Confessions of a Good Christian Guy: The Secrets Men Keep and the Grace that Saves Them (Paperback)

~ (Author), Tammy Maltby (Author)
Key Phrases: marriage savers, secrets men keep, Garden of Eden, Sam Keen, Larry Crabb (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Dealing with the secret pain in the lives of many "good Christian" men.

In a continuation of Confessions of a Good Christian Girl, Tammy Maltby is back with coauthor Tom Davis to get specific about the brokenness and pain in the lives of good Christian men. This isn't a lurid expose but an honest and courageous look at the secrets most often lurking behind "victorious" Christian facades.

Chapters include:

• I've got a dirty mind
• I'm a self-made man
• I want more stuff
• I need my dad
• I love booze
• I don't like to feel
• I'm so ticked off
• I want to give up

In addition to the transparent stories and insight from Davis, Matlby concludes each chapter with reflections for those who care-practical insight for individuals walking beside a man struggling with these issues.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785228063
• ISBN-13: 978-0785228066
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #276,261 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PAINFULLY HONEST BUT PLENTY OF HEALING GRACE, March 18, 2008

By	Elysa Mac "Book-aholic Homeschool Mom" (America's Deep South) - See all my reviews

My husband and I just finished reading CONFESSIONS OF A GOOD CHRISTIAN GUY by Tom Davis last week. Tom is the president of CHILDREN'S HOPECHEST, a ministry to orphans primarily in Russia and Swaziland.

Underneath the title of the book's cover are the words, "the secrets men keep and the grace that saves them". Tom's premise is that all men, even "good, Christian" ones, struggle with hard life issues. Some of these issues are more subtle such as pride and discouragement. Others are downright destructive such as alcoholism and drug addiction. Unfortunately, in the American church culture, honesty about struggles is not always encouraged. Too many men walk around wearing masks in fear that if anyone ever sees the "real" person behind the "good Christian" mask, that they will be rejected. Tom challenges men, in part by telling his own not-so-good story, to come clean. To take off the masks, admit their need for change and help, and trust God to heal and grow them through His unfailing love, mercy, and grace.

Here's an excerpt from the book:

"We will always have areas of deadwood in our lives. We will always be called to rip away the falsely righteous facades that tempt us and to talk honestly about what's truly happening in our lives. Sin flourishes whereever there are secrets. Hope, strength and an abundant life are found when grace is received and those secrets are torn away.

Hopefully our struggles dinimish as we grow to be more like Christ---our battles with sin become less frequent as we learn to live victoriously. But I don't think we ever fully arrive at our destination, this side of heaven. That's what grace is always about. We alwys need it. And it's always available to us. That's the message of this book. Grace is truly amazing. We need it like we need our next breath."

Tammy Maltby, author of CONFESSIONS OF A GOOD CHRISTIAN GIRL, has co-authored the book with Tom. Each chapter, dealing with a different sin area, is followed by Tammy's take on how people (such as wives or friends) can minister to the man in their life who is dealing with abuse, addiction to pornography, anger, etc. This aspect makes the book not just a book for men, but for the women in their lives as well.

As my husband said, Tom's book is well-written and very honest, sometimes painfully so. Sadly, my husband says that in his experience, most churches don't seem to foster the kind of relationships that encourage total transparency, accountability, and recovery. Perhaps CONFESSIONS will motivate many out there to make the changes needed to indeed develop safe, supportive environments within the church where these desperately needed male friendships can happen.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic and insightful, January 21, 2008

By	Matthew Kavgian "Matt K." (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Speaking as one of what I am sure are millions of "Good Christian Guy's", I appreciated the authenticity and fresh insight of Tom Davis' latest endeavor, "Confessions of a Good Christian Guy: The Secrets Men Keep and the Grace that Saves Them." While you may think you've seen books like this before that deal with the silent struggles of Christian men in a "high performance" religious culture, DO NOT OVERLOOK THIS BOOK. Besides the usual (and still helpful) themes of sexual purity, Tom takes us to the quieter yet no less pernicious places in our souls to reveal that we must expose our secrets to have victory over them. Dealing with the less talked about issues of pride, wanting to quit on our relationships, and numbing our pain are hard to hear, but also burden lifting as he takes you to a place of grace. I am sure I will reference this book many times more in the future.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Looks at Authetic Faith, September 2, 2008

By	J. Wallace - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a great view into what it mean to have an authentic faith that is able to get past wearing masks and be real with others and God.

Tom shares his story that shows the radical, saving nature of God's grace in personal ways. Always a page-turner this book is a great gift (that's how I got it), or for a personal gut-check. I've been thinking about doing a men's bible study on it, too. Can't recommend it enough.