In the
early chapter, Dr.Howard talked about the classic sequential approach where
people make a list: God, Family, Church, Work, Witness, and Self… which, according
to Dr.Howard, was hard to live by as it might be confusing and complex. After
all, how much time should one put in every item in the list or what approach
should one use towards each priority in the list? He dedicated a chapter to
argue on this priorities sequential approach.
He also
mentioned the approach, JOY – Jesus, others, you.
In this
book, Dr.Howard introduced an approach put in this diagram.
This diagram
was designed to show these... God is the top priority; He is the central of my
life. Then, since God is significant in my life and God’s truth is to relate to
every aspect of a person I am, hence, I am important. Then come the other
relationships/responsibilities; World, Family, Work, Government and Church. One
cannot rid these responsibilities in this lifetime; one can neglect though, but
not get rid of them (and personally, I guess the responsibility might slightly change
for the people of different faith). According to Dr.Howard, these
responsibilities coexist as simultaneous responsibilities instead of sequential
priorities. He discussed in details every aspect in the diagram and shared some
biblical perspective on how to deal with every priority in the book.
It's a good read! :)
