for the months of July and August, 2010
John Eldridge is quite a popular author, having written a number of best-selling books such as The Sacred Romance, Wild at Heart, Waking the Dead, and Walking with God. I happen to have all of these books and, while on a rare occasion I may disagree with what he says, I have gained great and lasting benefit from them all.
John lives in Colorado with his wife Stasi and together they have raised three sons. While John has particular passions that I do not share – mountain climbing (you’ve got to be kidding!), fly-fishing (an art in which I do better admiring rather than participating), and venturing on remote waters in a canoe (what – no sail or outboard?) – yet, there is much that he shares that rings true in my own life, and with the lives of many others.
As I write this article, I am just a few days away from Father’s Day. Such a day brings with it so much for me to celebrate, as I have been blessed, truly blessed, with a family I dearly love. But it also brings with it reflections on how I was raised, as well as how I helped to raise our children. And it reminds me how essential – critically important, in fact – it is for a man to know the steps on the path to authentic manhood. He must know that for himself, for his children, his grandchildren, and as a mentor for others. And he must know how this fits in with his relationship with God the Father.
For this reason, John Eldridge has written the book, Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009). Having read this book, I can only recommend it to the men of our church with a full and hearty endorsement. Regardless of your age or circumstance, it is a book well worth reading.
“There is a path leading to authentic manhood, cut by men who have gone before us, sons following in the footsteps of their fathers, generation after generation. There are perils along the trail, even disasters – all the more reason to rely on the guidance of a Father who has gone before.
But in an age when true fathers are in short supply, how do you find the path to manhood? How do you steer clear of the dangers?
John Eldridge calls men back to a simple and reassuring truth: God is our Father. In life’s trials and triumphs, God is initiating boys and men through the stages of manhood from Beloved Son to Cowboy to Warrior to Lover to King to Sage.
Fathered by God maps out the path of manhood – not more rules, not another list of principles, not formulas, but a sure path men have followed for centuries before us.
Find the path and become the man God sees in you.” (from the back cover of the book)
On the Journey with You,
Bill Maxwell