I found the book a bit difficult to get into but I will say it includes great advice and sound biblical teaching. I would recommend it to anyone struggling with making decisions, big or small.

I have followed Andy Stanley for years, have loved a few of his books and read quite a few. Visioneering changed my life. But sadly he has gotten less and less biblical, more and more progressive. He is simply not someone I want to follow examples of making decisions, as I don’t believe he’s been making biblical, god-honoring decisions recently.

I received an ARC from Zondervan Reflective, via NetGalley. This review is my personal opinion.

In this book Pastor Andy Stanley, give a guide on how to make decisions according to God’s way and common sense. It may sound simple the five questions, but let me tell you they will help you to be honest, radical, sacrificial, and determined. Pastor Andy opens up thorough personal experience and close friends' experience and I believe we can relate to many of those situations. We need to make decisions daily, some a small, big and even life-changing; which It is my opinion this book could be great and wise advice for everyone, either old, married or young. In this moment of life where we constantly hear the necessity of moving fast and forward and not be left behind. I think each one of the questions with the help of God can help to make better decisions and have fewer regrets. Great work to Pastor Andy and the team that make this book possible

This book is full of practical wisdom, written compassionately and grounded in the real world. A recommended read, even when we already consider ourselves wise ;)

A book that helps asks 5 pertinent questions to help you in making important life decisions. Makes good points, and uses biblical stories and perspectives. The author shares his own stories adn that of others to help teach and guide you in making better decisions. Good read.

I generally shy away from self-help books but I know that the author is pretty good and worth giving a shot. It might seem insulting to say "self-help" but it is not intended that way. The concept of how and why we make decisions is huge. We often need a reminder to stop and think about processes that we go through on auto pilot. The way the book breaks decision making down is helpful and a bit eye opening. It is not anything new but it reawakens the mind to pondering before acting. No one has a magical fix for us so it is imperative that we seek to be the best us to make the best decisions. One key takeaway is that our decisions, however minor, do not affect just us.
If you are looking for a reminder, or even a new way to wrap your mind around decision-making, then you will enjoy this book.

I received an ARC via Netgalley but I freely give my honest review.

"Every decision you make ... becomes a permanent part of your story." This is such a true statement when we really begin to examine our lives. All of our decisions affect someone else and it is so important for us to think of this statement when we are making decisions. This book is small but mighty. It is full of great advice and many great Biblical illustrations and wisdom. Anyone, Christian or not will enjoy the wisdom within this book. The 5 questions in this book will help all of us to make better decisions and wise decisions. We should ponder each of them daily. I am still thinking of the questions, "What does love require of me?" This life is not about ourselves and we should be meeting the needs of others daily! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this very insightful book!

I was excited to get Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets, not because these are completely new and original ideas about wise decision-making, but because Andy Stanley does such a great job of taking challenging truth and making it painfully applicable to my life.

As a regular attender at one of the Atlanta-area churches Andy pastors who has been listening to him for over 25 years, I have heard most of the content in this book at some point before. But this book is such a simple and easy read that I am amazed how rich it is! I read through the whole book in just a few hours over two days, but highlighted 229 phrases or passages that I found highly impactful.

The stories that Andy uses to illustrate the principles, a mix of his own experiences and biblical narratives, is very engaging and powerful. Even at times when the content might be difficult to accept, the illustrations make the truth both compelling and inviting. My takeaway from many of the application examples was it often seemed easier said than done, and yet I felt so drawn to the outcomes that I was inspired to try asking these questions in my own life.

The timing of this book is excellent, because this has been a challenging season in so many ways, and it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and what matters most when making so many difficult decisions in high pressure circumstances. By far the legacy question is the one that I find most helpful to refocus on the bigger story and pull up from the weeds.

Asking what love requires of me is constantly one of the most challenging questions I wrestle with, often because deep down I know, yet the answer is hard and costly. Andy very bluntly points out that this is the only question with no guaranteed return. Loving others well might not ever be reciprocated or appreciated, and yet is such a powerful application to find clarity in even the most difficult and cloudy decision contexts.

This is such an easy read, yet is powerfully rich and so applicable for doing life better one decision at a time!

What should I do next? What should I do with my life? What do I really want? Why do I want to know what's my next move? Tell me the answer and I will do it! For Christians, one of the classic questions would be to ask: "What is God's calling for me?" These perhaps are some of the decision making questions that challenge us daily, and for some, the question might even linger on for a lifetime. Indeed, making decisions is one of the most important things we do. So much so that for some, not making a decision is an easy way out. While popular wisdom says that there is no such thing as a dumb question, it is always helpful when we learn how to ask better questions. Some answers would challenge the mental while others might just appease the curious. The most powerful questions are those that help us determine our calling and purpose in life. "What do we do next?" is a question that needs to be asked at regular intervals of our lives. Instead of allowing our emotions and desires rule over our decision making, we need to involved the mental calmness and objectivity in asking hard and honest questions about what we are seeking. Enters the five questions which Andy Stanley hopes will help unlock ourselves toward a meaningful journey of self-discovery and good decision making. The questions deal with one's sense of identity, purpose, and desire for fulfilment. These five questions are:

INTEGRITY: Am I being honest with myself?
LEGACY: What Story do I want to tell?
CONSCIENCE: Is there a tension that deserves my attention?
MATURITY: What is the Wise Thing to do?
RELATIONSHIP: What does love require of me?

