"When Work & Family Collide" is a VERY good book!! It was an easy read and it really hit the nail on the head. It's helped me better understand my husband's perspective as the bread-winner of our house and it's helped me be more able to explain my side of the issue to my husband.

Gone are the days of merely keeping up with the Joneses. Modern-day Americans want to crush the Joneses. Bigger, better, faster, more. Isn't that why we work ourselves into exhaustion, and beyond? For many of us, a major crisis might be the only hope of breaking free from this insane modus operandi.

Enter Andy Stanley's When Work and Family Collide. Stanley offers to the willing reader a host of stories to motivate a change, as well as tools to implement change. Work and Family inspires readers to evaluate life priorities and adjust accordingly, so that health or interpersonal crises are not our only hope for change.

Work and Family's style is easy to digest, a quick read. But don't just blow through it for the sake of finishing. Spending a little time with the concepts, and working through the discussion questions with your spouse, is sure to be a life-changing experience. (Those who find it not so might not be quite ready for change. Of course we know, though, that if God is ready for our change, He'll find a way to bring it about... it's just usually a little more painful that way. So why not save some heartache, and do the work ourselves, right?!)

In addition to the obvious clarity Stanley sheds on the work-family dichotomy, his principle of cheating, in general, can be applied to all aspects of daily life. It has been a meaningful paradigm shift in our household, looking at each decision of how we spend time as a cheat on something else. Identifying who or what we cheat really illuminates our priorities. Our family's thanks to Andy Stanley for that!

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of providing my honest review. I was not required to give a positive review.

I recently read Andy Stanley's book When Work and Family Collide. The book was originally released under the title Choosing to Cheat. The concept of the book is simple, one of the things God has entrusted us to steward is time, more specifically, the time we give to our families. After all, the currency of relationships is time, not money or other items. Moreover, we cannot have quality time with those whom we love and with whom we want to build relationships without having a quantity of time with them. Unfortunately, in our culture, we are bombarded by marketing messages that say we need to have wonderful careers, advance within our professions, and if we don't continue to go the extra mile to complete projects or add to the bottom line at work, then we believe we will be replaced by someone else who will. Not only that, if we are not working enough then we fear that we won't be able to properly provide for our families, our future and retirement, or be able to afford the things that our society places high value on like nice homes, cars, vacations, or other things for ourselves and our families.

As a result of the pressures we perceive, we often sacrifice what is best for what may be merely good or even not good for us. Andy Stanley indicates that because we perceive these pressures and ultimately act on them, we take precious time away from our families or other relationships to which we could be giving our time. It also comes down to a matter of faith and trust. Do we choose to do what is ultimately right and what God has called us to do and trust Him to take care of us, or do we choose to do things ourselves which may have consequences we did not intend or foresee?

The example the author presents to us is Daniel, a young Israelite, taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Far away from home, with no one watching, Daniel could have chosen to go along with the crowd, not many people would have known and given his captivity, most would not have questioned him doing whatever he needed to do in order to survive. Yet, Daniel, choose to honor his God and choose not to defile himself with the King's choice food. Daniel could have been executed for this decision, but because of His faithfulness and obedience God allowed Daniel and his friends not only to survive but to thrive. Interestingly, when we picture ourselves making a decision to make a change and stand up for things, we tend to think of the negative consequences, rather than the possible positive ones God can provide. Either we trust God and believe His promises to us, or we rely on our own limited strengths, gifts, and abilities.

I would recommend this book to anyone who feels the pressure to perform at work and give more attention to their job than to those whom they love. It will help restore perspective and provide a Biblical example to prayerfully consider as you make decisions that will not only impact the present, but the long-term into eternity.

I received this book as a participant in Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books Program. I did not have to write a positive review of the material.

I just finished reading When Work and Family Collide, and it was an eye opener for me. I have often felt like I gave more to work than my family and always made excuses for it while my family suffered, this book has brought realization to me, Mr. Stanley opens your eyes to the art of cheating, cheating of your family and cheating at work. He gives you a principle to follow and that demands a commitment that may cost you a job. but, what is important at the end of the day is your family who is there for you no matter what.

Have you ever said that there isn't enough hours in the day to get everything done? With all the demands of the workplace and your responsibilities at home, it is only a matter before there is a collision. This is more than a time management book, it shows how to re-prioritize your life. We say our families are important but do we actually make them a priority?

Author Andy Stanley is not only a father but he pastors one of the largest churches in America, so he personally knows the tension between the workplace and home. He will show you the principle that can transform your life.

Author John Maxwell says this in the book's foreword: "Every couple, every parent, and every leader needs to read this book and consider the question: Who wins when family and work collide?"

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."