Book Review: Empty Promises

I’m going to be honest from the get-go here: Pete Wilson’s new book Empty Promises was a bit of mystery for me.  I wasn’t sure whether this would be a book for me or not but it turns out yes, everyone needs to read this book. 

Empty Promises is about all the pitfalls we encounter while trying to do this thing called the Christian life. It’s the things that we think if we get more, we’ll be happier.  Some would call them idols.  Pete calls them Empty Promises. 

I’m a little embarrassed to say I was surprised about how much of the book hit home.  Not that I’m embarrassed to have issues but embarrassed that I thought it wouldn’t hit home. The book goes through several Empty Promises: achievement, approval, power, money, religion, beauty and dreams.  While all of them sneak up in one way or another, there are definitely a few that poked and prodded especially hard.  A few of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Maturity comes when we become aware that this is going to be a lifelong battle…and we make up our mind to engage in it on a day-to-day basis.”

“I think we’ve done a disservice in our churches by saying God can provide them with a completely satisfying life and not adding that this won’t happen completely in their lifetimes.”

“The cross Jesus died on—and the empty tomb was God saying it with a megaphone: “I am with you.  Will you choose to be with me?”

I feel like this is one of those books you can keep on your shelf and read over and over as you walk through different stages of your life.  A definite must-read.

Watch the promo here:

Empty Promises Trailer- Full from Pete Wilson on Vimeo.

I received a copy of Empty Promises from NetGalley.com in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.