Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

The Dude’s Guide to Manhood {Book Review}

The Dude’s Guide to Manhood
Finding True Manliness in a World of Counterfeits
By Darrin Patrick
About the book:

Discover the path to true masculinity—to an adventurous life of strength, purpose, and clarity.

Didn’t we used to understand manhood? Wasn’t there a time once when it was clear and straightforward? Are we lost?

Dudes, look around you: The trail we once traveled from boyhood to maturity is now so overgrown, it’s almost impossible to trace. Our vision is blurred, rendering the map that previous generations followed unreadable. Our compass needles are spinning in circles, making navigation impossible. We are stuck in dense, dangerous woods, and our communities—the wives, children, friends, and colleagues we could be influencing—are suffering as a result.

It can be tempting to give up and, like so many men today, simply exist, but take heart: Now is not the time for men to abandon our quest. We can discover the path to true masculinity—to an adventurous life of strength, purpose, and clarity.

In The Dude’s Guide to Manhood, pastor, author and dude Darrin Patrick charts a course back toward real manliness, mapping out a vision to help men find significance and influence in today’s broken, mixed-message culture. Revealing his own frailties and missteps, Patrick doesn’t preach at you but walks with you on a journey toward healing and wholeness.

Filled with timeless wisdom, accessible insights and practical guidance, The Dude’s Guide to Manhood issues an encouraging and doable call to all men, whatever your age or stage. We need not settle for wandering aimlessly through our days, wounded, weak, and passive. Instead, we can get back on the trail, embrace our gifts while facing our imperfections, and trust the God of new beginnings to lead us into all that we are destined to become: forgiven, connected, determined, teachable, content, heroic, and so much more.

When I saw this book available, I had an inkling that my husband might like it.  And, well, the beard on the cover drew me in.  I called my husband in the room and had him read over the description, he agreed it sounded like a good read.  What really convinced us was when we watched the video on it.  Once you watch the video below, you’ll understand why.


And with that, I ordered the book.  My husband couldn’t wait for me to receive it so he could start reading it straight away.  Here is his review…

What do you say when the book you start to read sounds like someone wrote it about you? That is what this book was in the first four pages! From the young years of life to now. Men today feel that we have it all under control.  When actually, when we try to do it alone it’s a no go. Darrin Patrick hit’s the nail right on the head in this! From ones self, to the wife and kids, and even work.  He shows us how to help and guide each other in Gods word. A must read for every man!

An amazing quote from the book…Sadly, most men quit. We tend to channel our drive and energy away from overcoming our weaknesses–and toward whatever makes us feel better. Men hit the eject button and hide in juvenile behavior such as video games, pornography, sports leagues, or substance abuse.

This book was provided to me free of charge by Book Look in return for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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Balancing It All {Book Review}

Balancing It All
By Candace Cameron Bure

About the book:

“How do you do it all?” 

That’s the question that wife, mom, actress, and best-selling author Candace Cameron Bure is often asked. And it’s a question that women everywhere are asking themselves as we seek to balance all of our roles, responsibilities, and opportunities. 

So, how do we do it? Working since the age of 5, Candace has been in a balancing act for nearly her entire life. She is the first to tell you that there is no miracle formula for perfect execution in every area of your life, but there definitely are some lessons to be learned, lessons that come to life in Candace’s story. 

Come along and dig into Candace’s story from her start in commercials, the balance-necessitating years on Full House, to adding on the roles of wife and mom while also returning to Hollywood. Insightful, funny, and poignant, Candace’s story will help you balance it all.

As many of us did, I grew up watching Full House as a little girl and loved Candace Cameron’s funny character, DJ!  In fact, we still watch Full House reruns in this household and it’s one of my littles favorite shows.  And what girl didn’t have a crush on Kirk Cameron?  I may or may not have had a huge poster of him on my bedroom wall that I ripped out of a magazine.

I looked up to them as a teenager and was so happy to reconnect with them as an adult. Their unwavering Christian values are something I look up to. It’s an inspiration to see celebrities be open about their faith and have an influence on so many hearts.
Once I started reading the book, the little glimpses into her childhood, not only at home but also on the set of Full House, really drew me in.  This was one of those books that was difficult to put down!

In her book, Candace shares her tips as well as what she does every day to put God first and balance out her day to day life…she isn’t perfect but she is trying and she shares very openly and candidly which is refreshing for me as well.

There were so many times I was nodding my head in agreement as I read.  And then there were times when I was challenged and had a few ouchie moments when I read something I obviously need to work on.  It was so easy for me to connect with her personally because of all these things.

She lives her life by these priorities…God and faith, then family then work. Oh, how we could learn from that. Throughout this book the reality is woven that you can be a successful woman while still being an incredible wife and mother. While balancing isn’t always easy, it is possible as long as your priorities are set right.

I absolutely love reading and hearing about other women who are strong in their faith and also strong role models for other women. It’s amazing to have women to look up to as wives, mothers and in business.


B & H Publishing Group provided this book to me for free in exchange for this honest review.

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Beating Cancer + Smashing Plates = Lung Leavin’ Day

 

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Cameron Von St. James and asked to share their story. This is one of the most exciting things about being in the public eye and having a blog. I sometimes get asked to share my support for some super awesome causes!

As I read their story, my heart was touched. It took me back many years, to when my Mom was first diagnosed with cancer when I was little. How tragic, scary and just overwhelmingly sad. But their story doesn’t end there!!! Heather fought cancer and won. They celebrate every year by writing their fears on a plate then burning the plates in a bonfire as a symbolic way to get rid of their fears. I think this is a fabulous idea. Let’s celebrate and burn our fears away!

Heather’s health started to decline three short months after the birth of our only daughter Lily in 2005. At this point she was losing 5 to 7 pounds a week, had no appetite and felt like a truck parked itself on her chest. After she couldn’t take the exhaustion any longer, we finally called the doctor to have some tests done. In November of 2005, we got the news that Heather had been diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

I can remember sitting in the doctor’s office with Heather in absolute shock as the doctor laid out our options, none of which were good. If we did nothing, Heather would probably live only 15 months. This was not an option since we did not want Lily growing up without a mother. We were referred to Dr. David Sugarbaker in Boston for a promising surgery called an extrapleural pneumonectomy. Also known as the removal of the affected lung. After finding out that Heather was the perfect candidate, we scheduled her surgery date for February 2nd, 2006.

I can remember living life from one doctor’s appointment to the next, not being able to make plans very far into the future. Once I realized what I had control over and what I did not, living with an uncertain future became easier. I also told myself to never look back and question any choices I had made. I would make the best decision with the information I had at the time and always move forward… never look back. Eight years later, we celebrate the anniversary of her surgery, which we call LungLeavin’ Day, as an event to raise money for mesothelioma, celebrate life and throw our biggest fears to the fire!

LungLeavin’ Day is a celebration of life, and part of that celebration is to write your fears on a plate and then to smash that plate and those fears in the fire. It is a way of conquering your fears. Of saying yes these things scare me, but I will not let my fears hold me back for living the life I want to live, of becoming the person I want to be. I may be afraid, but I won’t back down or give up. It’s not that we have fears, but what we chose to do when confronted by those fears.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me
Psalm 23:4

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