MAN UP! -Book Review

MAN UP! BECOMING A GODLY MAN IN AN UNGODLY WORLD is a book I recently had the pleasure of reading. The book was written by author and speaker Jody Burkeen. The book starts out with a powerful testimony about the journey Jody had to go through to truly find God. It's a testimony of a man fighting false desires and continually going up against the strikes of the enemy. A testimony of truth and honesty. He fought many of the battles we men face each and everyday and he didn't sugar coat it. In Jody's own words he had to MAN UP and stop being a spiritual sissy!

The book is divided up into some powerful, faith packed chapters. He doesn't just point out the life of Christ, but he points out how we are to mold our life after Christ. This applies in so many areas and Jody nails them in this book. He doesn't stop there though. He takes each chapter and asks some hard and relevant questions. Questions that demand answers from every man! Here is a brief outline of the chapters.

TIME TO MAN UP PERSONALLY

MAN UP IN YOUR MARRIAGE

MAN UP IN YOUR FATHERHOOD

MAN UP IN YOUR CHURCH

MAN UP AT WORK

MAN UP AND BE ACCOUNTABLE

MAN UP AND BE A DISCIPLE

PUT UP OR SHUT UP

As you can see these chapters go right to the heart of the man. The core. He takes each chapter and gives you great examples and explains how to apply them to your life. The questions at the end are the cherries on top. They bring the entire chapter together and ultimately into your personal life. Don't let these questions go unanswered; don't skip them and move on. Take ten minutes, grab and pen and paper and have a heart check. Pray and see where you stand with God on the issues brought up in each chapter. As Jody would say, Stop being a Spiritual Sissy and Man Up! 

The book doesn't end at the last chapter though. Jody does something great and asks you for more. As men, we all want more; but we have to make sure we want the right things. Well 30 days beyond the book chapters is the "more" we need. Develop your personal testimony, read the scriptures, keep a journal and PRAY! Sounds easy enough, right? There is also an Accountability Covenant near the back of the book. You'll have to read Chapter 6 to learn more about that. This by the way is my second favorite chapter, next to MAN UP AND BE A DISCIPLE. 

I encourage everyone to check out this book. It's a short, easy read that is packed with some powerful life changing material. Read the first part of the book here for free and click the picture below to pick yourself up a copy. Now MAN UP!

'The Way of the Wild Heart' Book Review

God is a God of process. One of the best examples of His process is how a boy becomes a man. Author, John Eldredge explores this idea in the fantastic book titled 'The Way of the Wild Heart '. This book is a follow up to the best seller titled 'Wild at Heart '. John breaks down the masculine journey into six stages; boy, cowboy, warrior, lover, king and sage. Each step has is a new and crucial part to the development of a man. One of my favorite quotes comes from early in the book that says this, 'If you want a man, you must begin with the boy'. This statement is so simple, but so very true. The culture today seems to have a bunch of boys in men's bodies. Boys growing up without fathers, fathers that existed only in the physical aspect, and an overall culture that puts men in a lower position than they should be.

Let's take a closer look a the journey. A boy is full of energy and ready to explore. It is a time of true affirmation. It is also a time that he looks to his father and wonders if 'He has what it takes'. From there the boy becomes a cowboy. He has learned a thing or two about life now and takes his game to the next level. He learns to throw a curve ball, drive a car and catch the eye of a young woman. From there he takes on the stage of the warrior. This is when a man finally starts to see his purpose. He may get his college degree, join the military or find the woman of his dreams. He faces the battles of real life, learns discipline and some of the hardships and glories of life. In this time period he also finds the stage of the Lover. This is a time when the warrior is still fully alive, but under more control. He may put a ring on that beautiful woman's finger, he may find a good cause to support or he may take up reading or teaching. These two stages set up the man for one of the most important stages. This is the stage of the King. The time of being a King will be one of the most difficult and most gratifying stages of them all. This is the time of raising a family, coaching a sports team, being on the board at Church and being strong and humble during the process. The King will be tested and challenged thoroughly. And at the end of the stages we get to the Sage. This is not the time to give up on life, but rather a time to minister to the warriors, lovers and especially the Kings. To offer guidance, offer encouragement and remind them of his own path in life. To lead by experience.

