Archive for March, 2008

The Next Level: A Parable of Finding Your Place in Life, by David Gregory

How I came to read this book:

This is another WaterBrook Press book. What got my attention on this book was that the author shares the same name as my brother-in-law. The cover art is clean and conveys the content well.

Score Summary

• Content: 9
• Writing Style: 10
• Re-readability: 10
• Busy Mommy Scale: 7

Content (and potential spoilers…)

I just loved this book. One of the most effective ways to get a point across, in my opinion, is a story. Jesus used this method of teaching all the time. Mr. Gregory does this very effectively in The Next Level.

This is a story about a man who gets a job at a large organization – his only job is to visit each of the five levels in the building, observe their methods, processes and report his findings.

The levels of the organization are essentially levels of spiritual development, with the last level being personal commitment solely to the goals of the organization, with no selfish concern.

As with many of Jesus’ parables, this story has many little points tucked in that left me mulling them around in the back of my mind. The last chapter left me with a lot to think about. In fact, I just reread it now and got something new out of it that I hadn’t before. (I love that in a book!)

Writing Style

A parable. A very good parable. Easy to read. A lot to process.

Re-readability

Definitely added to my “regularly re-read” list.

Busy Mommy Scale

Well, it’s short, but due to its content, I do recommend having time to read a full chapter at a time. Reading it in snippets is possible, but you can potentially miss the flow of the short story that way.

Summary:

Business degree in hand, Logan enters the immense Universal Systems building and is hired as an organizational analyst – a trouble-shooter. His job: evaluate the company’s five divisions, each on a separate level and each operating on startlingly unique principles. Which set of principles is successful? Why is most of the company’s profit generated by one tiny division? What is real profit, anyway? And who is the enigmatic executive that Logan ends up reporting to?

Logan engages in a life-changing pursuit for The Next Level—a fascinating parable that will help readers answer some of life’s most perplexing, vital questions. Joining Logan in evaluating each level’s approach, readers will be inspired to consider the big picture of their own life from an entirely different perspective – one that holds the key to life’s ultimate purpose. No matter where you are now, get ready to embark on your own passionate pursuit of The Next Level.

Author Bio:

David Gregory is the author of the best-selling books Dinner with a Perfect Stranger and A Day with a Perfect Stranger, and coauthor of two nonfiction books. After a ten-year business career, he returned to school to study religion and communications, earning graduate degrees from The University of North Texas and Dallas Theological Seminary. A native Texan, David now lives in Oregon devotes himself to writing full time.