La mejor de las preguntas/The Best Questions Ever

by Andy Stanley

Book by Stanley, Andy

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Leadership, Religion, Christian Living, Spirituality, Christianity

171 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2006

About the author

Andy Stanley is the senior pastor of North Point Community Church, Buckhead Church, and Browns Bridge Community Church. He also founded North Point Ministries, which is a worldwide Christian organization.

Reviews

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

We never ask ourselves this question when it matters most. The author looks at this question from three angles.

First, “In light of your past experience, what is the wise thing to do?” (43) He then explores our past to see what unique struggles and temptations we have. A quick point here, we are not talking about obvious moral issues. Clearly you should NEVER leave your wife and marry your mistress. But even there the question is appropriate because that would not be wise. Here we apply the question to our unique background. If we have struggled with internet pornography should we not have internet access at home? If we struggle with debt in the past should we get rid of our credit cards? Is it wrong to have a credit card? No. Is it wrong to have internet access? No, but if these things are in your past then it potentially is not wise for you.

The second angle is this, “In light of my current circumstances, what is the wise thing to do?” (47) We know that there is an ebb and flow to life. Sometimes we are up and other times we are down. It is important that we take into account our current emotional situation and state of mind when we make a decision. (47-48) Otherwise we can make rash emotional decisions that will cause ourselves and others pain. I think of some emails that I am glad I took 24 hours before sending (I can also think of the ones I didn’t wait to send and have regretted doing that).

The final angle is this, “In light of my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do.” (52) The decisions we make now rob ourselves of our desired future. We may want to have children who love and adore us when they are older. However, we don’t give them the time of day right now. We want to have a happy, healthy marriage but we are unwilling to call off the friendships with others of the opposite sex. If we made our present decisions in light of our desired future many decisions would be made differently. If we want to have money in the bank and money for retirement that means we can’t always buy the newest car, the nicest house, the biggest TV nor have the most extravagant vacations. These nice things may not be wrong in themselves but if you have limited income you can’t afford filet minion on a ground beef salary.

[Jeremy Winafeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book. The question in this book really does help in various capacities.

For example, when dealing with money, it can be easy to excuse making a purchase based on your feelings...

But as we read on, we discover that "in light of my past, current, future hopes and dreams... is this the wise thing for me to do?

I recommend this book for anyone who needs wisdom.

I suppose that means everyone.

[Marissa Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say that this is a thought-provoking book about life from a Christian point of view. Actually, I'm reading this book as a required reading for my Purpose Institute course and I'm glad I came across this book at the right moment.

The narration of this book is in conversational way which made me feel as if Andy Stanley and I are having deep conversations. Needless to say I feel the right button have been pressed and I'm overwhelmed with the practical insights while reading this book. I could finished this less than 200 pages book in one seating but the information are so valuable that I need to digest them and did some self reflections in light of my past experiences, current situations, and my future hope and dreams.

THIS IS A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE !

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

“What’s the wise thing to do?”

There. You have it. That’s the question. Now you don’t need to read this book. Go read another on how to find/use wisdom instead.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

My dad gave me this book a couple years ago. I finally got around to skimming it this weekend. So, there is some good stuff in this book. A lot of it I've already heard at one time or another. Some parts don't apply to where I am right now. If someone is having problems with prioritizing or life decisions, I would give them this book. The book is written in a very reader-friendly way.

[Eric Reidsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good wisdom here. Nothing earth shattering, but the timing was right for me to read this in considering how to make a better decisions in life. I have to argue with Andy though that if with all decisions I overthink them I may never step out of my comfort zone and miss so much.

[Cayde Bake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book on what the right decision is to make in our every day life. This book doesn't really have a setting but it has lots of stories from peoples lives. The main idea of the books revolves around this single question. "What is the wise thing to do?" This isn't a fiction book so there aren't any fictional characters. But the main character is the author of the book Andy Stanley. The main conflict throughout the book is the challenge of making the wise decisions in life even if it's not the one we wanted. Andy Stanley shows the internal struggle people face between short-term gratification and long-term wisdom. I enjoyed reading this book because it helped me to grow deeper in my faith and helped me make the best choices to follow God's plan for my life. My favorite parts of the book were that it wasn't hard to read, it wasn't that long, and the central question was simple yet powerful. Sometimes I thought the book got a little bit repetitive since the same question spans throughout the entire book. Some of my favorite events of the book are when Stanley talks about all of the different personal stories and when he talks about using "The Best Question Ever" to make the right decisions about finances or relationships. I would recommend this book to anybody who is trying to follow God's plan for their life. It is especially helpful for young adults and teenagers who are trying to make tough decisions.

[JJ Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I picked up years and years ago, with the good intentions of reading it to learn more about be wise (big air quotes). As with anything that might point out areas that you may not like in your life, it gets easy to bury the book behind good intentions and years of neglect.

Do not be too frightened of my 3-star score. It is a great book and I will recommend it, especially to young people who have a lot of life and life decisions ahead of them. My score simply rests more in the fact that it was not necessarily the best written book. But now for the good stuff...

The principles are timeless, but they are easily neglected behind good intentions and foolishness. Stanley practically points out how a seemingly nebulous concept like wisdom is a practical affair that can be applied to every facet of our lives. The section related to wise boundaries in your life is particularly important, especially in a western culture of everything goes and “no boundaries can stop me.”

Take a chance on this. It is not hard to read. But be ready to closely examine your heart, decision making, and boundaries.

[Jonathan Beigle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Question was another good one from Andy Stanley. While it was one of his oldest books, it was practical, very quotable and an easy read. I'll just spoil the book for you...the best question ever is, "In light of your past experience, current circumstances and future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for you to do?" It's helpful in pretty much every area of life, and the question is a great question to ask yourself every time you need to make a decision.