This is a very short glimpse of the stages and what they look like. The book goes into great detail and would be a great read for any man or woman. I would highly recommend! You can also check out 'The Way of the Wild Heart' manual that goes along with the book!

What are some ways you have experienced the Masculine Journey?

'Love and War' Book Review

My wife and I have had the pleasure of reading and teaching from a wonderful marriage book titled 'Love and War'. The authors of the book are John and Stasi Eldredge. John is well known for his popular book titled 'Wild at Heart' and for his new book 'Beautiful Outlaw'.

'Love and War' is a very real and down to earth marriage book. The Eldredge's have been married for a long time and have had some hard times over the years. But through it all, they have come away with some great insight for all other marriages. They speak from experience and from the heart in this book.

Right away the book gets into the idea of Desire. In order to have a great marriage or re-gain control of our marriages, we have to have desire, desire to want the best for each other, a desire to always love each other and know that this marriage is for the long haul. The next chapters get into what they like to call the 'perfect storms', this more or less talks about opposites and how they attract. The opposite part in our spouse is a way that God uses the differences in your partner to make your marriage stronger and make you a better person. One of my favorite chapters is titled 'Sharing an Adventure'. It is so important for couples to not just be married partners, but friends. Get out once and awhile, go crazy and take some dancing classes (I think this is coming up on the schedule for us). Schedule a great vacation and be intentional about it. Take a walk once a week together and enjoy the wonderful nature that God has created. This is essential. The Eldredge's bring a very real portrait into the book when they talk about our marriage having an enemy, and it is not our spouse, seriously. Marriage is one of the unions that the Enemy is out to destroy. We see it all over our culture today and it seems to only be getting worse. If we can hear and talk to God, than we have to take the other monologue into play. The enemy will step in at the most opportune times and say definitives like "She is never going to change" or "He will always be like that". Definitives or agreements are marriage killers and we have to protect ourselves and our marriage from those type of words and thoughts.

On top of just having some great material in the book to read about, the Eldredge's have made a few items that go along with the book for small groups at Church or Home. My wife and I have actually facilitated a few group classes on the 'Love and War' material and have had a great response. Here are some easy links to some of the great tools that go along with this powerful book.

- 8 week DVD series  Watch a video each week in your group.

- Love and War Participant's Guide  Use this to stir some great conversation!

- Love and War Devotional for couples  This takes five minutes! It's a great tool for your marriage.

Overall, this is a fantastic book. I would highly recommend reading this book with your spouse. Take the initiative also to see if your Church has the 'Love and War' small group or facilitate a class by yourself or with your spouse!

 

Have you read? I would love to hear your thoughts! 

'Beautiful Outlaw'

Have you ever considered the personality of Jesus?

Author, John Eldredge, explores this wonderful idea in his new upcoming book titled

 'Beautiful Outlaw'. You might recognize John Eldredge from his popular men's
 book titled 'Wild at Heart'. 'Wild at Heart' started quite the buzz in world of men's ministry about 10 years ago. He has written several books since then that I have read and highly recommend. 

Eldredge said the following about his new book:

 "Reading the Gospels without knowing the personality of Jesus is like watching television with the sound turned off. The result is a dry, two dimensional person doing strange, undecipherable things".

"John Eldredge removes the religious varnish to help readers discover stunning new insights into the humanity of Jesus. He was accused of breaking the law, keeping bad company, heavy drinking. Of being the devil himself. He was so compelling and dangerous they had to kill him. But others loved him passionately. He had a sense of humor. His generosity was scandalous. His anger made enemies tremble. He'd say the most outrageous things. He was definitely not the Jesus of the stained glass". 

This book will help us understand Jesus in a new way and make our relationship with Him more powerful than ever before. Check it out!

A Resolution for Desire

It's time for resolution! A Resolution for Desire..

September has been a month of researching and discovering more about the word desire. What the word means to us, how to understand it, the pressure of it and its place in relationships. In so many parts of our lives, we can attach the word desire.