Reflecting on his own experience with his father, author and pastor Andy Stanley recalls how his dad helped him understand the why before the answers. The mantra he learned was this: "Good questions lead to better decisions." Questions are guideposts, directional signs, and essential prompts for us to discover truth. The main thesis of this book is that these five questions help to crystallize our decision making processes and decisions about our future. The question must come before any decision-making. The first question looks at the issue of integrity. Learning to lead oneself is key to honesty. The worst thing to believe in is our own lies of self-deception. Stanley even challenges us to ask this same question TWICE! Otherwise, we might be tempted toward the destructive 3Ds: making Dumb Purchases, forming Doomed relationships, and living Destructive Habits. He also gives us some psychological reasons why we lie to ourselves. He also uses the story of Zedekiah to show us the folly of self-deception.

In the legacy question, he reveals the stories about how his father's decisions affected him and many others. He urges us to think of our lives as stories and then to ask ourselves what kind of stories we want to tell to others about ourselves. He uses the story of Joseph was was able to leave behind a legacy of faithfulness and righteousness in the face of many challenges and tough decision making points in his life.

On the conscience question, Stanley asks an interesting question that deals with the ethics of our decision making. Using the example of David and Saul, he observes that David could have followed the worldly thing to kill Saul and take the throne. Instead, he was pricked by the conscience not to lay even a finger on God's anointed king. Pause when needed and explore rather than ignore our conscience.

On Maturity, we seek the way of wisdom instead of what is the fastest, the most beneficial, or the most profitable decision. Paul's teaching in Ephesians 5:15-16 illustrates the need for living wisely in an evil age. Finally, the Relationship question brings us back to the topic of love.

My Thoughts
==============
These questions and thoughts about decision-making have been preached at sermons given at North Point Community Church earlier in January 2021. In line with the vision to make sermons relevant and practical for all, especially the unchurched, the sermons touch on themes that many of us would relate to. The five questions all center around making decisions that are vital to all of our lives. The first question of Integrity is linked to our individual identity: Who am I? The second question of Legacy prompts us to ask ourselves: What kind of a story do we want to tell others and the next generation. the third question is about the ethics of right and wrong, and discerning what is right before God. The fourth question helps us to grow beyond factors of efficiency or efficacy, toward growth in wisdom in Christ. The final question brings us back to the greatest commandment of them all: Loving God and loving our neighbour.

The author has a gift of communicating basic truths to a large audience, and this book is a way to spread that message beyond his Church. Whether we are Christians or not, the five questions are highly applicable in our regular decision making. While some questions might be more meaningful to us at different times in life, it is important to consider all five questions as a package. All of them help us along in our decision making process. Separately, they enable us to focus on specific matters in different contexts. Together, they help us to piece everything together as we write our stories. Perhaps, readers should not be limited to these five questions only. I believe that these form a good introductory framework for us to work on. There will always room to ask many other questions on how we can make better decisions as we grow. This book will be that spark to trigger the flames of meaningful living.

Andy Stanley is founder and senior pastor of North Point Community Church. It is associated with North Point Ministries that was founded in 1995 with a vision to create churches that unchurched people would love to attend.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Zondervan and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

In comparing ourselves to his overly long biblical examples -- of which, I would've preferred more examples grounded in real life -- author Andy Stanley sets us up to basically ask, "What would Jesus do?" And really, that is how we should live our lives.

However, Stanley breaks that down into 5 North Star questions. Fortunately, he gives them away early in the book and then he dives deeper in his chapters to help you process:

1. The Integrity Question: Am I being honest with myself, really? (always easy to lie to ourselves)
2. The Legacy Question: What story do I want to tell? (Do we take the shortcut like the hare or put in the hard work like the tortoise?)
3. The Conscience Question: Is there a tension that needs my attention? (ignoring the warning signs)
4. The Maturity Question: What is the wise thing to do? (look ahead at the big picture)
5. The Relationship Question: What does love require of me? (love/support like we want to be loved/supported)

I picked this up from NetGalley because this seemed like a short read, but even at 100-ish pages, this could've been condensed a lot more because there was so much repetition in the chapters of asking these questions to the reader over and over.

Chapters:
More Than a Decision
The Integrity Question: Am I Being Honest with Myself... Really?
The Legacy Question: What Story Do I Want to Tell?
The Conscience Question: Is There a Tension that Deserves My Attention?
The Maturity Question: What is the Wise Thing to Do?
The Relationship Question: What Does Love Require of Me?

