Fighting Shadows: Overcoming 7 Lies That Keep Men From Becoming Fully Alive by Jefferson Bethke and Jon Tyson Book Review

In Fighting Shadows, Jefferson Bethke and Jon Tyson have teamed up to write a book together covering how masculinity is at risk and how there is a dark shadow hurting men. The books idea came from the both of them sitting by a campfire unwinding from retreat. They discussed how men are all facing confusion, fear, and shame. We are facing a generation that is questioning who they are as a man or if they are a woman. They are torn on their identity. They explored how in Ecclesiastes it stated an important question about what is good for a man during the last few years of his life and how he will spend them like a shadow. They referred to the shadows as a man caught between light and darkness. They break down the 7 lies men are encountering in today’s times. The included despair, lust, loneliness, shame, and much more. Men are faced with a lot of dark shadows that our harming us and how productive we are. 

 

 

 

One of my favorite things discussed people with optimistic attitudes and how they have better well-being and life satisfaction. They tend to have better mental health and more resilience from the challenges in their life that they face. Physical they have less inflammation, cardiovascular health, and less like to get sick. They explained how powerful the mind is how this can help us. Another important topic was loneliness and this is affecting men in negative ways. Both of the authors admitted to losing their joy and how they struggle to feel. Jefferson shared how he last felt alive was when he was younger about 22 years old with friends. Time and distance caused us to lose connections with our friends. Loneliness can greatly weaken our immune system and cause us to eventually die. They explained how men need true friendships and we need to invest it as much as we invest in working out. They stated how critical it is be vulnerabilities, have unplanned interactions, and proximity to each other. Jefferson shared how formed a group of guys who get together to hang out around the hot tub, firepit, and grill out, and have conversations. They typically answer some of the hard questions and he included some as an example. An example is name two to three years of great years and bad years. They shared how Jesus even had a band of brothers and would reach out to the tax collectors and religious people and was a friend to all. 

I would recommend this life changing book to all men and it’s for men at any age. I really believe in when they both teamed up together to write this book it helped to make the message even clearer. This book is one that men need to read in today’s times since it’s very relevant. All 7 of the lies are ones that we have experienced or will again experience and we all struggle with issues that are weighing us down. I think I liked how each chapters included the lie and truth and it helped to break down what you would be covering in the chapter. This book is one to be reread and discuss with other men and our shadows will begin to see the light. 

 

 

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400243300 

The Whole Man: 40 Spiritual Reflections from Black Men on the Head, Heart, Hands, and Soul by Rasool Berry, Dr. Maliek Blade, Jerome Gay Jr Book Review

The book is a book comprised of 40 days devotions type spiritual reflections to help us to grow in our walk to be a better man. It is written by a team of three men. This book primarily focused on being written for men of color and it covered a lot of what they face. The book begins by sharing how ESPN released a film called Broke that covered how many athlete pros are now broke. They once had wealth from their careers and now has lost it all. This leads to the topic of brokenness and how men are dropping out of the workforce and church. Many men don’t even have any close friendships. They stated that the path to wholeness is first learning to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. We can look unto Jesus to assist us in becoming whole. The book is divided up into head, heart, hands, and soul. 

 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters discussed wrestling with God. Like Habakkuk who asked the Lord how long must he call out for help. There is no response from God and you feel like He isn’t even listening to you at all. We cry out about the violence that is all around us and God isn’t saving us. He next asked where is God in the four hundred years of slavery, where is He when unarmed Black men and woman are gunned down, teenagers are sold in human trafficking, and all the homeless on the street. Where is God? He next explained the power of waiting and how it strengthens our faith. It helps us to grow deeper and to learn more about God, ourselves, and others. Waiting helps us to grow in our faith. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book to any man that is ready to be whole. I immensely enjoyed how the book is written as a short devotional type filled with 40 days. They are quick and easy to read. Each day had a short lesson, verse, questions, and a short passage. I liked how the book covered topics that men will be able to connect with. I also liked how they have videos on their website and a discussion guide where you can discuss in small group with other men. 

