For All It's Worth

Be the Dad She Needs You to Be by Dr. Kevin Leman My daughter just went off to her first day of kindergarten at the local school in our area and I was not ready for this at all.   You pray and your guide and direct your daughter’s life, but you cannot possibly protect her from everything.  Yet, as Dr. Kevin Leman’s new book, Be the Dad She Needs You to Be, there are many things to consider when raising a daughter.  The book in 11 chapters with a conclusion takes everything from investing in your daughter’s life, sex, the workplace, and the way dads parent differently than moms.  Dr. Leman cuts to the chase at times, gives his advice, and brings his years of counseling to bear in this book on dads/daughters. Kevin gets to the heart of the issues that matter most at the beginning of the book by stating, “If you have a negative legacy from your own father, or if your wife has one from her father, it’s time to stop the cycle.  Your daughte...

I Samuel for You by Tim Chester This new commentary and guide to 1 Samuel written by Tim Chester is an accessible and pastoral volume devoted to the message and theology of 1 Samuel.  Tim Chester is very familiar with the good book company as he provided the volume on Titus in the For You Series.  What can at times be a daunting task to comment on such a large book in the Old Testament, Tim gives the reader an in-depth look at the issues that are most important in the book such as kingship.  With insight, application, and a trenchant analysis toward the major themes of the book, Tim does an excellent job at acquainting the reader with the terrain of 1 Samuel. In the opening few pages of the book, Tim alerts our attention to the theme of kingship in 1 Samuel.  After looking at 1 Samuel 1.1-2.11, Tim writes, “It is worth it, because God’s King is coming, and when he comes he will turn the world upside down…Hannah sings: “He humbles and he exalts....

Dear Luke, We need to talk. Dad Darth and other Pop Culture correspondences by John Moe Witty, hilarious, and non-stop entertaining, Dear Luke, We need to talk, Dad Darth and other Pop Culture correspondences is a new book by public radio show personality John Moe that you don’t want to miss.  From Twilight to Dora the Explorer, John covers the ground by imagining what it would be like to have witty conversations between partners.  It’s almost as if when your reading the book, you remember the conversations at the water cooler you have with your co-workers about entertainment but never thought would be put for public consumption.  In a Court Ordered Letter from Dora the Explorer’s Mother, John comes from the vantage point of a mother writing to a Child Protective Services Case Worker about why she should keep Dora.  When starts out as somewhat amusing turns out to be very funny indeed.  At one point in the letter, Dora’s Mother says,...

The Conditioned Mind: Overcoming the Crippling Effects of Sin and Guilt by Michael J. Mannia Counselor and author Michael J. Mannia knows firsthand how the spiraling of sin and guilt can eat away at life.  His new book, The Conditioned Mind, is a look into how believers can overcome the effects of sin and guilt and live in the freedom that we have in Christ.  Through a careful look into the patterns that we develop and the mindsets that we get ingrained in, Michael is able to offer ways through guilt that bring freedom and healing.  I think this is not only a timely but a book that aims toward bringing real healing to its readers. In the first chapter Michael looks at two needs that we have: our need for love and our need for security.  Love isn’t something optional for the human race, but something it needs at its core.  “Additionally, we need to reciprocate love.  We need to feel loved as much as we need to love others (8).” ...