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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Becoming a Man, as God Intends, April 26, 2007
Author Bob Schultz, coming from the background of an outdoor man of the Pacific Northwest, who works with his hands, both for a living and as part of his own service toward God, has managed to craft in BOYHOOD AND BEYOND, a highly useful and relevant work to guide boys into becoming men as God intends, one who protects and provides for his family, yet has enough humility to stoop to help a weaker one in need of a helping hand.
I have been using this book for almost a year now with my eleven-year-old homeschooled grandson, who loves these lessons and the time we spend together discussing them. He has recently begun covering the chapters on his own, with me close by as a sounding board for scriptural truths he wishes to discuss further.
My grandson was particularly looking forward to the chapter, "Preparing for a Wife," but was a little surprised and disappointed at the author's idea of how to do that. On the first page of that chapter, Schultz says, "God designed perfect classrooms for marriage training. They are called little sisters. Hopefully, you have one or more of these little girls around your home." My grandson has two, but even though I have been telling him essentially the same thing as Schultz, it seemed to sink in better for him, coming from Schultz.
The book is organized in thirty-one chapters, so used as a daily devotional, can be covered in about a month. The author has put forth topics relevant for Christian boys, and I have not detected any denominational bias in his writing, yet it is in no manner without backbone. He simply sticks with the essentials.
Schultz does not equivocate on important matters. One of the latter chapters is, "A Time to Kill," which he opens with these words, "One challenge of growing into a man is learning when it is time to kill and when it is not. Sometimes people get mixed up and kill when they shouldn't and refuse to kill when they should. How can a boy know when it is right?" He closes that chapter with, "We live in a day when people will kill their own babies yet won't kill a diseased mouse in their pantry. We are in need of men who have eyes to see the value of animals. We need men who have the courage to kill when it is time to kill."
Parents concerned about how the insidious subtlety of ungody agendas may be creeping in and and negatively influencing their sons will appreciate such uncompromising words as the foregoing. In writing this book, the author has self-apparently drawn wisdom from God Himself, through His written word, and not from the world, the flesh and the devil, all of which are at enmity with God.
We own another book by the author, CREATED FOR WORK, and I plan to start using that one soon with all three of my homeschooled grandchildren, currently 11, 8 and 6, having high hopes that chore time will go more smoothly thereafter! I plan to let you know through another review of that book!
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