 

 

Check out their website:

 

https://experiencevoices.org/wholeman/

I received this book free from Our Daily Bread Publishing for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Man-Spiritual-Reflections-Black/dp/1640703144/

How to Help Your Child Clean Up Their Mental Mess: A Guide to Building Resilience and Managing Mental Health by Dr. Caroline Leaf Book Review

In How to Help Your Child Clean Up Their Mental Mess, Dr. Caroline Leaf has written a brand new book to help parents in guiding their children in their thoughts. She begins the book by explaining how our children are facing a mental health crisis. We are witnessing an increase in depression, suicide, anxiety, and much more. Bullying is a new thing our children are having to encounter and now it occurs even online. In the book, she teaches readers how to help our children in mind management and tools that will help them. She explained for example how anxiety is from an actual thought pattern and the more they ponder on it and think about it the worst side affects it can have. They could experience physical symptoms. She explained how they could be fearful about going to school cause of a bad experience and it all occurs from a root in the brain. She compares the mind to a tree and included helpful illustrations to assist readers in understanding the mind. She explored how the mind works and what the neurocyle is. It is divided up into 5 steps and it will guide readers into helping their child to reflect and actively change their thoughts. She encouraged readers to spend 7-15 minutes a day for 63 days to establish new habits and repair past traumas. She enclosed a helpful Brain-ee cartoon character and helps children to understand the material in every day terms. 

I would recommend this life changing book to every parent and this book will teach parents how to help their children to change their thoughts and to clean up their mental health. This book is very impactful and I love the way in Dr. Caroline Leaf breaks down neuroplasticity and the brain into terms that every day people can understand. This book is even more gears to making it simpler for children to grasp their thought progress and emotions. I liked how she covered the different age groups and help to our children at every stage of their lives. I immensely liked how she walked readers through key examples and illustrations to help children through the neurocyle process. This will help us to pay attention to their emotions and behaviors. She carefully walked through questions to ask to reflect on to actively reach towards a child’s particular issue. I liked how she did a beneficial table to use a tool to go even deeper into the steps to help our children. I loved how she also included personal stories from parents to walk parents through the steps in every day examples. I liked how she discussed boundaries and how critical it is for parents to explain the why behind it. There are tons of helpful information for parents to use and this book is meant to be reread again and again. 

I received this book free from Baker Books for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Help-Child-Clean-Their-Mental/dp/0801093414/ 

 

Single Today: Conquer Yesterday’s Regrets, Ditch Tomorrow’s Worries, and Thrive Right Where You Are by Ryan Wekenman Book Review

In Single Today, Ryan Wekenman has written a book geared to assist single people in learning to enjoy and thrive in whatever season they are currently in. Everyone has a season of singleness and some people are okay with it and others struggle greatly. He has been single for 34 years and he admits to loving it at least 82 % of the time. Like most he sometimes questions if he will be fine with missing out on a family. He could just enjoy spending time with his nephew and niece. He wonders if he is okay missing out on a deep trust you only build with spending years with a spouse. We often wonder are we running out of time and all the good ones will be taken. He explained their is two enemies to singleness. They are yesterday filled with shame and regret and tomorrow and fearing what’s going to happen in the future. He opened up about how he is a single pastor and at times he even questioned was there something wrong with him. He had people walk up up to him telling him that they would like him to be married by this time next year. Marriage is God’s idea and we are supposed to be fruitful and multiply. He felt the stings of their words and felt his soul would be buried alive with the worries. He opened up about he received help from a spiritual mentor and he helped him by looking at the story of the pool at Bethesda and how he probably had a lot of hope that on day one he would be healed. When that didn’t happen and it took years he must have lost his excitement. This story caused him to do the inner work and he questioned like most of us do is there something wrong with us as to why we don’t have any luck with falling in love. He explored Jesus life and how he was also single and was in ministry. Another big part of the book was how he looked at Mary and Martha and how they both handle things differently. He pulls out key lessons and related the story back to singleness. 

One of my favorite discussions was about the system to keep from getting stuck in the past. You can begin your morning by picking three things you’re thankful for. You can end the day by journaling and processing your day and end and begin with gratitude. It will help you to let go of the past to move forward on to a brighter future. I think this is a wonderful tool to use daily and refocus on gratitude. I also liked how he covered Mary’s story and how she had to learn to let go of the past and to discover her purpose. I immensely enjoyed how he related it back to singleness and used to explain some of the topics around it. I liked how he revealed the gift of singleness and others need to recognize that people may have that gift. I can greatly relate to his story and have been single most of my life too. This book is a wonderful encouragement to anyone who is single and will provide them with much needed encouragement. I also liked how he included discussion questions to assist readers in going deeper. 

I received this book free from Waterbrook for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Single-Today-Conquer-Yesterdays-Tomorrows/dp/0593600940

Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (Or Just Me) by Jay Ellis Book Review

 

In Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (Or Just Me), Jay Ellis has written his autobiography feeling his tall tale adventures with his imaginary friend, Mikey. Readers will recognize Jay from his tv acting. He stars in the HBO series Insecure. He compares his friend to become someone he could trusts and count on. Mikey was like his older brother who would protect him at all costs. He explained that he loves to learn and he was always a student at heart. He would often take classes in between his acting roles. Instead of a superhero role, he choose him to be a young black man who dressed in the latest trends and had a fresh haircut. He was calm, curious, and easy going. He grew up as a only child and was alone most of the time. He came from a traveling military family. He shared how he came to him during a bad storm when he was about four years old. He was trapped in a swamp surrounded by crocodiles and he couldn’t even go to his parents room in fear that he would be eaten. He opened up about how he stayed with him through his high school years even. He was around through the crazy teenager experiences. Mikey taught him how to trust his instincts, having a spirit of play, and accepting who you are. 

