Average Joe by Troy Meeder

The overall purpose of the book Average Joe is to ensure men that being average, ordinary or normal should not make us feel our lives have no purpose or that God has missed us in his grand plan. In God's eyes we are not failures by living a steady faithful life.

Meeder's overall theme is interesting but the point is lost and at time missed. Several of his stories may hit home for some but many will not be able to relate. If you are a church going guy this book will make sense but if you are looking to better understand your undefined relationship with God and/or Jesus, you may struggle with this book. The stories are intended for men who already have a basic religious background.

Yes, most of us will agree being the Average Joe is ok but the what Meeder’s is trying to teach is altruism, giving of ourselves for the good of others, is the true teaching of Jesus and all men should strive to do their best in giving of themselves to other. The book’s message about altruism is there but you may have to look close to understand how it may relate to your own life.

I received a free copy of this book from Multnomah in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Jolt! by Phil Cooke

I have read and reviewed literally hundreds of self-help books. Most have similar common themes, as does Phil Cooke’s JOLT!. Going through the phases of being able to accept yourself for who you are and looking inside to determine what your gift or passion is. The book discusses going over goals, how to prioritize personal events and how you operate at work. Many books go into the moral purpose of the individual along with their true faith, as does Cooke.

If you have not read many self-help books then you may enjoy this book. The book has the basic foundation that most self-help books have. If you are looking for something different or a unique point of view in tackling some of the key self-help topics you will be disappointed. JOLT! provides nothing unique or new to the field of self-help. The book provides many stories and quotes but nothing solid that the reader could walk away with saying, “that could really change/improve my life”. The book contains many good suggestions but they are suggestions that appear in most published self-help books.

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through BookSneeze.com in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Put Your Dreams to the Test - John C. Maxwell

Have you ever had a dream that you wanted to fulfill but somehow never seemed to get around to it or you pursued your dream and failed? Well this book will help dreamers and attempted dreamers. Maxwell has done an excellent job going through the difference or having a true dream and one that is just a fantasy. Maxwell covers 10 key questions that one should ask when seriously pursuing a dream. He covers critical areas like ownership, clarity, reality, passion, strategy, involving others, cost, tenacity and significance.

How do I know this book works? Prior to reading this book my dream was to start a non-profit organization. I have done that and it has been running successfully for years. When I read the book, it described exactly the procedures, steps, trials and failures I went through. What Maxwell has written is true and accurate. If you have a dreams and do not have a handle on how to get there or what the next steps are this is a must read.

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through BookSneeze.com in exchange for my honest review of the book.