Customer Reviews

Every Day a Friday: How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I am sure that this book will have a few critics. For one, it's message is pretty much the same as the message in Osteen's previous three books. As always, Osteen preaches that God loves us and wants us to be happy and prosper. We should choose to be happy by living in expectation and not allowing the difficulties and obstacles that we face to prevent us from receiving God's favor. If you have read Osteen's other books and don't want to hear it again then this book is not for you. But personally, I think it's a great message that I can never seem to get enough of.

In this book the idea that happiness is a choice is given a particularly strong emphasis. Osteen explains that Friday is the day of the week on which people are happiest because they are looking forward to the weekend with expectation. Osteen believes that if we accept every day of the week as a gift from God we can live with similar happiness and expectation every single day of the week. This book is divided into seven sections. They cover topics such as: not giving away your power, knowing what to ignore, being a dream releaser in others and celebrating yourself. In all of these chapters, Osteen lays out a generous expansive vision of faith that argues very persuasively that by changing our outlook and helping others we can greater enjoy the fruits of God's blessings. The book is a pleasure to read. It can be easily understood by readers of all ages and levels and yet its message will still appeal to highly educated people.

Many evangelicals complain that Osteen is not truly a Christian. He is quite different from what you hear in many churches. There is a lot less talk about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins and the need for repentance then you would hear in a typical Sunday sermon. Nevertheless, I don't think that his message is truly incompatible with Christianity. He simply chooses to emphasize different parts of the bible (which he almost always uses to support what he is saying). I've never had a problem with this. I also believe that his message is more pure and compassionate than the simple "name it and claim it" theology that he has been accused of.

For me the appeal of Osteen is that regardless of how repetitive he is, how many times he tells the same or similar stories and how skeptical others might be of his motives, reading his books always make me feel a little more optimistic and a little more confident. How many other books can do that? For me, this alone makes the book worthy of a 5 star rating.

In Every Day A Friday, Joel Osteen has seen that most people become happy and joyful on Fridays. But throughout the week we are counting down the days to happiness on Friday. The book is based off a study that has found that happiness increased 10 percent more on Fridays. We tend to be waiting to be happy for the weekend and we are missing out on the rest of the days of the week. We are supposed to enjoy our lives every single day. A significant key we must realize is we don't have to give away our power to the economy, rude bosses or customers, traffic, and any other circumstances that are beyond our control. We must change our perceptive and focus on the positive and not dwell on the negative. A kind encouraging word can break down the wall barriers around our heart. Osteen believes in reaching out to the hurting and loving them into they are whole again! A kind word can heal souls!

The book is divided into seven important parts:
-Don't Give Away Your Power
-Know What to Ignore
-Live Without Crutches
-Travel Light
-Laugh Often
-Be a Dream Releaser
-Celebrate Yourself

My favorite stories that changed my life were the story about trying to drive a SUV at the Indianapolis race track. You have to run the race the way God created you to be! The second story that spoke to me was a kid named Joey that was trying to copy everyone else and all he had to be was stop and be himself. I won't post the stories because they are so good you need to read them for yourself. They will help you realize that God loves you just the way you are. He chose you!

One of my favorite quotes is:
"Our churches should not be museums to display perfect people. They should be hospitals to help the hurting and the lonely" (186).

I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults who aren't enjoying every day that God has blessed them with. Each day is a brand new day and has a gift just wanting to be treasured and enjoyed from our Creator. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is lacking Faith in tough times and is failing in the battlefield for their minds. Joel Osteen has shown me that I have to have Faith and speak out positive words to encourage me when no one else is around to. I must speak truth into other people's lives in order that they will be built up. We spend way too much time tearing others down. We have the power to help others achieve their God given dreams. But we can also choose to break their dreams! It comes down to a choice and a decision. Osteen has taught me to unpack my baggage from my past and let the hurts and offenses go once and for all! It will only keep me from living my destiny and becoming everything I could be! The mind is where we must win the battle in order to succeed in our lives. I will become a positive person! I have God's favor over my life! I can enjoy every single day! The Lord loves me! I am wonderfully made!

Joel Osteen has written the most life changing book that everyone needs to get and read again and again. I want to get the words of truth into my mind where they will come out my mouth. The principles he is teaching readers in this book will assist you into becoming everything God has created you to be. I feel much happier after reading this book. I am even starting to speak about God's favor more boldly and openly. God can help me accomplish every dream that is in my heart and he will receive the glory. I am making a decision to not give away my power to my problems God is way bigger than them! Joel Osteen has spoken the words of encouragement that I needed to hear to keep believing and to keep the Faith! My mind might be the toxic battlefield but God has the solution to help me to think more positively. If you need encouragement and need help to become happier you need to immensely read this book. But make sure you take the words inside your heart and take action to speaking God's truth.

I will treasure each day from now on and enjoy the gift I have been given. Every day is meant to be celebrated like its Friday! It is so imperative that we live each day trying to be a blessing to someone else. We have the influence with God's help to touch someone else and speak the words of truth into them.

"I received this book free from Hachette Book Group/Faith Works."

Whatever battles rage around Joel Osteen, one thing is clear: He is a tireless optimist. His message is a completely positive one, at variance from the gloom and doom, fire and brimstone preachers who make their flock feel like they are just one misstep from eternal damnation. Orthodox Christians don't like Osteen. But I like him, and I'm not even sure I believe there is a god out there. I like his love of people, his message that we make choices in this life, and we can live remarkable lives if we just choose to and have faith in ourselves. I like his simple message that God (or whatever) favors us, loves us, and wants the best for us. God is in control, not us. Let go and let God! This is a message of liberation and love. It's a message about the power of positive thinking. To my way of understanding, it's Jesus's message. I'll take it! Yes, this new book is a distillation of all his shows and his other books, but judging from the state of politics and society these days, his message seems to bear repeating and repeating and repeating until people actually hear it! So I'm reading this book right now and I'm loving it! It's not about Joel or Victoria for me: It's about the good news! It's about being at peace and letting go. It's a great message, heard down the ages, from all four corners of the earth: from the Dalai Lama to the Buddha. Thank you, Joel, for being today's messenger!

