The 12 Essentials of Godly Success: Biblical Steps to a Life Well Lived

The 12 Essentials of Godly Success: Biblical Steps to a Life Well Lived by Tommy Nelson

Tommy Nelson was my pastor for several years when I lived in Denton, Texas and attended Denton Bible Church.  It is the consensus of most that have attended this church, that Tommy Nelson is an incredible speaker.  Not surprisingly, some of his most popular series that he preached on, he would later write books on those same subjects.  Some of the series that come to mind are Love Songs – Song of Solomon, The Book of Ecclesiastes, and this one as well.

Now I must say that although the recorded sermons of these topics were Grade A prime, the material doesn’t always translate as well to the written word – at least with Tommy Nelson being the author.  I have met many people around the entire country that have heard his Song of Solomon series, for example, and have been overwhelmed with how incredible it is (if you’re reading this review and are planning on getting married anytime soon, please stop reading this now, and find the series online to download.  Listen to it NOW.  It will save your marriage before it ever begins), yet if you were to only read the book that he wrote on the subject, you might be wondering exactly what all the fuss is about.

This is because Tommy Nelson’s real gift is speaking, and not necessarily writing.  It’s not that his writing is bad, it just doesn’t have the same punch as listening to the man. This book is a very good read, but at many times it seems he’s preaching to the choir.  The chapters are set up to where he’ll tell some amusing stories and anecdotes, quote a lot of scripture, and then end each chapter with a summary, a prayer, and questions for review.  It's almost as if he's gearing these books towards a small group Bible study instead of an individual reader.

This book was very refreshing, though, in its content in that it challenges what our modern, secular, business driven world refers to when defining “success”.  It always bothers me when people seem to equate “success” with how much money one makes, their prestigious job title, or how many goals they have accomplished at their workplace.  God has a very different definition of success, and Nelson does a great job relaying twelve essential steps in this book.  Like Nelson’s books (and also, more importantly, his series of sermons), I’ve always believed that one doesn’t have to be a Christian to heed these teachings in order to benefit.  An Atheist can put into practice many of these lessons and still find themselves much happier than climbing some asinine corporate ladder.

As mentioned, even though the book has a very strong relevant message, it can suffer a bit from Nelson’s writing.  For example, his East Texas slang shows many times when he writes things such as “Bunch of folks”. He also mistakenly refers to baseball great Kirk Gibson as “Curt Gibson”, and his humor might not necessarily translate as well in the written word as when he’s speaking.  One should know, for example, when he’s taking pot shots against West Texas, specifically the city of Lubbock, he’s not really serious.  It’s all in jest, and the reader should not be offended.

Then, of course, one not familiar with Tommy Nelson should know that he is, by far, one of the most dogmatically devout when it comes to his interpretation of scripture, and how a Christian should live their life.  His ideas can come across as unintentionally malodorous at times.  My biggest problem is when he’s defining a wife’s role in a marriage.  According to Nelson, a wife belongs at home.  If she absolutely feels like she has to work, it should be to “support” her husband and just bring in a little extra income on the side.  So my impression was that if a married woman wants to pursue an ambitious career such as a doctor, a lawyer, or a CEO, then she’s out of luck because her duty should be primarily her home.  It sounds like Mr. Nelson has never heard (or doesn't approve) of the idea of a “house husband".  He defends this reasoning by stating that, while some would call these views “old fashioned”, that’s o.k. because the Bible is an “old” book.  Well, perhaps. But if you want to attract new people to the faith, these tactics simply won’t work.  There’s other times when his obduracy shows as well such as when he hints at teenage delinquency just because a high school student may have piercings and/or tattoos.

Still, though, overall the book accomplishes its objectives.  It’s very clear, concise and meaningful.  The fact that his sermons are mostly available online, I would initially point the curious towards those, however, as opposed to one of his books.