Book Review: The Necessity of an Ememy

One added benefit of having an infant to nurse is the time I get to spend reading each day.  Often the older children sit with me as I nurse and we read children's books, but in the evening I can read a "grown-up" book.

I recently received The Necessity of an Enemy: How the Battle You Face Is Your Best Opportunity by Ron Carpenter Jr. and was intrigued by the title.  Although I do agree that our challenges in life can help us grow, I didn't care for the brash, in-you-face type of preaching style utilized by the author.  Some of his points are things I believe (such as God has a plan for us, His children), but I felt that the book presented the points in such a harsh way.  I also felt that the author kept rehashing the same points over and over.

I found it hard to relate to the personal experiences shared by the author.  I think this book could be helpful to someone who doesn't know much about God, but for those who have the scriptures, a reading of the Bible would do more to teach than reading this book.  But if you do find yourself with a copy, glance at the bold statements throughout the book that teach simple principles.  Here are a few examples from the text:

"God has intent about every person's life, which means no one was a mistake."

"Everything in life starts in seed form." 

"You can make a decision in one day that will take you five years to straighten out."

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to my friends.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.