2 Book Review - Fathered by God

Hey everybody, its been a while, but I'm back with another book review. This one comes just in time for Father's Day. It's not to late to rush out and pick up something special - if you have no ideas whatsoever, then I am here to help you out with this review.

Description:

New York Times best-selling author John Eldredge unveils the six stages men must complete to become who God designed them to be.

In this life-changing message from John Eldredge, readers discover a paradigm-shifting path to manhood. He unveils the six stages many men miss, stages they must complete in order to become the man God designed them to be. Inspiring, insightful, and challenging for men and the women in their lives, Fathered by God delivers the very thing men need, a way to forge companionship with God the Father while undergoing a transformation, releasing the fullness of life and the passion God designed them to live.

Review:

I picked up this book a while back when I was looking for Christian books on parenting. I'm not one who really likes to be told how to live his life or raise his children, so that eliminated 99% of the books out there. I stumbled upon this book simply because it had "fathered" in the title. I had read Wild at Heart by John Eldredge when I was in high school and it was one of the first books I read in my life that compelled me to truly be a Christian Man, so I thought I would give this one a go too.

The subtitle of this book is Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You. I am extremely blessed that I have had a Christian father that has directly shaped my life. Not all boys are this lucky. Eldredge hits at the heart of our modern society - the "Self-Made Man" - a false sense of security that we hold onto when no one in our life has gone before us and shown us the way. It comes from a very real sense of fear that we are alone in this world. While true that these men do show a great sense of determination, most are "driven" by the fear of abandonment they have felt in their lives. Eldredge states that the real discovery comes when we find ourselves in such a need that we ultimately realize the answer that has always been in front of us. Only our heavenly father can truly show us the way.

Realization of the truth is only part of the task. All men desire to be tested, and the Lord has created an initiation process that spans our whole life. This Masculine Journey is broken down into six phases - Boyhood, Cowboy, Warrior, Lover, King, and Sage. While these stages are somewhat chronological, it is not uncommon to experience them throughout life or even several of them at once. In Boyhood, we learn what it feels like to be safe in our father's arms - safe in the presence of a real man who can handle anything in the world - or the crushing reality of a rejection that becomes the defining point of an individuals life. As a Cowboy, we ask "Do I have what it takes" because men and boys alike learn by doing. Warriors learn that there are certain things in life worth fighting for. It's a difficult reality for the modern Christian who is to often labeled a pacifist. The Lover is not merely the stage a young man falls in love with a girl but the moment that the Lord moves him. He is awakened to notice the glory of God in all of his creation. The heart of a King is tested when mankind trusts him with power. Eldredge boldly claims that the Bible is the story of God wanting to entrust men with his power, and men not being able to handle it. His power is given to us for influence that benefits others, too often it is to our own. All Kings come to a time when they must step down from their throne. It is at this moment that his influence actually increases. The Sage's wisdom and experience has been forged with humility and compassion. Too often our world dismisses the elderly in favor of the young and beautiful.

Any initiation will test you physically and emotionally - it is the only way we will discover that there is more to ourselves and that God is our strength.

Recommendation: This book is a must read for any boy or man. I would recommend it to anyone who is at least in high school. There truly is something to learn at all stages in our life, but it may be hard to comprehend some of these ideas until one has experienced each of these stages in some way. Eldredge has a very simple way of story telling that draws you in; you will pass through the book in no time. The book is rooted in scripture but it does not throw it in your face. Often he relates these truths to classical adventures such as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. I know we have a large female following, yet I hope you experience this book in some way too. If you are struggling to understand the journey a man in your life is on; I would encourage you to read this book.

-Raleigh

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0 Just Keep Pedalling

As I sit on my bed this evening trying to put my thoughts into words all I can think of how to start this post is that honesty is always the best policy.

So, I'll be honest. The month of December was busy for me (as I'm sure it was for all of you) and as I was taking my time off from work, I found myself taking time off from my daily routine of being in the word of God. I love to read but I had no desire to pick up any book or devotional. You can call me a "spiritual slacker" if you will, and I'm not proud to admit that.

From my experience, my walk with Christ is like riding a bike up and down rolling hills. My journey starts out with strong legs pumping my bike up the first hill and my head speaks words of encouragement to my heart. I reach the top of that hill and I come to God in thanksgiving. Then, as I start the fast downhill spin I am just bursting with joy and a fresh spirit. But, as I continue to pedal up one hill after the next, it just gets harder for my head to tell my legs to move and for my heart to be willing to make the journey. At this point, I feel defeated and as though I will never get to my ultimate destination. So, I start to slow down. I might get off my bike and take a break, maybe walk the bike up the next hill to keep moving, but my direction is lost. I need help. So, when life gets to hard to stand, I kneel. In prayer, I cry out to God telling him that I can't do this any more, that I feel so defeated, so lost. I pray for Christ to point me in the right direction so I can reach my final destination. I ask Christ to provide me fellow travelers to help me make my journey. He whispers in my legs to get back on the bike. He takes control of my head and my heart just follows him to the finish line.

