Troy Meeder's, "Average Joe" was to me somewhat of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, he does bring out some great points about God's use of ordinary men, it just seems to me like a warmed over meal.
Not to be totally negative, Troy does open up and reveal his own struggles in life, ministry and marriage. I know few people who would do that. I guess the hard part about accepting Troy as the Average Joe is reading the stories of the places he has been and the experiences he has had.
On the positive sides, Troy hits the nail on the head about the problem with marriages....Men are not stepping up to be the Priest of the household. I can relate to this one, I failed and it cost me my marriage. Troy's life in ministry and marriage somewhat paralells not just mine, but that of many a pastor. Sometimes it just takes someone with their name in print to make us understand that, we average joes, make mistakes, but they don't have to be fatal.
To me the first chapter was perhaps the best. It set the tone for what the average joe faces. Monday comes around and we wake up saying, "Oh, man, this is not the life you and I probably thought we would live!"
"What happened to my life?" is the question Troy ask and then goes onto explain what happened in his life but also what happens in many a life. We get comfortable, complacent, and find ourselves in the place God never intended for us to be. Reality comes a calling and we just sit and let it overwhelm us like the waves of an angry ocean.
After all this, to someone, who like me is looking for some understanding from someone who has been there, "Average Joe" is in my opinion, average with a little bit of common sense thrown in and rewarmed.
“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.
Not to be totally negative, Troy does open up and reveal his own struggles in life, ministry and marriage. I know few people who would do that. I guess the hard part about accepting Troy as the Average Joe is reading the stories of the places he has been and the experiences he has had.
On the positive sides, Troy hits the nail on the head about the problem with marriages....Men are not stepping up to be the Priest of the household. I can relate to this one, I failed and it cost me my marriage. Troy's life in ministry and marriage somewhat paralells not just mine, but that of many a pastor. Sometimes it just takes someone with their name in print to make us understand that, we average joes, make mistakes, but they don't have to be fatal.
To me the first chapter was perhaps the best. It set the tone for what the average joe faces. Monday comes around and we wake up saying, "Oh, man, this is not the life you and I probably thought we would live!"
"What happened to my life?" is the question Troy ask and then goes onto explain what happened in his life but also what happens in many a life. We get comfortable, complacent, and find ourselves in the place God never intended for us to be. Reality comes a calling and we just sit and let it overwhelm us like the waves of an angry ocean.
After all this, to someone, who like me is looking for some understanding from someone who has been there, "Average Joe" is in my opinion, average with a little bit of common sense thrown in and rewarmed.
“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.
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