There seems to be three archetypes of men in the church.
- Mr. Rogers – Soft and gentle. But mostly soft.
- Tim the Tool Man – He’s got a tool for everything. And he loves to fix stuff when he’s not out hunting.
- Mr. Invisible – You hear great things about this guy from his wife. But you’ve never actually met him.
I’ve been part of churches with lots of men. I’ve been part of churches with almost no men. But most of my life, I’ve been part of churches who paint a confusing portrait of what it means to be a man.
That’s why I’m thankful for this little book, released today, from Rhett Smith. Rhett is a friend I met a few years back, bumping our way across the Dominican Republic in the back of a minivan, on our way to Port-au-Prince shortly after the January 10th, 2010 earthquake which devastated Haiti. His first book, The Anxious Christian, has helped our family cope with issues that encroach on us from time to time. Besides being a dad and blogger, Rhett is a licensed marriage & family therapist in Texas. You get the point, I like Rhett a bunch.
What it Means to Be a Man is his second book, it’s a book you’ll love. While you will definitely get a lot out of it by reading it individually I think it’s a great small group book that would be perfect for guys groups. (High school, college, young adult, adult) There’s even an extended appendix with a small group discussion guide… very well thought out and would lead to tons of great discussions.
Let’s face it. The church has a man problem. Not just in that Promise Keepers kind of way, but really in that we stink at helping men know what it means to be the man that God has made us to be, each individual and made for wholeness in Him.
My hope is that Rhett’s book will help you, as a leader, address that problem head on.
Buy It Now
From Amazon
From Christianbook.com
Let’s Give it Away
Rhett’s publisher sent me 5 copies to give away. So let’s do that.
How to Win
Leave a comment linking to a picture of your archetypal man. Head over to google images and search for a picture what you think of when you think of “what it means to be a man.” Maybe it’s an MMA fighter? Maybe it’s Kirk Cameron when he was hunky? Maybe it’s my look alike, Ryan Gosling? Just pick a photo and link to it in a comment by Friday, May 3rd. I’ll pick 5 random winners and send the book off to you.
I’ll announce winners on Saturday, May 4th.
Note: I’ll have to approve your comment before it goes on the site. My comment system automatically holds comments with links/images for moderation. (For obvious reasons!)
WINNERS
tim gardnershannon hutchinson
marianne wilson
jake manne
joel mayward
Send me an email with your mailing address and I’ll get that sent to ya.
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