How to be Rich: It's not What You Have, It's What You Do With What You Have.

How to be rich

Book review of Andy Stanley's How to Be Rich.

In the early pages of the book, Andy states his purpose to show us that we already are rich. It's not a book about how to get rich, it's a book that shows us we are rich, and then what people who are rich do with their richness. It's a book that should be mandatory reading in for everyone, but especially so for churches (and may be especially helpful for membership classes!) Andy clearly shows, from cover to cover, it's not about what you have_ it's all about what you do with what you have.

Andy shows how Rich begins, and ends in the mind. He doesn't use guilt to manipulate but shows how a gratitude perspective changes everything. He states that being rich is different from being good at it. Using the Bible, he unpackages 1 Tim. 16:7 and challenges readers, Christian and other, to it's solid, lifechanging truths. Those truths include the tendency of self sufficiency and pride that come with wealth and how to counter those trends. Those trends are countered, as Andy shows, by the practice of generosity toward God in priority, percentage, and progressive giving.

This book should be required reading, especially for Christians. It was gripping from page one, practical, and Biblically solid. A home run! I highly recommend it!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

In a world full of stuff to buy, things to collect, and upgrades to make, the topic of generosity is tough to tackle. Andy Stanley does it masterfully. He has a gift for laying a foundation in your heart of understanding before addressing a difficult truth. In the first few chapters, Andy Stanley discusses the reality of our wealth. We are in fact already rich! I know, hard to believe, right? Well, we are and we don't even know it. He goes on to point us in the direction of where our hope lies. As a Christian, this book was so encouraging, affirming, and challenging. By the end, it is clear that while most of us see ourselves as generous, we aren't at all. If anything, we are generous with ourselves.

For me personally, the idea that I give God my first ten percent and do whatever I want with the rest has been a way of life. Our family is generous, with random acts of kindness and such. However, I have realized that we must allow God to direct how we use the other ninety percent.

With book stores packed full of "how to get rich quick" books, I find Andy Stanley book refreshing and full of much needed truth! I recommend this book to Christians who are ready to begin giving or step up their giving. Get ready to change the way you view money.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review. I have received no compensation other than the joy of reading a good book.

How to be Rich is a short book packed with wise teachings on what to do with all you have. In case you have ever wondered if you could actually afford to be extravagantly generous, Andy Stanley begins his book by offering substantial evidence that you (and me) are, in fact, rich. We just don't feel rich. Stanley asserts that we don't feel rich because we live beyond our means, purchase more stuff we don't need, or our finances have no substantial margin. While Stanley does not focus on how to 'get your finances right' (see Ramsey's book for that), he chooses to focus solely on our riches and what to do with them.

Stanley's message is clearly outlined in his book from the beginning. We, middle class Americans, are blessed. We are rich. While the standard of our living is a blessing, it also comes with a responsibility. Generosity to those with less is not only our duty, but our privilege.

The first part of the book is spent convincing readers of our abundant blessing. If you have ever read the statistics concerning world wide income, then you may feel like the citing of these stats are familiar and have perhaps lost their shock value. However, Stanley does not stop with the statistics. He offers readers a fresh perspective of several common every day occurrences that we can easily relate to and understand. Standing in front of a closet full of clothing and saying "I have nothing to wear," and trading in a perfectly good car to purchase another are two of these examples.

Once our rich status has been firmly established, Stanley moves onto the central message. Using Biblical passages and personal allegories, Stanley wants readers to move their hearts from their treasure to the Provider of treasures. This is essential. Without the proper heart attitude, our riches become burdens and not blessings.

The final section of the book covers generosity. Stanley urges readers to give stuff, time, and money away. This is the effect of having our hearts fixed on the Lord. In fact, Stanley concludes that generosity is the vaccination for greed. If we want to be rich, and to do it well, we need to give to others. Furthermore, Stanley clarifies and encourages readers to give to those with less. Give to the poor.

The book includes a small group study session. For those readers hoping to have discussions and a more in-depth look at the referenced Scriptures, short guides are located at the back of the book.

Overall, the message may not be unique. We've probably all heard of how rich we really are and what a blessing it is to give to the poor. However, the message is important. What we do with those riches and how we live matter. Andy Stanley's new book and accompanying DVD will help motivate us to live better.

I received both the book and DVD in exchange for a review.

Andy Stanley is the pastor and founder of North Point Church in Atlanta Georgia; and every Sunday, more than 33,000 people attend worship services at NPM's five Atlanta-area churches

Andy is also a well read author and his books include Enemies of the Heart, The Grace of God, The Next Generation Leader, and How Good Is Good Enough?

Andy's new book "How To Be Rich" is also available as a small group DVD based Bible study. The book is very thin (135 pages) and more of a "workbook" than a book and my guess is that it was meant to be read along with the DVD teaching. But I did just fine, I enjoy all of Andy's books.

Of course this ISN'T an actual book about how to grow your portfolio or how to save your investments. Yes, the book covers areas of money, but it's not a book about tithing.

Followers of Andy's podcast, or members of his church will already know that this book was actually a sermon series Andy did back in 2007. The premise of the book is centered on 1 Timothy 6:8, "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share."

So this book is more about realizing how wealthy you actually are - how generous God has been with all of us and then using that wealth to go out and be generous with others. Any talks about how we can all learn to be content with less and perhaps do away with the "mine" attitude that most American's have. Rather I think this book was meant to free us from worry and to help us live less-cluttered more openhanded lives.

Thank you to Zondervan for a preview copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

How To Be Rich is a book based on a sermon series by Andy Stanley, the founder and pastor of North Point Ministries in Atlanta Georgia.

The book is quite short, only 135 pages (not including the dvd study guide), and is a very quick read. That being said, even though the book is not all that long, it is full of challenging and inspiring truth.

When I first saw the title of the book I was a little put off and surprised that Stanley would write a book about bettering yourself financially, but thankfully this is not a book about God "blessing" us with more money. The book is based on the passage 1 Timothy 6:18 which says: "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." The premise is that chances are if you are living in North America you are already rich (from a global perspective), so it's not about becoming rich financially, but rather honoring God with the wealth we already have, being rich in good deeds and generosity.

Here are a few great quotes from the book:

"We possess more than most people around the world and throughout history could ever dream about. We have everything we need. But we lose sight of what we need it for" (p. 67).

"_it takes initiative to become and remain aware of what other people don't have but should have" (p. 102).

"Even if you give 10 percent faithfully, it doesn't mean you'll come away with the right perspective about the other 90 percent" (p. 114).

I would highly recommend this book. I found How To Be Rich to be a challenging read as I consider all that I have (on loan from God), and what I do with (manage) what is His. This is the kind of book we as Christians don't want to read because it makes us feel uncomfortable, but we absolutely should read it. This would be a great book for a whole church to read, a small group study, a Christian finance class, pre-marital counseling material, supplemental material for a discipleship group, or simply for personal study.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com 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.