getAbstract Summary: Get the key points from this book in less than 10 minutes.

In what amounts to a kindly, book-length sermon, Joel Osteen is "preaching to his choir" – although given his stadium-sized Texas church, his sold-out road show, and his successful TV and Internet broadcasts, Osteen's choir is vast enough to make this another bestseller. The book reflects the content of his motivational sermons and follows their format. Osteen states a simple idea and then repeats it often with only slight variations. He supports each nugget of advice with scripture and testimony from his life, and the lives of his friends, family and congregants. Those who share his Christian-based faith are likely to find resonance here, while others may not. His faith-filled audience will see Osteen's rhythmic preaching as affirming, uplifting and inspiring, but the more cynical or unconverted reader could perceive his "feel good" teachings as simplistic, repetitive and redundant. Still, simple advice is often very accessible. getAbstract believes most readers could find something in the "smiling preacher's" seven key principles that they can use to improve their lives.

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Copyright © 2007 by Joel Osteen

Reprinted by permission of Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., N.Y.