Roland C. Warren is the former head of the National Fatherhood Initiative, which makes his insight into fatherhood important to read. This book is meant to be devotional level, but provides some very clear teachings for those who are dads and claim to be followers of God. The book shares the stories of certain men from Scripture–some of whom are heroes of faith and others who are not–who all had great weaknesses in the area of being a dad. From David’s household in the palace to Lot’s movement toward Sodom, eight different Biblical narratives are used as the basis for the chapters. I like the idea behind this book, but…

In the introduction of this book, John Piper writes of the importance of short writings; specifically, of paragraphs. This little volume, then, gives the reader a collection of 50 such writings from Piper. Depending on the reader, you may find it either helpful or confusing that these 50 essays are not on any one particular topic. Piper simply wrote about various topics and collected them into this little book. Personally, I liked that, but you may find it confusing. Each of the 50 essays can be read in about 5 minutes (some in much less time), but all are well-organized. That is not to say that you will agree with…

Today, the first volume of Hymns of the Heart is being released by Start2Finish books. We are thrilled about this project, and are looking forward to finishing and releasing the remaining 6 volumes throughout the remainder of 2014 (volume 2 is almost done, by the way). When all is said and done, there should be 7 eBooks, containing a total of 35 essays on the Psalms. Since the first eBook is being released today, I thought I would share the “working” introduction for the paperback version that will follow when all 7 volumes are completed. I’m sure there will be tons of edits before we reach the final version of this introduction in…

I love the Psalms. The longer I live and the more experiences I have, I am drawn more and more to this treasure chest of the Old Testament. On Sunday nights this year, I am preaching from the psalms. The difficulty is choosing which ones to leave out, since each one is a blessing. And today, I am honored to share with you our upcoming book, Hymns of the Heart: Discovering God in the Psalms. Utilizing much of my sermon material, we are sharing essays on 35 of the psalms in a text that is meant to bring you closer not just to the book of Psalms, but to the God…

Stephen Mansfield’s book that describes itself a “an utterly invigorating guide to being your most masculine self” was a book I looked so forward to reading. At first, I was very thrilled by what the pages contained. Mansfield begins with his “Four Manly Maxims” that are important for men to hold. I agree with them wholeheartedly, and he illustrates his four points very well. For the remainder of the text of the book–which is the bulk of the material–Mansfield then shares many traits that men need to have in their lives. Traits such as humility, humor, presence and many others fill the pages. Each chapter, then, uses a historical figure…

Jerry Parr is considered to be the man who saved the life of President Ronald Reagan when the President was shot early in his time in Washington. This book is simply the autobiography of Parr. The book reads simply enough, as Parr walks the reader through the major crossroads and events of his life, from childhood through a quite interesting life in the Secret Service. Parr helped protect leaders from both political parties, and also became acquainted with a few world leaders, so he has some interesting tales to tell. Of course, there is some obvious restraint in the stories, which the reader will have to understand is necessary, but…

It may come as a surprise, coming from someone who writes thousands of words every week, but I used to despise writing. Maybe it was because the writing was always in “assignment” form, and I didn’t get to select the themes or topics often, but I just didn’t enjoy it. Now, though, all that is different. I think blogging has really set this part of my life free. While I do not consider myself a true author (I like to refer to this part of my life as being a “materialer;” someone who makes material), I love the process. For a natural introvert, blogging and writing are a perfect way…

I am constantly on the lookout for good material for guys. Part of it is that I want to make my mentoring program as good and practical as possible. Frankly, though, the major reason is that I want to improve as a real man of God. Patrick Morley’s book How God Makes Men walks the reader through 10 well-known lives from Scripture and shows how these men were not perfect, but God used them in powerful ways. From Abraham to David, from Solomon to Paul, from Gideon to Job, the lives are ones you might expect, but the lessons drawn are still powerful. One negative I found in this book…