Seeing the Men in Your Life Through God's Eyes
From schlubby sitcom heroes to mommy blogs to online articles, there is a broad cultural perception that men constantly mess up and women must fight an uphill battle to fix them. Men are a burden, constant works-in-progress, pushed toward perfection but always falling short. This book asks a revolutionary question: What if these messed-up men are actually a mighty tool for God?
Tina and Dave Samples remind us that the Bible is filled with a cast of messed-up men: men who struggled and fell, and yet were used by God to accomplish His purposes. In fact, God has consistently chosen imperfect “clay pots” in which to place His light.
David was a poor father. Peter had problems with integrity. Moses had anger
issues, Gideon struggled with fear, and Elijah suffered from depression--the list goes on. Messed Up Men of the Bible offers encounters with these ancient men who faced the same emotions and questions that contemporary men face, in order to reveal fresh spiritual insights and hope for modern relationships. Through personal stories, practical advice, and useful exercises, Tina and Dave provide encouragement and hope for women dealing with the messed up men in their own lives.
Read Excerpt
Available at the Following Locations:
Kregel, Amazon, DeeperShopping
About the Authors:
Dave is a pastor, teacher, author, and church planter. He is a native Texan who resides in Granbury, Texas and pastors at Tolar Baptist Church in Tolar, Texas. Dave has held numerous denominational leadership positions and has spoken for a variety of organizations including the Gospel Music Association in Estes Park, CO.
Dave has served as a chaplain in the US Navy, as well as in local fire and police departments. In 2008, he was nominated as Windsor, Colorado's Person of the Year in recognition of his efforts to provide disaster relief following a devastating tornado.
Dave and Tina have two sons, Jaren and Zach, and one granddaughter, Abigail.
Tina is an award-winning author, speaker, worship leader, and registered Music Therapist. She lives in Tolar, Texas with her husband David, the lead pastor of Tolar Baptist Church. Together, they have two gifted sons, Jaren and Zach. Her book Wounded Women of the Bible: Finding Hope When Life Hurts, received the 2014 Golden Scroll Award for nonfiction book of the year.
Tina’'s publishing credits also include It's a God Thing: Stories To Help You Experience The Heart of God, Guideposts; Extraordinary Answers to Prayer: In Times of Change and Unexpected Answers; Angels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters: Real Life Stories of Supernatural Events; and The One Year Life Verse Devotional. She has also contributed to The Secret Place devotional magazine, as well as Quiet Hour magazine. Website - www.tinasamples.com
Twitter - @tinasamples
My Take:
When I started reading this book, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I kind of figured it was written for men, but boy, was I surprised to find out it was more about loving your messed up man. Tina and her husband Dave alternate writing about each man they have selected to include in the book. Each author giving a different perspective to think about.
The men vary from saved to unsaved, simple to mighty, good to bad. I learned so much from this book about the way men think, what encourages them, why they do the things they do, and how their actions affect us as women. But not just that, I also learned how we, as women, can help them, encourage them, uplift them. When we need to take action, or step back and pray. Many of the things I read about definitely applied to my life.
One of the first things Tina says is "Relationships can be messy and difficult, especially when you're living with a messed up man. Trying to maneuver through life without losing your mind can feel overwhelming." Dave says, "This is not a book on how to fix your messed up man. It's bigger than that. This is a book about how to join God in His mission of transforming your man to fit into God's perfect plan and place."
Men would most likely benefit from reading this book also, but I would say it is more written for women. Some of the men discussed in this book include: Peter - a double minded man, Nebuchadnezzar - Prideful, Saul - Reckless, Moses - Angry, Job - sick, and more. Many of these men started out passionate about God, only to get sidetracked. Most of them returned to God's ways, recognized their weakness, and held on to the faith. Some did not. Not all of their wives are mentioned in the Bible, but there is still much to learn, speculation and Tina does an amazing job of imagining what it would be like to have been married to some of these men. She also uses her own personal experiences to drawn home a point. This is a very eye opening and useful resource for personal or group use. Each chapter also includes discussion questions. A note of caution though, if used in a group setting, this book should be used to grow women into better knowing how to love and pray for their men, not as a tool to point out their sins and wrong doings. I believe the authors wrote this book for the purpose of edification. Tina is quick to establish that many times we as women are not edifying our men and building them up as we should. Our men need prayer warrior wives.
This book was provided for me courtesy of The Book Club Network and Kregel in exchange for my personal opinion. No other compensation has been given and I was not required to review this book in a positive way.
Available at the Following Locations:
Kregel, Amazon, DeeperShopping
About the Authors:
Dave and Tina have two sons, Jaren and Zach, and one granddaughter, Abigail.
You can find David online at www.davesamples.blogspot.com, or link with him via Facebook or Twitter (davesamples).
Tina is an award-winning author, speaker, worship leader, and registered Music Therapist. She lives in Tolar, Texas with her husband David, the lead pastor of Tolar Baptist Church. Together, they have two gifted sons, Jaren and Zach. Her book Wounded Women of the Bible: Finding Hope When Life Hurts, received the 2014 Golden Scroll Award for nonfiction book of the year.Tina’'s publishing credits also include It's a God Thing: Stories To Help You Experience The Heart of God, Guideposts; Extraordinary Answers to Prayer: In Times of Change and Unexpected Answers; Angels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters: Real Life Stories of Supernatural Events; and The One Year Life Verse Devotional. She has also contributed to The Secret Place devotional magazine, as well as Quiet Hour magazine. Website - www.tinasamples.com
Twitter - @tinasamples
My Take:
When I started reading this book, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I kind of figured it was written for men, but boy, was I surprised to find out it was more about loving your messed up man. Tina and her husband Dave alternate writing about each man they have selected to include in the book. Each author giving a different perspective to think about.
The men vary from saved to unsaved, simple to mighty, good to bad. I learned so much from this book about the way men think, what encourages them, why they do the things they do, and how their actions affect us as women. But not just that, I also learned how we, as women, can help them, encourage them, uplift them. When we need to take action, or step back and pray. Many of the things I read about definitely applied to my life.
One of the first things Tina says is "Relationships can be messy and difficult, especially when you're living with a messed up man. Trying to maneuver through life without losing your mind can feel overwhelming." Dave says, "This is not a book on how to fix your messed up man. It's bigger than that. This is a book about how to join God in His mission of transforming your man to fit into God's perfect plan and place."
Men would most likely benefit from reading this book also, but I would say it is more written for women. Some of the men discussed in this book include: Peter - a double minded man, Nebuchadnezzar - Prideful, Saul - Reckless, Moses - Angry, Job - sick, and more. Many of these men started out passionate about God, only to get sidetracked. Most of them returned to God's ways, recognized their weakness, and held on to the faith. Some did not. Not all of their wives are mentioned in the Bible, but there is still much to learn, speculation and Tina does an amazing job of imagining what it would be like to have been married to some of these men. She also uses her own personal experiences to drawn home a point. This is a very eye opening and useful resource for personal or group use. Each chapter also includes discussion questions. A note of caution though, if used in a group setting, this book should be used to grow women into better knowing how to love and pray for their men, not as a tool to point out their sins and wrong doings. I believe the authors wrote this book for the purpose of edification. Tina is quick to establish that many times we as women are not edifying our men and building them up as we should. Our men need prayer warrior wives.
This book was provided for me courtesy of The Book Club Network and Kregel in exchange for my personal opinion. No other compensation has been given and I was not required to review this book in a positive way.
Thanks for the awesome review!
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