But I want to maintain a true desire in all parts of my life. I want to make a resolution to keep my desire in line with God’s plan. So what is a resolution or what does the word mean?

Resolution or Resolve:

- to find an answer to

- to make clear or understandable

- to reach a firm decision about

Psalm 37:4 gives a clear definition on how to find your true desire. How? We must “Delight ourselves in the Lord”. In going back to the definitions, I would say that this is a good answer on how to find desire. The last part of the verse makes things clearer or more understandable by saying “And He (God) will give you the desires of your heart”. So this one verse has helped me find the resolution to desire. And finally, I am able to make a firm decision about my resolution of desire, because God has clearly shown me.

We need to do better than just understanding the word desire; we need to make a resolution to live it out in our lives according to God’s word and design. It’s easy to talk about desire, once you have a better understanding, but we are called to live it out. What an opportunity! The false desires of this world can be so loud sometimes. The enemy knows our hearts and tempts us with things that are passing away. But God has revealed to us our true desires. It’s time to take a step of faith, a leap of courage, and get our desires in line!

Resolve to be a man of true and Godly desire.

Find more resolutions HERE.

Discover Desire

Continuing in the theme of Desire, from the book by John Elderidge. In the first discussion of our desires, we talked about 'False Desires'. This discussion is about taking desire to a new height, and discovering it on a deeper level.

Desire, at first, seems like a complicated idea. It is not a word commonly used anymore, and not really understood. But, we can only hope for what we desire. I know we all use the word hope. So how do we find out the deeper meaning of desire? How can we discover desire?

 I like to refer to one of my favorite verses, which is 'Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart' (Psalm 37:4). The first part of this verse can help us understand how we can discover desire. We must delight ourselves in the Lord or find pleasure in our time with the Lord. How do we find pleasure in the Lord? Well, I'll ask another question: How do we find pleasure in hiking, reading, sports or just things we enjoy? We try it; we open ourselves up and give one of these things a try. Once we try it, and like it, we can say we took pleasure in it. Because we have taken pleasure in it, we hope or desire to do it again. When we take a vacation, we are typically longing for that time to get away. We desire to be on vacation.

So now that we have discovered the meaning of desire in our everyday life, how do we translate that into our walk with God? Let's start first with Church. As men, we need to be the spiritual leader of our household. The decision to go to Church should start with you. If you have the desire to seek God, your family will follow in your direction. They will be led, just as you are being led by God. Be open to listening to the message at Church. Hear what the Pastor is saying, and really listen closely. Try to desire, long, and  know more about our Father. Become friends with the people of the Church. These people should also have a desire to delight in the Lord, which will help you maintain your desire. The more people you can wrap around you with a desire for God, the better chance you have at maintaining your desire.

How have you discovered desire in your life?

A Call to be Courageous

Have you heard of the new movie coming out called 'Courageous'? The movie will be coming out on September 30th to a theater near you.

This is not your typical Hollywood movie though. The movie is about four Police officers who are focused and confident when it comes to facing danger on the job. But when it comes to leading their families at home in a God-honoring way, they must find their true stength and true courage.

As I was walking around the bookstore yesterday, I also noticed there are some books to go along with the movie. The first book I found was titled 'The Resolution for Men'. I took this book, read the introduction and the first chapter. I had to hold myself back from trying to read it all in a day. The information just in the first few pages was intense and straight to the point. We need men to stand up and Be Courageous.
There is also a book for women titled 'The Resolution for Women'. My wife started reading the book last night and had the same reaction. Intense and to the point.

I would highly recommend planning to watch this movie at the end of this month. Also, check out the books if you can (my wife and I bought both books at 'LifeWay' last night ). Click the links, and SPREAD THE WORD!

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False Desires

I recently read an awesome book titled ‘Desire’, by author John Elderidge. The book is about the journey we must take to find our true desire. The next few blog posts are a small view inside the journey of desire from my perspective.

What would the average man say if you asked him what he desired? A few ideas might be sports, like football or golf. Maybe he would say ‘women’ and give you a full download of what he means and why. Maybe he would say success.  Maybe he would give you a blank look and wonder what in the world you were asking.