There are similarities to his other books but it is not the same. I like how this book makes us look at others in life and not be so judgemental. We need to look at others through clean glasses. The way a baby would. A baby has no influence on how it looks at people. We have all the experiences in life to control us when we see others. This book has brought me back to the kind person I used to be. I had let what other people did to me make me bitter. Now I am better. Thank you God for Joel. He deserves a nice home and a nice car. How does another poster know what he gives to charity? why not let this book make you a better person? Why would we want to stay angry, bitter and poisoned?
I think everyone needs to read this book.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! I watch Joel Osteen on TV on occasion and am used a more bible based, verse by vers approach to scripture. I purchased this CD set with the thought of giving Pastor Joel a real chance, a real good listen. I was not disappointed. I have about 5 people I plan to purchase this CD set for. . .there is so much to it, so much that hits home and applies to what we face each day. You will find yourself inspired, blessed and renewed into a new perspective. Re-energized to move ahead with a brighter attitude and less critical spirit. If you need something to remind you of all the good in life, to "clean your window" to a clearer viewpoint, purchase this set!

This a wonderful book, it brings a new prospective on life regardless of your religious believes. Joel Osteen is an inspirational, positive, motivational and gifted pastor, and I truly enjoy his teachings.

Everyday A Friday is chicken soup for the soul. It teaches you not to let life's everyday struggles get you down. It teaches you that you can still have joy on the inside even if times are tough. It is a very inspirational, uplifting book that any Christian would be happy to pick up. It makes you realize that our attitudes can often be a deciding factor in how issues impact us.

I absolutely loved this book. It is NOT preachy, yet it is very motivational and biblical in content, containing many scripture references and stories. Once I read a page or two I decided to use it for my daily/morning routine. I got so excited about the universal/biblical truth in it that every morning after my readings I would post something about it on my FaceBook status! I couldn't help talking about the wonderful life I have found. Joel Osteen just brings that out of the reader. I couldn't help but talk about it.

If you are looking for something uplifting/motivational, this is it! I could almost hear Joel's voice while I read his words. I could see his smile and imagine his bubbly personality. His message of positive thinking is infectious. The book is all about setting your mind on happiness and not letting negative people and feelings take over. It's about laughing through life, giving value to yourself, forgiveness, love, living as Christ intended, and is definintely Bible based. I HIGHLY recommend it!! 5 stars*****

(Thank you goes to Hachette Book Group for my review copy.)

"He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he." -- Proverbs 16:20 (NKJV)

Pastor Joel Osteen points out that a recent study showed that people are 10 percent happier on Fridays because they are looking forward to the weekend. He goes on to say, "I challenge you to let every day be a Friday. Give yourself permission to be happy every day."

While to some this book will seem to be just about positive thinking, that's misreading of the book's content. A more accurate reading is that God is for us and wants those who believe in and rely on Him to be of good cheer . . . regardless of their circumstances. If you aren't a Christian, Pastor Osteen wants you to realize the great benefits that follow from making that choice to accept the free gift of Salvation.

Most parents say, "I just want my children to be happy." Most parents don't say, "I want my children to repent their sins, and believe in and follow Jesus as Lord and Savior." If more parents did choose the latter, a lot more children would be happy.

The book is filled with Scripture and practical anecdotes about how a Christian life should be led.

If you regularly listen to or watch Pastor Osteen's messages, most of the content will be familiar. What's different is that the messages are more concentrated and longer in the book than at Lakewood. Because of this shift in style, I found the information penetrated deeper into my spirit than before . . . and I was blessed by that.

The book is arranged around these seven themes:

1. Don't Give Away Your Power
2. Know What to Ignore
3. Live Without Crutches
4. Travel Light
5. Laugh Often
6. Be a Dream Releaser (for Others)
7. Celebrate Yourself

I believe it would be hard not to feel happier after reading this encouraging, Bible-based book. Take a look!

Joel Osteen is a happy guy who's actually been criticized for smiling too much. In "Every Day a Friday", he shares what's behind that smile and why he is so positive. One of the first things he tells readers is that we choose whether or not to be happy. Feelings are not something done to us, rather it's something we choose to experience.

He understands we don't have control over everything that happens to us, however, he points out that we always have control over our reactions and how we respond. By not responding to the negative, we're freeing up energy to focus on the positive and the things that truly matter in our lives. Some of these ideas are very similar to the advice Joyce Meyer gives in "Battlefield of the Mind" and "Living beyond your feelings".)

Osteen wants his readers to not let their days become 'downers' because of other people. He encourages us to remember that we can't change people and not all of them will like us, so we have to be careful to not let their actions impact our happiness. If we view ourselves as children of God and focus on that, negative opinions of others will have less of an impact. We'll never please anyone, so we shouldn't use our energy trying!

Overall, he offers a lots of great tidbits in the book, which lead to heavy highlighting on my part! He references Colossians 3:2, which is about setting our minds on things "above" (meaning spiritual things). By doing this, we're simply not leaving space for the negative in our lives. To hold on to your happiness, remember that today is the only guarantee you have. Once it's gone, you won't get it back, so don't waste it on the negative.

Disclaimer: I received this book from free from the publisher.