Anne LeGare

Here is a somewhat true, mostly allegorical novel, in which author Andy Andrews describes how his life got a rough start: both parents were dead by the time he was 23, and he found himself living in a roughed-out sand cave under a pier. He was barely surviving until he had a strange, almost supernatural encounter with an old man named “Jones.” Jones told him to get a new perspective on life, and introduced him to biographies of famous people. As Andrews absorbed the biographies, his life started to change.

Through a series of similar “chance” encounters with people in a small beach town, Jones introduces how gaining a new perspective on life and using different communication principles can change someone from the inside out.

The author effectively uses Jones to show how one person can make a difference in the lives of others. One story in the book, however, was the internet tale of a man being buried with his fork – awaiting the “dessert” of heaven – which somehow became attributed to Jones. The inclusion of an urban legend in the book made it a bit smarmy.

Another tale involved Jones giving a married couple a lesson on effective communication. The five “dialects” he laid out were strikingly similar to Dr. Gary Chapman’s “Five Love Languages.” Nothing new here.

Who is Jones? He’s a shape-shifter, and the author said it happened right before his eyes. Is he an angel? The reader is left pondering that question, as the townspeople and Andrews sort it out.

I applaud Andrews’s desire and exhortation to bless each other and pursue lives of good character with honorable perspective. But this book was produced by a major Christian publishing house. I expect a stronger Christian message. If our “perspective” isn’t on Jesus first, we will quickly lose focus. What saves us from our sinful minds and deceptive motives is a changed life through faith in Jesus Christ. Transforming truth and hope can be found in Him alone.

Andrews’s focus was the man/angel, Jones – and our own righteousness. Our focus should be on Christ, his life, death, and resurrection. Without Him, we have no righteousness of our own. When we trust Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit to help give us a heavenly perspective – the only one that can sustain lasting change.