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Necessary Evil

by Jessica Cohen

August 11, 2012

@jessaco

I think that each of us has spent time struggling to understand why bad things happen or why we have to struggle through difficult things. When I saw a book with a subtitle of "How the Battle You Face is Your Best Opportunity" I thought this was a good chance to get someone else's perspective on the meaning of struggles in my life and in the lives of my friends.

Ron Carpenter, Jr. is pastor in Greenville, SC. He shares personal stories of his struggles and triumphs, both personally and with his church community, to show how God uses enemies in our lives in order to gain God's perspective on the situation. There is plenty of scripture throughout the book to support explain what an enemy is, why an enemy is important and how God uses the enemy in our lives. Ultimately, Carpenter points to God using enemies in our lives to change who we are and what we become.

While I think that Carpenter makes some good points and definitely gave me things to consider, I found myself frustrated far too often by what seemed to be constant self promotion. I think there is a fine line between sharing your stories in order to help others and glorifying yourself and your accomplishments. I think he was well intentioned but it was difficult to read at times. Overall, there were some good thoughts and things to consider, but like with any other book you really need to find the truth for yourself.