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The Joseph Road: Choices That Determine Your Destiny

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"This is the crux of The Joseph Road," writes Jerry White in this wonderful new book. "Not knowing one thing about the future, Joseph simply did good in whatever tasks or opportunities came his way."

Some books you must read quickly--vainly searching for the good stuff. Other books you savor slowly and chew on the morsels and insightful questions. This is a chewable book. It's devotional. It's thought-probing. And amazingly, it's also a page-turner. How could that be? After all, many of us have known the story of the Old Testament's Joseph since childhood.

White weaves the reader in and out of Joseph's journey from favorite son...to hated brother...to forgotten slave...to Potiphar's senior VP...and then to prison. Yet even behind bars, "he ended up managing the whole operation," says Genesis 39:22 in The Message. I must confess, I've never used any leadership and management principles from the life of Joseph--but his faithfulness, endurance, and integrity ooze with dozens of insights for future staff meetings.

As the president emeritus of The Navigators, you would expect Jerry's book to have meat. But he also adds a friendly dose of personal stories (including a tragic family event) as he notes his faith-walk through the Air Force, NASA, teaching at the Air Force Academy, serving as a major general in the Air Force Reserve and then giving leadership to The Navigators. There's joy--but there's also plenty of tough CEO choices and sadness.

White's bullet point summary of Joseph's life is fascinating and so he convinced me to "bullet point" my major life events--to see what I could learn from those forks-in-the-Joseph Road. Jerry illustrated how to do this exercise with bullet points of his own life.

I won't spoil the ending of this epic biblical account for you. You may think you already know the story. Think again. This is the PERFECT book to give to your staff or department prior to a team day or staff retreat. I just hope Jerry is working on another Old Testament hero for his next book.

"The Joseph Road" is a good, basic Christian Living book. It's an easy read and understand. It had basic (but good) insights for those whose lives aren't working out as expected but who want to walk in a God-honoring way through it all.

The author looked to Scripture as our guide (specifically at the account of Joseph found in Genesis, but he also quoted other parts of the Bible). He used Scripture, some Bible background information, and reasonable supposition of what Joseph went through emotionally to describe what Joseph went through and how he reacted. He then showed how to apply what we learned to our lives today.

I was initially concerned that there seemed to be a slant toward "people can do what's right if they decide they want to," yet most people I know struggle to consistently do so. I was happy that later parts of the book pointed out that we need God at work in our lives in order to be consistent in our walk with Him.

Overall, I'd recommend this as a basic book with good guidance about how to act when people act unfairly toward you, when people betray you, and when things just don't work out as expected.


Reviewed by Debbie from ChristFocus Book Club

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Before I began reading The Joseph Road, I didn't know anything about Jerry White. But by the time that I finished his book, he had earned my respect and admiration. He's the type of man that I want to spend time with and learn from. And his is a book that I'm glad I read. White's book is something like an expository sermon through the life of Joseph. From his coat of many colors to his request to have his bones carried out of Egypt, no detail is left untouched.

Each chapter begins with a Scriptural account of Joseph. Then the author explains and illustrates the lesson with stories from his own life. And every chapter concludes with application and helpful "Questions for Reflection."

So what is the Joseph Road? Basically, it's making the best of your situation--working hard and being faithful wherever you're at. "Not knowing one thing about the future, Joseph simply did good in whatever tasks or opportunities came his way."

White stresses the importance of hard work, faithfulness, perseverance, obedience, and trust throughout The Joseph Road.

At first I suspected that this was another "be faithful and God will bless you" book. And in a sense, it is. But it's not, be faithful and God will make you powerful. Or, be faithful and God will keep you healthy. Or, be faithful and God will give you a new BMW. Instead, it's be faithful knowing that your faithfulness may lead to persecution. Be faithful knowing that people may hate you for it. Be faithful knowing that it may keep you from worldly advancement. Be faithful, and you'll be blessed with the peace that comes from knowing that you've been faithful. Be faithful, and you'll be blessed by being a blessing to others.

