This is a simple book with a very profound message based on the image of a ladder.  The bottom of the ladder represents a place of financial stress.   With statistics showing that 61% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck,  we can see that most people are living at the bottom of the ladder.  The top of the ladder represents financial peace – a place where all our needs are met, we are saving for retirement and the kids college, and we are able to give to our church as well as other worthy causes.

The key to moving up the ladder is generosity.  The Bible clearly teaches that we are to be generous people and that God will bless those who are.  This is not about financial prosperity or believe it receive it.  The book is a simple presentation of simple Biblical principles regarding generosity.

The author, Nelson Searcy a pastor in NY City, encourages people to move up the ladder one rung at a time.  This means for those that have never given to the local church, to begin by Initial Giving.   For those that have taken that step they are to move to a level of Obedient Giving, giving the first 10% back to the Lord.  People living at the Obedient level are encouraged to move to the Level of Abundant Giving – giving more than 10%. 

I delivered a message at our church based on this book and 30% of the attending families made a commitment to move to a new level.    This is actually part of a two part series that will conclude this week and I am confident that even more people will move to a new level of generosity.   The far reaching implications that can have on our eternal impact is huge.

I highly recommend this book.  Unlike many books regarding personal finance, it is short, simple, easy to read and easy to apply to your life.   Best of all, it works.

Let me just begin by saying this is a great book.    I had read Influencer which was written by the same  authors.  The big idea of Influencers was to help the readers become aware of small behavioral changes that can make a huge difference.  For instance, in America over 100,000 people a year die in hospitals from infections that contracted while in the hospital.  The one behavioral change that could make a huge difference – getting hospital workers to wash their hands.

Change Anything takes it a step further and looks at how we change behavior.   The authors make the point that most often we rely solely on will power and we fail.  The fact is, we can put a plan in place to incorporate as many as six influencers in our lives that will greatly increase our chances of successfully changing exponentially.    The book details what those influencers look like and how to make them work for you if you want to lose weight, reduce debt, stop smoking, or any number of other changes.  There are many testimonies from “Changers” that are very inspiring and practical.

Trust me, I have not done this book justice.  Check out the website www.changeanything.com  and buy the book.  You will not regret it and you just might be able to change a behavior that has been hindering you for years.

I read this book by Timothy Keller to prepare for a sermon.  I have to admit that my generation knows little about the topic of justice compared to the younger generations and we are not nearly as passionate about it as many of them are.  With all that in mind, there are probably several books out there that cover the topic better or more thouroughly than this one but I am familiar with Keller having read some of his other books.

Keller does a good job explaining the basics about what it means to act justly and the Biblical basis for doing so.   He also does a good job of looking at the causes of poverty. 

I have to admit I got bogged down about halfway through this book but felt like at that point I had gleaned what I needed and I moved on.   Again for the novice wanting to learn more about justice, this is a good start.