The five questions are neatly listed in the Appendix.

Having heard Andy Stanley discuss this book on the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, the content was not surprising. Nonetheless, it still blessed and challenged me and I am highly recommend Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets (Zondervan, 2020). It would be a great book for parents to work through with their teenagers, church workers to go through with youth our young adult groups, and because of Stanley's writing style would also be valuable for those who do not hold to any particular faith conviction to read and discuss as part of a book club or "life management" or "freshman introduction" class.

The basic premise is that bad decisions result because individuals do not think through five questions:
• The Integrity Question: Am I being honest with myself... really?
• The Legacy Question: What story do I want to tell?
• The Conscience Question: Is there a tension that deserves my attention?
• The Maturity Question: What is the wise thing to do?
• The Relationship Question: What does love require of me?

While rationally, people can easily see the best answers, often our emotions convince us to do otherwise and rather than answer these questions honestly, individuals choose to believe the false lies they convince themselves. As Stanley says, "When it comes to convincing ourselves to do the wrong thing, we are experts." (p 25).

With his "sanctified imagination" recounting various biblical narratives chosen to represent the key question relevant to each chapter, Stanley adds humor and practicality to the questions. In addition to the five questions, Stanley also concludes each chapter with a key commitment for the reader to make, affirming the answer to the question.

Some will argue the questions do not work for major life decisions, especially those choices which are not right or wrong, but between two (or more) good options. Yet an equally compelling argument can be made those choices will be clear when decisions leading up to those "milestone moments" are not filled with regret or second-guessing of past decisions made with this framework in mind.

As mentioned above, because of Stanley's writing style, this would be a super book for parents to work through with their teenagers or youth and young adult groups to buy the accompanying DVD set and work through as a group study.

This book will get you out of your comfort zone. Five questions and five decisions that will make you reflect on your past, actual and future life.
Integrity, legacy, conscience, maturity and relationship matters are found in this insightful book. These questions take you to changes (decisions) you want to assume in your life.
I loved the biblical perspective on the questions and decisions to sustain and illustrate them.

The author presents a less traditional approach to making decisions. The unique 5 Questions to Ask encourage us to examine more than just the specific details of a particular decision. The questions provide a solid starting point for discerning God's direction. Andy Stanley covers a serious topic with a lighter hand.

Andy's writing style is easy to read even when the topic stomps on our toes. He deal s with the subject matter from all sides with no questions or excuses.

What an amazing insightful book. So much practical advice and considerations that I will keep coming back to frequently. Such a reminder of God’s love for each of us and his desire to see us living fulfilled lives. Stirred up much prayerful thought.

A fast read but with a depth that only becomes apparent when you start using the questions. You do have to have a desire to be honest with yourself and be at your best to benefit from this book: it is possible to fool oneself and pretend you are answering honestly...but the questions are designed to evoke your thinking, conscience and gut.

But I genuinely will be using these questions and already I've used them to make a difficult but wiser decision. I hope this book gets the publicity it deserves. There is wisdom in here that is accessible.

This is a book everybody needs to read. It's easy to understand and the 5 questions will make you stop and think long and hard about the choices you make in your life. I highly recommend it. Thank you Zondervan Reflective---
Zondervan for the complimentary copy of this wonderful book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is definitely more of a life application/self help book than theological from Andy Stanley. Some might find this super helpful, but it didn’t present anything new for me in a heavily saturated market.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my opinion.

Andy Stanley's latest book, Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets, puts him back into the genre of life application rather than the theological magnum opus he recently published with his book Irresistible. While I prefer his theologically focused books, Andy is comfortable and competent in both worlds. This book is unabashedly practical but is still written toward a Christian perspective. In addition, each of the five questions comes with a case study from Scripture (his summary on Jeremiah was fascinatingly succinct and well-explained).

Andy's topic on this latest book lands at a good time for all of us as we navigate the hot mess that is 2020. He has a way of saying things that sound so obvious when you read them but they seem to elude us much of the time. A great example is this line from the book: "Most of us want to be proven right more than we want to know what’s true. We aren’t on truth quests. We’re on confirmation quests."

If you follow Andy's preaching, some of these questions should sound familiar as he has covered these themes elsewhere. This shouldn't deter you since he dives deeper into each idea. The five questions are:
- The Integrity Question: Am I being honest with myself . . . really?
- The Legacy Question: What story do I want to tell?
- The Conscience Question: Is there a tension that deserves my attention?
- The Maturity Question: What is the wise thing to do?
- The Relationship Question: What does love require of me?

This is a short and easy read. It is doubtful you'll discover a new idea that rocks your world, but it will give you a good kick in the pants and possibly provide some needed motivation for you to up your game. Sometimes that's what we need most. As Andy explains, "Exceptional self-leadership, not authority, is the key to sustained influence." Thankfully, we are all capable of that.