White tells readers to consider adversity and tragedy as opportunities. We should remember that God brought about good through Joseph's being sold into slavery. Though we may not see it, we must trust that God has a purpose for whatever we're going through, too.

This isn't empty talk for White, whose son was murdered in 1990. Even in that tragedy, White sees God's sovereignty and goodness. "I searched desperately for God's plan when our son was murdered. Reflecting later, I wrote these words: 'There is more to life than being alive. There is an eternal life with God that supersedes all the goals of humanity.' Now I see some of God's purposes--certainly not all, but some."

What were these purposes? Did they have to do with temporal blessings? No. "He [God] crushed my pride and ego. He sent me back to the basics of my beliefs about God. He drove me to the Scriptures. He opened doors to other peoples' lives in a profound way. He put my achievements where they belonged: in the trash bin."

In another place, White writes: "If our hope is temporal--based on happiness, success, security, and material possessions--it won't last. Many of us will spend our last days in a small room with the remnants of everything we've accumulated in life stored in boxes, given to Goodwill, or distributed to our children."

The Joseph Road is about leadership--godly, heavenly minded leadership. The kind of leadership exhibited by Joseph, and later, by Jesus. And leadership that is not motivated by a desire for gain, but by a desire to do what is right, to serve others, and to please God.

I particularly appreciate White's emphasis on hard work. Whatever our vocation, whether a dream job or drudgery, we should do our best. Joseph is the perfect example: "A resignation to his fate pushed him forward. He simply decided to work hard and be a loyal slave...Joseph's only responsibility was to do well in what he was assigned."

Only one little thing in the book bothered me. In the front of the book we find the disclaimer that all Scripture quotations are from the NIV "unless otherwise identified." Other quotes come from the NASB, The Message, The Living Bible, and the NKJV. But several passages did not come from the NIV, nor were their sources identified (page 173-174). Not even in the notes. And a few passages were paraphrased so loosely that I didn't recognize them. I had to turn to the back to verify that they were Scripture quotations (the book, chapter, and verse are given in the notes). But they do get the point across, at least. I just wanted to know where they were from.

I recommend this book. It is clear and well-written. It is enjoyable to read. (I was going to read the introduction one evening, but then read the first 50 pages.) It is full of warmth; Dr. White is someone we want to spend time with. It is encouraging. It is inspiring. And it points us to God and to Christ.

I received a review copy of this book from NavPress.

As I grow older, I appreciate the story of Joseph more and more. Joseph endured all kinds of injustice and hardship. Just when things couldn't seem to get worse, they did get worse. Year after year he suffered - with no end in sight. Through it all, Joseph was a model of character and trust. He continued to do the right thing - even when it would have been easier to turn his back on the God who already seemed to have turned His back on Joseph. The story of Joseph is one of the most remarkable and redemptive stories I have ever heard.

White does a great job drawing out aspects of the narrative I had never really considered and takes the reader through the story of Joseph in a way that is new, eye-opening and immensely applicable. I found the book equally challenging and comforting. I found it challenging because I clearly see times when I have not trusted God like Joseph. Meanwhile, I am reminded that God has a plan. No matter how confusing, painful, and unpredictable, God has a plan.

This is an excellent book for those struggling to see God's goodness and questioning His lead. My only criticism is that I wasn't always sold on what White inferred where the text wasn't clear. For example, I had different thoughts as to what Joseph was going through during the times he wept. In one instance, White took it as a sign that Joseph had forgiven his brothers. I took it as a release of all the painful emotions that Joseph had been living with for so long. Also, White believes that Potipher likely knew that his wife was lying about the attempted rape, because Joseph probably would have been executed otherwise. I am not sure that I buy this because Potiphar "burned with anger" upon hearing the allegations (Genesis 39:19).

This book was better than I expected. It is worth reading - even if you are intimately acquainted with the story of Joseph.

(I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher.)

Excellent teaching into how our life choices affect our destinity. Insightful and thought provoking!