I would recommend this creative book on imaginary friends mixed with his life story. I liked how he shared about his experiences with gangs, first kiss, dating, getting pulled over by the cops a few times, and much more. He has some fun and exciting stories to share. What was surprising to me was the fact that his best friend stayed with him throughout his schools years until he faded away. In writing this book, he learned that others have also experienced an imaginary friend. I remember playing pretending when I was younger but my imaginary friends would have had superpowers and they weren’t and every day looking person. I also am an only child so I can relate creating someone to bring you comfort through life experiences. I think he did an excellent job in detailing what he went through growing up and how his imaginary friend was there through it all. I also liked how he enclosed pictures throughout the book to bring the book even more to life and relatable. 

I received this book free from One World and Random House for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Have-Imaginary-Friend-Just/dp/0593243196

Break Blow Burn & Make : A Writers Thoughts on Creation by E. Lily Yu Book Review

In Break Blow Burn & Make, E. Lily Yu . She begins the book by describing how writing is like an incandescent. The writer starts with a light and sometimes it can be seen a small flame just waiting to burn brighter. The dust and ashes are left by the living of one’s life. She compared it to a dragonfly and the world begins to shift and emerge and it searches for a reader. It the writing is good it will eventually burn through our preconceptions and change our way of living. She has felt like there is a missing vital flame in most the writings in today’s times. She explained how readers are now in search of books that offer their mirror way of thinking and help to reinforce our preexisting beliefs. She explored how literature is changing and how love, grace, wisdom is vanishing quickly. There is a dwindling in congregations and how many people are gathering together. She explained how she left a nondenominational church after some leader in another state declared that COVID-19 was an answer from his own personal prayer that God would bring down punishment. She shared how writers and readers need to recover what has been lost to catch the new flame and to get their fire back. 

She explained how inspiration occurs and how gratitude has immensely helped her. She realized that this helped her with the very first blessing and it will help her to improve for hopefully a second one. This is an act of an inward response of thankfulness when we receive an idea or a new solution to our writing. She opened up about how she had an experience on working on first draft of her novel. She felt led to stop and to instead focus on another story that was demanding her full attention. She admitted how normally it takes her four drafts with hard editing and this time it was like she was being pulled into the way she should go. She learned to give thanks for this rare occurrence from her Creator. She explained how each artist is able to choose if they will grow their living story and it take them through pleasant and unpleasant tasks and we can freely receive the gift or refuse it. We have to be open to listening to the voice that instructs us to write when we need to write. She clarified how critical is to have the mindset we are called to serve others with our writing and not believe we should be the ones who are served. 

I would recommend this inspiring book about creative and how writing has dramatically changed over the years. She has a unique way in describing the writing process and illustrating how their is a lost flame and art to good writing. She believes most of the writing now is missing the craft and language of the past. One of the most interesting things, she shared was how in 1895, J.B. Wise was found guilty of mailing out obscene materials containing Isaiah 12:36 and he was fined $50 dollars for doing so. I liked how she explored how Christian writing has also changed and how we have lost the truth and the love of Christ. This book is geared to help readers to read and write more deeply and being honest with themselves. 

I received this book free from Worthy Publishing for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Break-Blow-Burn-Make-Thoughts/dp/1546005498 

Why I Believe: A Psychologist’s Thoughts on Suffering, Miracles, Science, and Faith by Dr. Henry Cloud Book Review

In Why I Believe, Dr. Henry Cloud is a personal book about part of his life mixed with what he believes on suffering, miracles, science, and faith. He shared in the book at the young age of ten years old. He was at a camp in North Carolina and he felt a sharp pain in his soul. It was a lightly Christian camp and he felt a calling to the Creator. He explained an illustration of a judge condemning us for our sins and crimes. Jesus stands up telling the judge to spare us and He would instead take our fines. This is to convey how Jesus tried for all of our sins and mistakes and He paid in on the cross. This is the first time he felt the presence of God and His love for him. He shared his up bring and how his parents displayed their faith in God and how this influenced him. He also shared how at four years old, he was sitting in Sunday school when he leg began to hurt badly. He would be screaming in pain for hours and he has to be hospitalized. They did lots of test and blood work. He admitted to feeling very afraid and alone. They considered amputating his leg. He explained how his mother heard a voice that told her to leave now and take him to another hospital. His new doctor knew right what the disease was and it affected his hip and he would have to remain in a wheelchair. He then realized that God intervened on his behave with his parents faith. He felt very different from others and he struggled with being normal.

