So, tell me what you really think …

Having read a few thousand books, you might say I like to read.

I also review a lot of books, more than 100 of which are posted on this blog.

But it’s not often anymore that I have friends or close acquaintances ask me to review or edit a manuscript for them.

When someone I know asks me to review or edit something they’ve written, I first offer a warning. My reviews or editing projects are completely independent efforts. I do not write reviews to help publishers — or writers — sell books or articles. My reviews are written as honest assessments provided for my readers rather than a promotion for a writer or publishing house. That’s why a lot of people check out my reviews, they know they will get an independent opinion.

That’s also why people who know me don’t often ask for my review. Friends might say they want an independent opinion, but what they often really want is an unconditional endorsement.

I recently edited a manuscript for a Christian psychologist I know. He was excited about his finished project and was already putting the wheels in motion for self-publishing his work. He asked me to edit his writing, I provided my warning, and after his assurances that he wanted me to honestly edit his work, I finally accepted his request.

When the manuscript sat drowning in red ink, I placed a call to my friend to tell him we needed to talk about my review.

I never heard back from him.

It wasn’t an honest edit he wanted, it was a blind endorsement he was fishing for.

It’s a trendy thing in today’s church to talk about having someone “speak truth into your life,” but there are few who really want that kind of friend. The Apostle Paul described such people like this:

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths,” 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Are you looking for someone who will speak the truth to you, or someone who will tell you what you want to hear?

Scotty