Friday, August 30, 2013

The REAL Win

The Real Win: A Man's Quest for Authentic Success

Most men attempt to measure success through external means.  We count our coins, our toys, our pride and ego; yet in the end we often find ourselves empty and still wanting more from life.  In this book, The Real Win: A Man's Quest for Authentic Success, Colt McCoy and Matt Carter correctly state,

"The real win means trusting the Lord, walking with Jesus, and living your life in the way he defined it."  They state men can get the REAL WIN in four main areas of their lives ~

Winning at home – by leading your family as you demonstrate your love of Jesus to your spouse and children.

Winning at work – we need to remember that we work for God, and our work does not consume us and become an idol.

Winning the Character game – we turn to Jesus for help which produces greater character within us. 

Winning the future – as we allow God to mold and refine us.  This occurs through the good times and the difficult times of life.

I was not sure I wanted to read this book.  It’s just another sports book, but I was struck by the sincerity of McCoy on his young journey in life.  He was an outstanding college player, but has not hit it big as some thought in the NFL.  Yet, he writes with powerful honesty about his struggles in all areas of life. 

This is an excellent book for men.  Along with that, my wife picked up the book and really enjoyed reading it as well. 

There is also a study guide for a men’s small group discussion in the back of the book.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.



300 x 250

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Fight: Winning our Battles

I’ve read a lot of books for men.  How to be the spiritual leader of the home, how to be the man of the family, how to be a better father, etc.  In his book, Fight: Winning the Battles that Matter Most, Craig Groeschel has written a book about how men were called to be warriors.  He’s pretty clear that this is a book for men, and not for women.  He even encourages women to put the book down.  I didn’t appreciate that, because if this book really applies to me, then it would be great for my wife to read this book.

In essence, Groeschel explains men are designed to by God to be holy warriors.  I don’t really disagree with that thesis, because most men do want to be the warrior and show their mate how they will fight for her.  They (we) want to be the knight in shining armor to rescue our damsel, who’s in distress.

I was surprised Groeschel chose to be base the book on the life of Samson.  While there are many positives we can take from Samson’s life, I find as many negatives and things I should not be doing.  The purpose of choosing Samson is to teach what was right and what was wrong.  Groeschel was able to help me learn more through his study, but I still felt Samson could have been one part of the picture, and he could have used other biblical characters to help bring home the point about what men should be like.

Groeschel pointed out how men usually show emotion by demonstrating anger as opposed to the many other emotions which are within us.  He concludes or surmises that possibly that anger is really self-directed, or directed toward God, and others.  Anger usually is what will drive a man to action.  He also speaks about other issues such as greed, envy, and lust.

This is a pretty short and easy read.  I think most men will see themselves at various points in the book.  Groeschel’s goal is for men to take over the spiritual leadership in their families and to move closer to holiness through self-discipline.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com http://BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I review for BookSneeze®


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