tips for each phase or complication you might be trying to overcome. ( )

A review copy of this book was provided by Book Sneeze.

The message in this book was a great one. Good choices and intentions are not all that lead a person to where they want to be. Not being a very spiritual person (in the sense that I don't go to church) I sometimes forget that if I do not let God into my life then my choices aren't what God wants me to choose. And even though I'm not spiritual I do realize that if I block God from my life than my life will not take the path I am supposed to be on.

Having said that I have to say that this one took me forever to read (literally I think I've had this for a year and a half). It has a good message, I didn't feel it as being "preachy", and I agreed with most of what the author was saying. The problem was that I got so bored with reading it. It wasn't stimulating enough to keep my interest very long. I would read a few pages, set it down and dread coming back to it. The other day I realized I only had 50 or so pages left so I made myself set down and finally finish it, and even 50 pages took me forever.

Again, I liked the message I just didn't connect with the writing. ( )

Have you ever wondered how you ended up here? Is your reality a far cry from your dreams? Are you a young adult in the midst of life’s important questions about marriage, career and fulfillment? Andy Stanley offers a refreshing look at ancient wisdom about our chosen roads in “The Principle of the Path”. Using an incredibly powerful analogy – modern-day driving – this little gem reminds its readers over and over that “what captures our attention influences our direction. Attention, direction, destination…and as your attention goes, so goes your life.”

Stanley begins his study with an explanation of a principle, which is much different than a law or a rule one follows. Principles operate in the background of our lives, whether we are aware of them or not. They remain true, even if we dispute their existence. And the Principle of the Path impacts our destinations, even if we don’t know about it or choose to leverage it in our lives. “Just as there are physical paths that lead to predictable physical locations, there are other kinds of paths that are equally predictable.”

Through careful scrutiny of the lives of Kings Saul, David, Solomon and Reheboam in the Old Testament the author demonstrates this principle in action. He first asks us to examine our own hearts, where “the problem stems from the fact that we are not on a truth quest”. Indeed, he convincingly argues, most of us are on a “happiness quest”, which more often than not ultimately leads us to unhappiness.

Throughout this book, Stanley asks tough questions that forced me to “pull over” and search my heart’s true desires and God’s call for my life. “Why do I hesitate to give God full access to every part of my life? How does God describe the human heart? How does this truth complicate things for [me]?” Stanley points us to God’s Truth by way of Israel’s great kings: David obediently following God’s path instead of conventional wisdom when he had the opportunity to kill King Saul in a cave; King Solomon’s happiness quest in accumulating seven hundred wives - many of whom worshiped foreign gods; and Rehoboam’s foolish choice to follow his peers’ direction over that of his father’s advisors.

Initially, “The Principle of the Path” seemed to smack of “prosperity gospel”, a step-by-step guide to “attain the life and lifestyle [you] have always dreamed of.” I felt oddly uncomfortable as I read the first few chapters in which the author encourages his readers with the promise that the Principle of the Path’s power "is available to anyone who is willing to leverage it.” By the end of the third chapter, I found myself caught myself being overly critical of Stanley’s message about our “destinations”. After all, Jesus calls us to much more than power and success in life.

I am glad, however, that I kept reading. By the fourth chapter, “The Heart of the Matter”, Mr. Stanley takes us through an in-depth look at wisdom, truth, integrity and common sense. The reminders from the Bible to take refuge from danger, to seek out advice from those older and wiser, and to pay attention to things that matter were quite practically helpful. Nonetheless, this author still seemed to miss God’s ultimate desire for each of us – to embody and personify His Love as we journey through life.

After an incredibly difficult year for me personally, this book’s true redemption was Mr. Stanley’s compassion for those inevitable times when all of us receive “information that serves as a stake through the heart of our dreams” – lost chances, a loved one’s death, a friend’s betrayal, and the point in time when we realize “that dream isn’t coming true.” This author doesn’t simply offer a clear and biblical road map for leaning on God to get us where we want to go. In his chapter “Road Closed” he also offers God’s healing balm of love and mercy for those of us faced with a destination not of our own choosing as we continue to trust the One who has led us here.

With a wonderfully probing study guide and relevant stories, Stanley’s work would make a great ten-week Bible study for any individual or small group that wants to understand the discrepancy between our hearts and our choices. Stanley captures the importance of living now – with an eye on the future – while offering hope for a change in direction when we find ourselves drifting from God’s clear guidance. Andy Stanley’s ability to show us God’s wisdom in such practical ways makes this book a must-read for Christians at any point on the “road of life”, whether you are a high school senior just pulling onto life’s entrance ramp or a grandparent whose own destination may be clearly in sight. ( )