Favorite quotes:
p. 48 - "When I'm mad, I've learned that the wise thing for me to do is NOTHING. Just wait."
p. 53 - "We rob ourselves when we make decisions in the moment with no thought of how these decisions will impact our future."
p. 66 - "You can overspend, overeat and overachieve, but you can't 'overlive.'
p. 74 - "The random pursuits that interrupt our important routines don't add up to anything. Well, actually, they add up to a lot of wasted time."
p. 114 - "Our greatest moral regrets are always preceded by a series of unwise choices. Not wrong choices, not impermissible, not illegal, but unwise."
p. 157 - "Private decisions have public consequences."

[Sherri Moorer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some great basic, fundamental information; however, I feel it could have been pared down to an article or blog post and made the same point as effectively. I like that it addresses the issue of wisdom, which I believe is sorely undervalued both inside and outside the faith community, but it was very basic and elemental. I think this would be a great book for a brand new believer, but for a lifelong member of the faith it's a bit too simple. A lot of this is just good, old fashioned common sense. A good book, but repeating the formula for different questions wasn't really effective for me.

[Cheryl Licata · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not going to reveal The Best Question Ever; you will have to read the book. One of my favorite quotes from the book is - "Experience is a good teacher, especially if it is someone else's experience. There's no point in learning something the hard way if someone else has already paid that price." That makes sense to me and seems to connect to all the reading we do, and learning from the experiences of all the characters we meet in books.

[odi☁️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

No lo lean. La mejor de las preguntas según el autor es: «¿qué es lo más sabio que yo haga en esta situación?». Pónganle la información extra que necesiten para hacer la pregunta más específica, por ejemplo: «a la luz de mis experiencias pasadas, ¿qué es lo más sabio que puedo hacer?».
Y ya, ahórrense el discurso religioso y homofóbico del resto del libro, a mí me hubiera gustado no haberlo leído.

[JONATHAN PEYTON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book and knocked it out in 2 days. Regardless of age, the wisdom within applies. A great question to ask yourself before doing just about anything - a wonderful habit to teach your children. Reflecting back on my own personal life there is absolutely no doubt that certain circumstances and heartache could have been avoided with more mindful consideration up-front. Well written and easy to read.

[Kerry Lofton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just ok. I’m an Andy Stanley fan but this really could have been a blog post instead of a book. The basis and theme was good but it just ended up being a lot of recycled stuff towards the end.

[H.b. Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book.

[Dominique Brightmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with a solid message. It just took a little too long to get to the point of what "the best question ever" is.

[Patsy Detroit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t know this dude was an evangelical until I finished. Makes sense. Super conservative and outdated but…… has some points ? I guess

[Jeanne Ready · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for all teenagers! I wish I had this advice when I was in my teens, I may have made some better choices.

[Ethan Lockwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a very thought provoking question for various arenas of life. A question of wisdom is always going to be one that will set many up to do ideal things in various circumstances!

[Natalie Smiy Haggard · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was hit or miss for me. Somethings I was FULLY behind; trust in your faith, choose the wise decisions in life, pray about what God is wanting you to do, know that your decisions have a reaction with other people. But the other 4/5 of the book I couldn’t get behind…. I love my faith and I will talk about it to anyone, but this author had some very sexist views…

If you’re looking into reading this faith based book on personal growth - lmk. I’ll give you the good chapters to read that will provoke conversation and thoughts!

[Zachary Kruizinga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just have to read it to find the answer... Simple yet helpful book in this stage of transition into adulthood for sure!

[Julie Lundberg Freiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read! I am giving to my 21 and 24 year old sons to read next! Very practical guide to making decisions on everything! It's never too late to apply this!

[John Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

The question is “is this the wise thing to do”. He then applies this question to different areas of life (e.g. money, sex). Felt overall the book was too simplistic in that the way to live a life of obedience is to simply ask this question and obey it. Doesn’t address Romans 7 or talk about the role of the HS in changing our desires when we are stuck. The book however does have some good concepts in regards to changing the way we think about our approaches to sex, money, and a few other things.

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andy Stanley writes books for two audiences: one is the audience that he speaks to when he preaches at North Point Community Church. The other is the audience that he speaks to when he goes onstage at leadership conferences like Catalyst. This book is for the first audience, not the second. If you enjoy his sermons, you'll enjoy this book. If you prefer to hear him talk about leadership, you would do better to spend time with some of his other books.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book! Worth reading and applying "the best question ever" to simple and complex decisions. The approach seems too simplistic or maybe rigid. But,the application works when we remove existing personal and cultural filters and focus on the concepts of the Stanley's message. View my decisions made after applying the "best question ever" have better clarity and are not second guessed.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making good decisions in any area of your life is challenging enough; wise decisions can be even more elusive. The Best Question Ever helps you make sense of any area of your life where you might have regrets or feel you can't get on the right path. It is a fast read and is easy to grasp; the hard part, of course, is following through and putting this question to work in your life.

[Jessica Geist · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, like most of Stanley's writing, is simple and straightforward. However, the central point of the book was excellent and because it is communicated in such a straightforward way, I found myself remembering it long after I'd read the book. It's one that I wouldn't mind reading again in a few years to remind myself of the lessons in it.

[Mags · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome book! incredibly inspired by Heaven above! this book has totally changed my decision making! has changed my view on the some goals I have been wanting to achieve.....helps you view life on a continum....the sooner you read this book, the better your life will be!

[Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

.......... between good things and sinful things, there is stand alone wise things. One action may lead to another. Do not blame others if you are the one who make that unwise decision and may lead you to sinful things...

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Stanley's book should be read by every high school student. I wish I could have read it in my early years and, with God's guidance, have avoided painful mistakes in life. An easy read, but one with logic and inspiration.