The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst

Books about priorities are a dime a dozen these days, and that's a good thing because there's always one to grab when my schedule starts sapping the life out of me.

Lisa TerKeurst clearly outlines the dangers of an over-committed schedule in her book The Best Yes. She writes appealingly of how our filled-up calendars make for empty souls. And she makes a good case for saying "no" to peripherals so that we can say "yes" to the specific tasks we know that God has called us to do. She skillfully leads her readers through various scripture passages and reminds them that the best "yes" of all is to rest in Jesus.

I resonated with so much of the book that I know I'll be re-reading it in the near future, but I have just one caveat. Although I loved the content of the book, I did not always enjoy its tone. It is clear from the truths and experiences shared by TerKeurst that she is not a shallow woman. Yet the illustrations in the book are often frivolous or in bad taste.

How many times do I want to hear that she almost wet her pants at her daughter's track meet? This would work as a funny story from a podium at a ladies' conference, but book writing demands more thought and word precision. Can you imagine Edith Schaeffer sharing such a thing in one of her books? Did TerKeurst's editors make her write this fluff so she'd appeal to the average American woman? And what does that impy about their opinion of us?

Anyway, if you are a chronic people pleaser (like me) who finds herself dog-paddling furiously to stay above water most days, The Best Yes is like a rope being thrown out to pull you into shore.

A worthwhile read.