I find that the truly fulfilled people in life are the ones that have a personal relationship with Christ. Not people that claim to be spiritual, or even ones that call themselves Christians and state that they have been raised in the church. I mean people that learn that they can't do squat in life without Christ guiding their paths. Now, as illustrated above, that doesn't mean that everything is just rosy in that relationship. It's hard like any other relationships that we have. An effort has to be made on our end but the great thing about this relationship is the effort has, is, and will always be made by our Savior, Jesus Christ. When we engage in this relationship, we can't help but be fulfilled in life.

When our lives are fulfilled through Christ, we start to put that as the focus of everything that we do. I believe that this makes us better people and wonderful contributors to society. This does not mean we will always be the richest, the CEO's, or never get cancer but it does mean that we will be living our lives with the sole purpose of loving Christ and then loving others. When doing this, we start to see why we were put on this earth and how we can make the most of His purpose for our lives. We have His guidance, blessings, and love filling our spirit every single day.

I think it is easy to state that we all know people that don't have the best track record in life. People who drop out of school, don't get jobs, steal money from their friends, take advantage of their parents, have pre-marital sex only to get pregnant and then live off of baby daddy child support....the list can go on and on. We see our children, brothers, sisters, or friends making these mistakes and just watch them spiral down-hill. As a parent, I can only imagine how tough it would be to see your child go down a path of destruction. *In Exodus, chapter 34, the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. As he passed in front of Moses, he proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished." (Exodus 34:6-7)

**In this verse, a key phrase to focus on is "maintaining love to thousands." This word maintain can be translated to guard, to protect to keep. God is abounding in love for us and he shows this to us through blessings in our lives. God never withdraws his love from us but he does withdraw blessings when need be. Parents, if you are dealing with a disobedient child, the best thing you can do for your child is to withdraw the blessing but not the love. So often, we find ourselves feeding the beast. If you see your child making a bad decision, don't give them things (money, clothes, car, etc.) that can be fuel to the fire. Continue to give them your love, compassion, and grace. Try so hard to be like God and be slow to anger and to forgive them when they hurt you. It won't be easy but who said being a parent was easy?

As I close, I just want to encourage all of you to keep pedalling. If you have to walk your bike up the hill from time to time, know that you aren't walking alone. Life is hard and it is so easy for us to take an off-road path but I challenge all of us to stay on the path that Christ is guiding for our lives. I can't wait to meet y'all in heaven one day.

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

*NIV Bible
**Beth Moore, Living Proof Live.
Memphis, TN. 2009.

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2 Thirteen

Hey friends,

Hope everyone is staying dry on this rainy day! I don't know about you, but I am sure glad today was hump day. Only two more days until the weekend! We are heading back to Auburn this weekend to tailgate with some of Raleigh's architecture friends. They are a fun crowd and we are looking forward to hanging out with everyone in a big group again! Raleigh and I have always been the type of people that have multiple groups of friends. This group is our crazy group. The very first time I hung out with them in college was at their studio party that was 80's prom theme. Everyone was dressed up in neon colors and we were totally throwing a dance party with moves that would make Kevin Bacon proud.

Anyways, on to today's topic. Tonight, I got to meet the girls in the youth small group that I am leading with two of my other friends. They are eighth grade girls and I can't wait to truly get to know them. I got a little taste of their personalities tonight and I think this is going to be a great year. It is so neat to hear them speak so openly about different things going on in their lives. I already know one topic that I can't wait to discuss with them is building up their character. More on that topic but here is my question for you:

Tell me about your eighth grade experience. What do you remember from it? Feel free to share any funny memories or something that you learned when you were 13. I will go ahead and go first so please take some time to comment on this post!

One thing that I remember about the eighth grade is making the Carver Middle School cheerleading squad. Boy, were we somethin' else! My jersey was so big on me I think I can still fit into it today! I can still vividly remember the dance routines to "Space Jam" and "Boom I got your Boyfriend." When I was thirteen, I was still very shy around boys. I had a date to our Christmas Dance and I believe I only danced one slow song with him. Being around boys just scared me.

So, what about you? What do you remember about the 8th grade? Please share, I think this will be really fun!

Till' next time, let your light shine!

blessings, christen

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