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A review by matthewwester
The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life by Rick Warren, Mark Hyman, Daniel G. Amen
4.0
If you're looking for a book that will help you overhaul your eating and fitness habits, then this is the book. I read it to simply assess whether my church should go through it as a small group series (and wasn't planning on starting The Daniel Plan soon), yet as I read I felt so encouraged, and the advice was so practical and sensible, that I've already started making changes to my weekly routine.
The best sections of the book were the first chapter (where Rick Warren lays out a solid argument for how and why God cares about what you do with your body), the second chapter (where you're taught how to overhaul your diet), and the final section of the book that contains the actual daily map of Daniel Plan goals.
But here's where I'm torn: is this the best series for a church that is not particularly struggling with physical health issues? There are only so many weeks in the year and only so many small group series we can choose. The first chapter had a solid biblical foundation but after that, I felt as if the biblical content was mostly a sidebar.
For example, in one section there is mention of prayer. Great! Except, the book takes the opportunity to merely talk about the biochemical benefits of prayer. The food chapter is wonderfully practical but seldom connects back to biblical content. It would have been great if the content of the first chapter was brought back and connected through the other chapters. Also, it's a tiny gripe but if you live in a small town in the Midwest, you'll have an extremely difficult time finding items on the Daniel Plan grocery list.
I would recommend this book to anyone who desires to get healthier. But hmm, again, not sure if I'd recommend it to every church who is looking for a small group curriculum; that would have to depend on the season that the congregation is in.
The best sections of the book were the first chapter (where Rick Warren lays out a solid argument for how and why God cares about what you do with your body), the second chapter (where you're taught how to overhaul your diet), and the final section of the book that contains the actual daily map of Daniel Plan goals.
But here's where I'm torn: is this the best series for a church that is not particularly struggling with physical health issues? There are only so many weeks in the year and only so many small group series we can choose. The first chapter had a solid biblical foundation but after that, I felt as if the biblical content was mostly a sidebar.
For example, in one section there is mention of prayer. Great! Except, the book takes the opportunity to merely talk about the biochemical benefits of prayer. The food chapter is wonderfully practical but seldom connects back to biblical content. It would have been great if the content of the first chapter was brought back and connected through the other chapters. Also, it's a tiny gripe but if you live in a small town in the Midwest, you'll have an extremely difficult time finding items on the Daniel Plan grocery list.
I would recommend this book to anyone who desires to get healthier. But hmm, again, not sure if I'd recommend it to every church who is looking for a small group curriculum; that would have to depend on the season that the congregation is in.