Straight Talk to Men: Timeless Principles for Leading Your Family - Softcover

Dobson, James, Dr.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1414391315 ISBN 13: 9781414391311

Verlag: Tyndale House Publishers, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

<b>God’s job description for men!</b> In this classic work on the biblical roles and responsibilities of a man, Dr. James Dobson shares timeless wisdom you can use as a husband and father. A deeper understanding of God’s perspective on manhood will help you provide stability and leadership in your home—and ultimately enjoy these benefits of a family that pleases God:<ul><li>A God-given sense of your purpose in the home</li><li>A clear understanding of masculinity in today’s world</li><li>A wife who feels supported and loved</li><li>Children who know God and feel good about themselves</li><li>A solid system of family finances</li><li>Meaningful times of togetherness and mutual encouragement</li></ul><i>Straight Talk to Men</i> is a clear-headed, trustworthy resource that belongs on every man’s bookshelf. (This new edition is part of Dr. James Dobson’s Building A Family Legacy initiative.)

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Straight Talk to Men

Timeless Principles for Leading Your Family

By JAMES DOBSON

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 1991 James Dobson, Inc.
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4143-9131-1

Contents

A Man Looks Back, 
1. A Man Looks Back, 8, 
2. A Man and His Sexual Identity, 29, 
What Is a Man?, 
3. My Father, 48, 
4. The Revelation, 55, 
5. The Heritage, 61, 
A Man and His Children, 
6. A Man and His Children, 68, 
7. A Man and His Ultimate Priority, 85, 
8. A Man and His Authority, 94, 
9. Questions Pertaining to Children, 109, 
A Man and His Wife, 
10. A Man and His Wife, 132, 
11. A Man and the Straight Life, 153, 
A Man and His Work, 
12. A Man and His Work, 168, 
13. A Man and His Money, 181, 
A Man and His Masculinity, 
14. A Man and a Woman and Their Biological Differences, 192, 
15. Whatever Happened to the Women's Liberation Movement?, 201, 
A Man and His Emotions, 
16. A Man and His Midlife Years, 208, 
17. A Man and His Emotions, 218, 
18. A Man and His Animals, 227, 
A Man and His God, 
19. A Man and His God, 233, 
20. A Man and His Death, 243, 
Notes, 251, 

CHAPTER 1

A Man Looks Back

The first edition of the book you are about to read was written more than two decades ago. It has sold more than a million copies since its publication and continues to represent my best understanding of what it means to be a man ... God's man ... in today's topsy-turvy world.

I was forty-four years old when Straight Talk to Men and Their Wives was first published, and indeed, several experiences in my personal life were highly relevant to its content. My father had died recently (as you will read in chapter 3) confronting me with my own mortality. My own unexpected heart attack some years later served to emphasize the point. Our children were still at home and our house was fairly crackling with adolescent activity. Most importantly, I was knee-deep in the infamous midlife years as I sat down to write.

As it turned out, I never did go through what is commonly known as a classic midlife crisis (as described in chapter 16), but I did do my share of critical thinking during that era. By contrast, many of my friends and associates did struggle through a troubling experience in their forties. Some even went a little crazy when they realized that youth was gone and life was rapidly passing them by. Although sympathetic to their distress, I found it somewhat amusing to watch these men trying desperately to hold on to what was already long gone.

Twenty-plus years ago, and to some degree today, men in midlife crisis wore their self-doubt like a walking billboard for the whole world to see. Suit coats and ties were replaced by garish silk shirts, which were always left unbuttoned down in the direction of the navel. A bushy array of gray chest hair was usually on display. It had been carefully blow-dried. A gold medallion on a chain was usually nestled in the curly crop, presumably as a testimonial to youthful vigor. The men also did weird things with their hair, attempting to make a little look like a lot. (The frustrating thing about aging is that hair won't grow on the top, but it sprouts abundantly in the nose and ears.) In serious cases of baldness, this meant whipping the sideburns over the top and then cementing everything in place with super glue. Sharp-pointed Italian type shoes finished off the garb, accompanied by Rolex watches (probably fake) and heavy jewelry on both hands. So much for the appropriate uniform.

Men in midlife crisis then sought to beef up their image with racy automobiles. Their cars had to be sleek, fast, and hot. A Porsche or a Ferrari conveyed the proper message, but a guy with financial problems might have to settle for a Volkswagen with mag wheels. Thus outfitted, the aging gentleman and his shaky ego set out to conquer worlds unknown.

Sexual conquest was, and still is, the ultimate proof of virility for the over-the-hill gang. These men often try their luck with younger ... hopefully gorgeous ... ladies. They flirt with their secretaries and make passes at every skirt that passes by. They are also frustrated by their wives' age, because it reminds them of their own.

I heard of one such man who came in one night and asked his wife what she was smearing on her face.

"Cold cream," she replied.

"What's it for?" he asked naively.

"Wrinkles," came the response.

He thought for a moment and then said, "Well the stuff is working. You got a whole raft of 'em."

An article that appeared in a local newspaper described another man with a similar attitude who abandoned his wife and ran off with another woman. This is what it said,

A young man spotted a Mercedes for sale in a newspaper. He telephoned to inquire, assuming the figure must be a typographical error. A woman answered the phone and told him the figure was correct. He asked whether or not the car was damaged. "No, it's in perfect condition," she told him. Then why was she selling it at such a ridiculously low price? "Well, my husband just phoned me from Las Vegas. He's there with his secretary. He told me he's leaving me and that he went broke gambling. He asked me to sell the Mercedes and send him half of what I got for it. That's just what I'm going to do!"

This playboy is only beginning to realize what his fun and games will cost him. The consequences of infidelity usually reverberate for a lifetime and touch every member of the family. I'm thankful, as I indicated earlier, that I did not experience these same pressures that brought the roof down on some of my friends. Shirley and I have now been married for over forty years and I couldn't be happier about that fact. I own no silk shirts and I drive a four-door sedan. Nevertheless, I was confronted during the forties by some of the same unsettling thoughts that gnaw at the souls of other men in the midlife years.

It is almost impossible to bridge the awesome gap between the thirties and the fifties without wandering for a time through a dark valley. My journey was no exception. For at least seven years, I went through a period best described as a time of "contemplative reassessment." I was busily dealing in that decade with the many disturbing thoughts that echo through the mind of a man who realizes suddenly that he will not live forever. Whether he is a Christian, an atheist, an agnostic, or a New Ager, he must come to terms with these kinds of questions: "Who am I, really?" and "What am I doing here?" and "Is this the way I want to spend the rest of my life?" and "What really matters to me?" and "Who put me here?" and "What did He have in mind for me to accomplish?" and "Is Someone keeping score?" and "Is there life after death?" and "What will it be like to die?" These and many related questions seem to descend on men in rapid succession in midlife.

As a deeply committed believer in Jesus Christ, I had already answered the questions related to my faith and my relationship with my Maker. Nevertheless, I needed to transform my beliefs from a youthful abstraction to a personal reality. I also needed to get a new fix on my circumstances and objectives. Have you arrived at that point in life? Have you ever felt like you were running so fast and were so involved and entangled with the task of living that you were failing to notice about 90 percent of what was happening around you? That's what was going on in my mind. By the time I had paid my taxes,...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Tyndale House Publishers
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1414391315
• ISBN 13: 9781414391311
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 249
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar