The Noticer

From the back cover:
Poverty.  A failing marriage. Old age. Lost dreams.  A failing business.  An unsure future.  To the residents of Orange Beach, Alabama, these desperations are dead ends.  Hopeless, barren places with no chance of change.

But to an old drifter named Jones with a gift for seeing what others miss, there is no such thing as a dead end.  It only takes a little 'perspective', he says, to recognize the miracles in our moments, the seeds of greatness tucked into our struggles.

As Jones mysteriously makes his way through this coastal town and into the searching hearts of its residents, he offers simple wisdom and sound hope.

"My contention is that you are right where you are suppose to be.  This may look like barren sand to you, but nothing could be further from the truth.  I say to you that as you lay your head down tonight, you are sleeping on fertile ground.  Think, learn, pray, plan, dream.  For soon .... you will become."

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This was my first book by Andy Andrews.  I wasn't even sure where to find it in the bookstore.  Christian? Fiction? Turns out, it was in the Self-help section.  I had no clue why when I first picked it up.

Now I know. 

I really enjoyed this book.  'Jones' finds Andy living under a bridge in Alabama.  Jones tells Andy in order to get help, he simply needs 'perspective' - essentially opening the door for what everyone struggling in his/her circumstances needs.

Perspective.

How you look at things.  How you look at your circumstances.

The Noticer takes you on a journey through Andy's life as he learns ways Jones has encouraged others - causing them to see the good in their situations, instead of giving up and calling it quits.

My favorite quotes in the book are ....

Talking to Andy (living under a bridge) ... "If you focus on the things you need, you'll find those needs increasing.  If you concentrate your thoughts on what you don't have, you will soon be concentrating on other things that you had forgotten you don't have - and feel worse! If you set your mind on loss, you are more likely to lose ... But, a grateful perspective brings happiness and abundance into a person's life."

While standing in church during a prayer session ... "I'd like us to pray for some smiling faces in this church .... I think more people would want to go to heaven, if they weren't afraid it'd be like church when they got there".

"Seeds of depression cannot take root in a grateful heart."

Talking to a man going through a divorce - admitting he has chased the American dream and rarely sees his family .... "I just think it's amazing that a person could lose everything, chasing nothing."

Explaining about five seagulls sitting on a dock.  One of them decides to fly away, so how many are left? A person would typically answer 'four'.  Jones replies, "No, there are still five.  Deciding to fly away and actually flying away are two different things.  Despite popular belief to the contrary, there is absolutely no power in intention."

There is something for everyone in this book.  You'll recognize many things you already know or have read (i.e. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman), but it gives reminders of what we should always put into practice - putting our lives in perspective, which will always allow us to remember things could be worse.  Also, that 'where' we are is a good place to be.  God can use that.



My Rating:  4 Bookmarks