Read a Bit {Good Man}

When I spied this title as a Baker Books review, I was glad to sign up for a review copy.

The book Different, by Sally Clarkson and Nathan Clarkson, was an interesting and eye-opening read for me. I believe we all have our struggles in life and some prove more challenging than others. I also believe it’s easy to judge and misjudge other people when it’s not our story and situation.

EVEN, though I believe this and know this, I still fall into judging far too easily. I wish the desire to offer kindness and compassion was all it took to live it out exactly as I would like to. 🙂

I also love the children’s book, Only You Can Be You, by Sally Clarkson and Nathan Clarkson.

The Life-Giving Home and The Life-Giving Table by Sally Clarkson are favorite books of mine. I like her concepts of home and creating a sanctuary space for our families, for others who pass our way, and for ourselves and our lives.

Good Man by Nathan Clarkson
An Honest Journey into Discovering Who Men Were Actually Created to Be

Here are a couple of paragraphs from the back cover ~

“One look at our cultural moment and it’s easy to tell that men are in crisis. Our reactionary society is quick to condemn and slow to forgive, leaving men more confused than ever about how to live and who to be. Yet in Scripture, we continually find God choosing to work in and through flawed, imperfect, and broken individuals who also share one important characteristic: the desire to follow the call of their Creator.

With engaging personal stories and insight into biblical truths, Nathan Clarkson declares to today’s man that he is more than what culture is telling him he is–angry, selfish, predatory, violent, and bored. Instead, still on the journey himself, Nathan calls today’s man to find his identity in the One who created him on purpose, for a purpose, and encourages him to live an honest, authentic life marked by a winsome combination of confidence and humility.”

The introduction opens with these four sentences ~ “I didn’t really want to write a book titled Good Man. Not because I don’t think it’s a worthy subject to engage with, but rather because I felt that my fears, faults, and failures disqualified me from even broaching the subject. I do long-and always have- to be a good man. But honestly, I don’t always feel that I am one.”

WELL. I’m not a man, but I relate to these feelings as a person and all I have to do is switch it to wanting to be a good woman.

The introduction continues with a few thoughts about desiring to be a good man but knowing his own struggles and failures. He then lists a few men from the Bible who loved God and followed Jesus, yet struggled with issues. Thomas. Peter. David. Paul.
Through following their imperfect stories, Nathan finds good men aren’t perfect.

So true!!! Can’t we all find ourselves in this? Does it mean we don’t try? We don’t struggle through our failures? Ask for repentance? Confess our shortcomings? Of course not.

But Nathan sums it up this way in a sentence almost at the end of the Introduction, “I’m so thankful that the definition of what a good man is, spoken from the Creator Himself, doesn’t rely on me being perfect – just willing.”

Yes indeed! Praise hands and hallelujah!!!

Good Man will be part of the reading stack for my teenage son this fall. 🙂

I’ve read several books recently which used one word for each chapter title and I like this idea and format.

Here are a few of the chapter titles in Good Man ~

Adventurous

Heroic

Honest

Authentic

Wise

Servant-Hearted

Aren’t these good words and titles?

Drawing from his life experiences, his struggles with OCD and ADD, and fighting feelings of stupidity and insecurity, {in other words, a real person with real struggles and real feelings 😉 } Nathan shares what shaped him, what he believes in, and the attributes and characteristics that grow a good man. He digs into each of these with consideration and clarity. With wisdom and reflection.

I found this book to be written in a relatable and vulnerable style laced tightly together with encouragement, spiritual admonition, and good words. Each chapter finishes up with reflection questions. They could be used for discussion questions if you had a group book study or club. Each chapter also has a prayer page penned for it. I appreciated the simple weightiness and thoughtfulness of the prayers.

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