Top Books for Men in 2015

Below are a dozen books published in 2015 that we think can help you better understand and live out how God has uniquely wired you and called you to be a man of God. They offer wisdom, encouragement and challenge to live boldly, courageously in light the gospel of God. Check out the highlighted links to Amazon for previews, summaries and reviews:

Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel by Dr. Russell Moore (WACMM's 2015 Book of the Year for Men)

ESV Men’s Devotional Bible by Crossway
(This is the best men’s devotional/study bible out there)

Designed for Joy: How the Gospel Impacts Men and Women, Identity and Practice by Owen Strachan, editor and contributor

We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage and the Very Meaning of Right and Wrong by Albert Mohler

Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race and Getting Free From the Fears and Frustrations That Divide Us by Benjamin Watson

Devotions for the Man in the Mirror: 75 Devotionals to Cultivate a Deeper Walk with Christ by Patrick Morley

The New Man: Becoming a Man After God’s Heart by Dan Doriani

Like Father, Like Son: How Knowing God as Father Changes Men by Pete Alwinson

The Dude's Guide to Marriage: Ten Skills Every Husband Must Develop to Love His Wife Well by Darrin and Amie Patrick

The Mingling of Souls: God’s Design for Love, Marriage,Sex and Redemption by Matt Chandler

Side by Side: Walking with Others in Wisdom and Love by Edward T Welch

Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity by Tim Challies

Facing the Blitz: Three Strategies for Turning Your Trails Into Triumphs by Jeff Kemp

Ten Diagnostic Questions for Your Marriage

I was recently talking to a friend of mine who suggested that laughter is often a very good indicator of how well the marriage is going. When the silliness slows down, it may be because you are in a season of suffering, but it may also mean you’ve exited a season of peace and trust. The couple that laughs together lasts together.

This insight got me thinking: what are some other questions that can help diagnose the health of our marital life? Here are ten that may prove useful.

1. Do you pray together? This may be the hardest one, so I’ll put it first. While I do know of good marriages where the husband and wife don’t pray together nearly as much as they would like, I don’t know any bad marriages where the husband and wife pray together all the time.

2. Do you still notice each other? I don’t remember much about the movie Dave (the 90’s flick about a lookalike who stands in for a deceased president), but I remember a scene where the pretend president (played by Kevin Kline) is caught staring at the legs of his “wife” (Sigourney Weaver). Later it is revealed that she knew from that early moment that this man was not her real husband, because her real husband (who died having an affair) hadn’t looked at her legs for years. Okay, it’s not a great movie, but it’s not a bad lesson. Is there any chance anyone would ever catch you noticing your spouse as attractive?

3. Do you ever hold hands? In the movies? On the couch? Walking around the block? During prayer at church? In the car? We all love to see old couples holding hands. It always made me feel good as a kid to see my dad reach for my mom’s hand while driving (yes, it was sometimes dangerous). If this simple act of affection is missing, more may be missing than you realize.

4. When is the last time you said “I’m sorry”? Not as an excuse. Not with a snarl. But a sincere, tender, broken-hearted apology.

5. When is the last time you said, “Thank you”? I’m not talking about politeness when passing the salt. I’m talking about a specific expression of gratitude for doing the dishes, for letting you sleep in, for working hard to provide for the family, for watching the kids all day, or for making your favorite meal.

6. When is the last time you planned a surprise? A few weeks ago I got my wife flowers for no particular reason. It just felt like it had been too long since I had gone out of my way to give her something nice. Do you still surprise each other with gifts, with special outings, with a kiss out of the blue, with coming home early (or staying up late)?

7. When is the last time you embarrassed the kids together? Children should roll their eyes from time to time because of how silly mom and dad can get. They should see you dancing, see you kissing, see you acting utterly goofy. The kids will hate it, but deep down probably love it too. Children need to see their parents having a grand time together.

8. When is the last time you went out and talked about something other than the kids? You don’t have to spend money. You can go on a walk, grab a swing, or drink water (it’s always cold!) at Panera. Just get away from the kids and try not fixate on them when they’re not there.

9. What would others think about your spouse just by listening to you speak about him or her? We all have occasions where we talk about our spouse to others–in a small group, at a prayer meeting, to another friend, to a family member, to the pastor. If someone could overhear everything you said about your husband or wife in a month, and then they met your spouse for the first time, would they be surprised by the person they found? From your conversation, would others guess that your spouse is a prince of a guy or queen of the harpies?

10. Do you think more about what you aren’t giving or about what you aren’t getting? We all get hurt in marriage. We all get disappointed. Stick with someone until death and you are bound to be wronged a time or two. But as you think about what needs help in your marriage, are you fixated on your spouse’s deficiencies or your room for improvement? To love like Christ is to commit to loving well even when we are not loved as we deserve.



by Kevin DeYoung is senior pastor of University Reformed Church (PCA) in East Lansing, Michigan, near Michigan State University. He and his wife Trisha have six young children. 

Why Your Identity Is Not the Same as Your Role

Don't Let Your Calling Become an Idol

Pastors, missionaries, and other Christian workers are often liable to a unique pitfall in that the thing that tempts them most is a really good gift. It is the temptation to find your identity in your role.

But the truth is that all of our roles are temporary. They are callings that we have for a season. You won’t have that calling forever. If you build your essential sense of who you are into that role, you will create a monstrosity out of it—at some level, it will become idolatrous.The opposite to creating a distortion in your role is anchoring your identity in things that actually relate more intrinsically to who you are as a person, as a man, as a human being.

For example, the first four Beatitudes in Matthew 5 all portray an essential sense of need for help outside of yourself. If a pastor, a missionary, a teacher, a professor, a counselor, or any kind of Christian worker loses that sense of fundamentally being a dependent and in need of mercy—and starts to attach their identity to a role that they play, as good as that role may be—they will start to skew their self-understanding. They will become prone to possessiveness, owning turf, getting defensive, becoming messianic, or any number of particular temptations that stem from getting too hung up on a calling. When this happens, you have lost sight of the essential identity that is supposed to be the heartbeat of your life.

No matter what your calling is—whether as a pastor or as someone who is on his deathbed and in need of pastoring—the question is the same: have you, throughout your life, cultivated a core identity that is anchored in Christ instead of in your role here on earth?

by David Powlison serves as the executive director of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation and is a contributor to the ESV Men's Devotional Bible.