LDS Books: Challenges and Choices: Discovering the Proper Use of Agency

May you live in interesting times, the saying says. And so we do. But with interesting times come interesting - and sometimes excruciating - challenges. We chose to accept this path on earth even though we knew there would be challenges, temptations, and heartbreak. We decided it was worth it. We fought a war in heaven to obtain the experience of having a body and using our agency, the most powerful tool we wield against Satan. In Challenges and Choices, Alan Mangum gives six keys to understanding and using our agency in both the times the sun shines on our lives and the times the storm clouds gather above us.

Using elements taken from the realms of drug rehab, Alcoholics Anonymous, professional sports training, psychology, neuroscience, and, of course, LDS doctrine, Alan Mangum makes a compelling case for each of us to accept the challenges and choices of this life. We have been given agency, and we have a responsibility to use it!

Reviews-

There are choices placed before us on a regular basis. In dealing with choices and situations, it is often easy to slip into a simplistic form of thinking. The "Victim" versus the "Aggressor" is a common way of thinking and dealing with uncomfortable situations. After all, there are some things I have no control over, but it would be really nice if I did.

Alan Mangum reiterates that every man has Agency, the ability to act for one's own self. However, that Agency it is not free. Mangum uses examples from his own life to illustrate that for every choice we make there is a consequence to be paid, and for every action taken there is an opposite and equal reaction. When life is throwing muck at you, there is not a lot one can do, other than hold on and keep praying for help.

Mangum details six principles in this book that flow as easy as a comfortable conversation. Like any great conversation, this is not a book that can be picked up half way through and have it be comfortable. This is a start to finish kind of book. The six principles discussed are:

Behold, Here is the Agency of man.
This Life is a Test
As He thinketh in his heart, so he is
Tuning the Receiver - little things that make a big difference
Parenting - using the Lord as a Role Model and
Be still and know that I am God.

These principles are built on one another and lead the reader from one idea to the next, with no abrupt changes in topic or flow.

This is a wonderful book that can give greater insight into the nature of Agency and its effects on daily life. Challenges come to everyone I know, leaving everyone with choices to make. I HIGHLY recommended this book, especially for those who are struggling with choices made by children or parents that are having lingering effects in their own life.

--Karen Hamilton