But, I wonder what the same man would say if you asked him ‘Are you happy?’ I imagine you would get a strange look, a rude comment or an obvious fake answer. If the word desire is in question, then the word happy has even less meaning.

The two of these questions go hand in hand with each other. The reason men are not happy, is because they are looking for desire in all the wrong places. Men spend their days at work hoping to rise in the food chain. Maybe working two jobs to try to get that “dream” house and affirmation. Men wrap themselves up in sports for weekends on end. Men go from woman to woman looking for that perfect one. They tell stories of their exterior beauty, and then say they got rid of her because she was crazy. These false desires or bad attempts at intimacy go round and round and round. The ‘desires’ are chased until they have lost their luster. Like young love, the initial tingle is gone and you move on to the next thing. The next “big” thing has the same results and you start to wonder about life and if there is even a purpose. Happiness becomes a lost word you hear once in a while from a stranger. The word itself is a stranger.

These false desire are merely addictions, and the Bible referes to them as 'adulterous'. They keep us from knowing our true desires. They keep us from knowing God.

So what are we to desire? How do we find it and make an attempt to understand it?

In the coming posts, we will discuss how to take Desire to the next level.

Please feel free to comment below and add your thoughts.

Marriage Conference Day #2

This morning was the second day of Dr. Gary Chapman's marriage conference at the West End Assembly of God, in Richmond, Va. Yesterday he talked about 'The Five Love Languages' and the 'Five Languages of Apology'.

Todays critical marriage information was based out of his book 'The Marriage You've Always Wanted'. The main topic of the book is focused toward communication in our marriage. Communication is a necessity for a great marriage! Since we know ourself better than anyone else, we have to communicate what we like and don't like to our spouse.

Communication has to be a two way street in a marriage. This means a few things. We must be able to talk comfortably with each other. We must be able to clearly express what we are trying to say. And we must listen when the other person is talking. Are you listening yet? :) Sometimes its even a great idea to express your thoughts and have the other person paraphrase those thoughts back to you. This way you know your getting the right message across. Assuming is never a good idea.

We also discussed the topic of sex. Sex was created by God, and He even said it was very good. Notice that all the other days were good, but the day that male and female were created were really good. The culture has really taken its toll on this topic, but the Bible is very clear on the specifics of sex. Overall marriages need to keep a positive attitude on sex and keep the lines of communication open in this area. This should be an incentive to read the paragraph on communication again. Still listening?

Finally, we need to realize that marriage is a ministry. As Christ came to serve, so we need to serve. And we need to serve our spouse. The conference and the book go into a lot more detail on these subjects and many more. The experience was great and I would recommend this conference or any other marriage conference to married couples. Love accepts many imperfections. Thoughts?

Check out more information on Dr. Gary Chapman and his ministries.
http://www.5lovelanguages.com/

'The True Measure of a Man'

I recently completed reading a book titled, 'The True Measure of a Man'. The author of the book is Richard E. Simmons III. I had found out about this book when reading reviews for a book titled 'Wild at Heart.' This is in fact another great read that I will review another time. This was a great book and is a must read for every man! Many of the recent posts on the 'Manturity' Facebook Page have been quotes from the book. The book explores the many issues that men go through in today's world. Chapters talk about a man's identity, a man's courage and a man's truth. How men compare themselves to other men and are never content with what they have or with their current status. If men are never happy with their current situation, then they will never be content. The book has many other books incorporated into it and there is a list of them all at the end. The book is only 132 pages, it is not overwhelming or huge. Do yourself a favor and take some time to read this book. If you have read it, leave a comment below or on the Facebook page. Thanks!


Other Reviews:

"This book is for every man of every faith or no faith at all. He'll learn why he doesn't have to live with the guilt, insecurity, and fear that most men experience but often pretend they don't." Fred Barnes

"This book provides answers to men's deepest questions and helps them understand what they are feeling as they go through the storms of life. He points us to a life of contentment that can only be found in the Lord. I believe every man should read this book." Pat Sullivan