Men of Courage

I have recently finished reading three books on being a Godly man/father.  All three talked about what we are called to do as men/fathers using God's word.  I have felt really challenged to step up what I have been doing as a husband and father as a result of reading these books.  As most of you know, I didn't have the best role model growing up. Thankfully, God has put some great Godly men in my life like my father-in-law to use as examples.  I am looking forward to continuing to grow in my faith and continuing to seek God as I strive to be the man/husband/father I have been called to be.

The first book I finished was The Resolution for Men by Kendrick/Alcorn. This book calls on men to be men of courage and is based on the resolution from the movie Courageous.  It outlined each part of the resolution and talked about the struggles we have as men as well as giving us Biblical truths to help strengthen our resolve in each area.  I loved how each chapter ended with a "Courageous Challenge" that helped me purposefully put what I was reading into action in my life.  Each chapter also ends with a "Memory Verse" that ties into the Biblical principles of the chapter.  Overall, this is a great handbook/resource that I would recommend for men who want to be the man God has called them to be for their families.  I borrowed a copy from a friend, but plan on buying my own copy to use as a resource for years to come.

The second book I read on vacation was Man Alive: Transforming Your 7 Primal Needs Into a Powerful Spiritual Life by Patrick Morley. This book was a very quick read and would be great to use with a small group of men.  There are wonderful reflection and discussion questions at the end of each chapter that I wish I would have had the opportunity to talk to someone about while reading this book. Morley talks about each primal need and ties in stories to make reading and learning what God calls us to do really easy.  This book helps lay some foundation for being a better father and husband.  One of the chapters of the book was called "Breaking the Cycle" which really hit me.  In the past, I continued some of the behaviors that I witnessed as a child and realized that with God's help I have/will be able to break a cycle of destruction to give my family and future generations a stronger foundation.

The last book I am going to talk about in this post is Raising A Modern-Day Knight: A Father's Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood by Robert Lewis.  Like the title suggests, this book is directed towards fathers of boys.  While I did get a lot out of the book and some great ideas for the future, this book will even be more helpful for me to read again when William is between 10-12.  While the main principles of the book can be applied today, some of the suggestions like the ceremonies will take place in the future.  I would highly recommend this book to dads with sons approaching middle school age.  I have already put a calendar reminder in my iCal to read this book again in a few years.

I have posted some affiliate links below if you want to purchase any of the books I talked about.  Please pray for men and fathers around the world who are trying to be Godly men and pray for those boys who do not currently have a Godly man in their life to be a good example to them.  It is my prayer that God will work within me and other men to stand up and make a difference in our families and communities.