When he was better, he decided to jump into sports especially golf. He played through the pain for two years until he had to give it up at age 20. At this time, he also gotten broken up. He struggled with depression and feeling like a complete washout. He lost his life purpose and started searching for a new path. He recalls being in his dorm room and being drawn to open his Bible and the page opened until Matthew 6:33 and how seeking first the kingdom of God and how all things will be added to you. He started searching actively for God and he turned to Him. He explained how people came into his life and helped him strengthen his faith. This helped to dramatically change his life with the help of mentors and friends. The depression finally went away. He was instructed by God to trust him and to follow him this led him into going after psychology. 

One of the chapters of course discussed what the greatest obstacle of all is. This how does a good God allow evil to exist and suffering. He like most have experienced lost and witnessed others and heard others who had gone through horrible events. He shared how everything is related to death and a separation from God. God gave us freedom from the beginning and we chose a different tree. We lost our disconnect from our Creator but still we had a path through the crucifixion that would save the world. If we want to have relationship with Christ, we have a chance to seek Him. He clarified how there is no answer on his side as to why we have to go through things. We have to have faith that Jesus knows better than we humanly do. Even when Jesus was dying on the cross, He asked His own dad why he had forsaken Him. He even explored cognitive thinking and psychology and how we can look at suffering in this way to see a different approach. 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is wondering what a psychologist thinks about science, faith, suffering, miracles, and much more. I immensely loved how he covered the entire spectrum of faith, doubts, and what his own personal beliefs are. I thought he did a wonderful job is going through details about what psychology has taught him and influenced his Christian beliefs. I really enjoyed hearing from a psychologist approach to faith and suffering. I appreciated how transparent he was in reading about his thought and learning more about his background and how he came in know Christ and how it changed and grew over the years. One of my favorite sections was on that he shared how psychology aligned with things that are also addressed in the Bible and this enclosed an entire list that breaks it down for readers. This book will assist readers into growing deeper in their questions and faith. 

I received this book free from Worthy Publishing for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Believe-Psychologists-Thoughts-Suffering/dp/154600341X/

7 Lies That Will Ruin Your Life: What My Journey from Porn Star to Preacher Taught Me About the Truth That Sets Us Free by Joshua Broome Book Review

In 7 Lies that Will Ruin Your Life, Joshua Broome explored the lies that we are believing and how they can destroy us, if we let them. He shared how he was once a famous porn star who went by a different stage name, Rocco Reed. When he was out in public, he would often get recognized. He made over a million dollars. He was nominated for 18 awards and won Best Male Star three years in a row. He went into detail about when he felt his lowest and hit rock bottom. He experienced a wake up call that changed his entire life. He had just finished filming a scene in Atlanta. He was dealing with the effects of erectile function medication. He contemplate how many pain pills he could take to end his life. He recalls separating them into four groups on three. He still had his paycheck in his pocket from the film. He glanced at the check and felt shame and he didn’t want his mother or brother having to see the website’s name when they found it uncashed. He had planned to avoid the bank teller like he normally does. Today, he chose to interact. The teller asked him he was okay. She called him by his real name, Joshua. This made him feel seen. He realized that he ran from everyone and was numb from sex and fame. He explained how when he was a kid he loved attention and he chased after momentary success. He was changed by Jesus and now he is a speaker who shares his testimony. He has even tried to get the government to enact the Protect act and this would require government ID to be required to access porn. Also, he has tried to get a bill to allow performers to retract their consent at a later date and the videos would have to be removed.

One of my favorite chapters discussed imitation intimacy and how suicide rates are increasing and it’s top leading cause of death. Gen z is now also being referred to as the loneliness generation despite us being more connected with social media and phones. He clarified how scriptures even state how man isn’t supposed to be alone. This has lead to porn to becoming more socially acceptable. He had difficulty in getting close to others because of fear of his past being brought back up. He explained the difference between lust and love and how his wife helped him to discover what love is. He shared how he grew in intimacy with God and reveals how we can to. 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is dealing with the effects of watching porn and they are seeking to change their lives around. I liked how each chapter enclosed a prayer, a personal declarations, scriptures reflection. All of these helped in connecting the lessons together and providing us with the courage to battle the lies. I immensely liked reading about Joshua’s story and it was telling in revealing the negative impacts of the porn industry. It was inspiring to read about how Jesus forever changed his life and he found true freedom.   

I received this book free from Faith Words for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Lies-That-Will-Ruin-Your/dp/154600565X/