The Blessing is centered around the concept of blessing your child(ren).  It stems from the story of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. It concerns children receiving unconditional love and approval from their parents.  It's a pretty interesting concept, and I found the book to be very informative.  Trent lists the five elements of the blessing as: meaningful and appropriate touch; a spoken (or written) message; attaching high value to the one being blessed; picturing a special future for him or her; and an active commitment to fulfill the blessing.  The book goes on to explain the importance for a child to receive this blessing and the negative consequences that can arise if the blessing is withheld, intentionally or not.  Situations regarding single parent households, blended families, and how to overcome the lack of the blessing as an adult are all addressed.  I think this can be a very valuable book for parents, regardless of the ages of their children.

Related anecdote: I remember the time and the place almost exactly.  It was in a hotel room in (or near) Angola, Indiana.  I was in my second year of being a graduate assistant football coach.  It was Saturday morning and I was getting ready to leave for the stadium.  My dad gave me a card.  I'm not sure exactly why he picked that day; there wasn't anything special about it.  The card had a picture of Vince Lombardi on it and the text of his famous speech, "What It Takes To Be No. 1".  Inside, Dad had written a short message that reaffirmed his love for me, that he was proud of me, and that he was confident in me.  In short, Dad had encapsulated John Trent's concept of "The Blessing".  I'm not sure if he knew of the concept or not, but I still have the card, displayed in a frame on a shelf with my other football memorabilia.  It's my favorite thing my dad has ever given to me.

Average Joe, by Troy Meeder, is about subtitled God's Extraordinary Calling to Ordinary Men.  I'd say the subtitle is half right.  The first half of the book gives multiple examples of men Meeder refers to as "average Joes", guys who aren't famous, etc.  Each example includes characteristics they have that all men can/should have.  For example, the chapter titled "The Soldier" references courage and sacrifice, doing what needs to be done.  I really enjoyed reading about these ordinary men who showed godly values and characteristics.  The second half of the book contains more anecdotes, but it seems to focus in more on living a godly life than the first half, which showed regular guys having an impact on the lives of others.  Each chapter also has references to men in the Bible who also demonstrate each of the characteristics.  It was a quick read, and the information was presented in a very casual, easy to read manner, although there were a few instances it seemed to switch to a more "preachy" approach.  The final section has a study guide that would be great for facilitating a discussion in a men's group or for an individual to go a bit deeper into the book's message.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I feel like I was entertained, informed, and challenged by Meeder's ideas and thoughts.  I would recommend this book to men of any age, particularly men's groups who are looking for a book to study.

I received this book from the publisher as part of WaterBrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books review program.

As Greg Wright, father of four girls, realized his oldest was approaching her teen years, he wondered what he could do to help them make solid, wise decisions.  His solution?  Daddy Dates.  He began taking his daughters on dates.  He theorized that when he wanted to show their mother how much he loved her and how interested he was in her, he pursued her and was creative as well.  He decided to try it out with his girls.  He resolved to call them on the phone, and ask them out on a Daddy Date (one at a time).  He paid careful attention to what they were interested in, then told them exactly what to expect on the date.  Wearing a suit, he came to the door to pick them up, then escorted them to the car and opened the door for them.  He explained to each of them what they should expect when they began dating, and told them how men should treat women, modeling it to them.  He also made sure to talk, asking open-ended questions and carefully listening to the answers.  Doing this often over the last nine years, he has developed amazing relationships with his daughters, built on trust and respect.

Wright is extremely easy to read and understand, and he presents many different situations he has been in with his girls.  His Special Thirteenth Birthday Daddy Date is pure genius!  This book was a quick read, but full of practical advice and ideas.  The appendix at the end includes a personality test for help in understanding your daughter(s), and fifteen of his best Daddy Dates.  As the father of two daughters, this book has immediate application value to me.  One of my greatest fears is that somehow I'll fail my daughters and they'll fall into horrible circumstances because of my lack of guidance; Daddy Dates is full of ideas on how to make sure that doesn't happen (or to at least reduce the chances).  Thanks Greg.

Several years ago, I read a book by John Eldredge in which he stated (I'm paraphrasing) that the reason we enjoy stories so much is that they are all a reflection of the Big Story (Jesus dying for our sins and God's plan for us).  God on the Streets of Gotham is written in that vein. 

God on the Streets of Gotham takes a look at Batman, focusing on the movies but referencing other media as well.  Asay attempts to draw parallels between Batman and the life of a Christian.  He does not claim that Batman is an analogy for Christ or Christians, merely that there are reflections of the Christian life contained in the Batman mythos.  It is an interesting take on Batman, and on Eldredge's idea about stories.

The book contains ten chapters: Masked, Marked, Nemeses, Submission, Code, Tools, Partners, Struggle, Sacrifice, and Hero.  My favorite chapter was Nemeses.  This focused on the villains Batman faces and described each of them as representing an emotion or characteristics: for example, Catwoman represents amorality and Bane represents addiction.

Overall, this was a decent book.  It did not get bogged down in philosophy or rhetoric.  It was obvious that Asay is a Batman fan and knows much of his story and history.  I enjoyed reading it.  I would really recommend it to Batman fans, as opposed to the general population.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.