Three for Dad
by Daria Sockey in Reviews on Monday, June 14, 2010 6:00 AM
Do any of the dads in your life like to read? For a little more than the price of a necktie you can give the gift of spiritual reading designed to appeal to the masculine soul.
Be a Man! Becoming the Man God Created You to Be:
by Father Larry Richards
Father Larry Richards is known here in my home diocese of Erie for the inspiring retreats he gives to teens, his work in an inner city parish, and for his national daily show on relevant radio. With his first book, Father Larry takes on men—no holds barred, no punches pulled—and tells them what they need to hear.
For example, from the opening chapter: “You are going to die! Nice way to start a book, huh? I know, but I want this thought to sink in: You are going to die. This is the truest reality there is.”
Or how about: “Many men love Frank Sinatra’s song, ‘I Did it My Way’. That is a true guy song. I love that song ... You do realize that this is the theme song of those in hell, don’t you?”
And here’s one more: “People come to me all the time and say, ‘Father I come from a dysfunctional family.’ Well, join the crowd. Everybody comes from a dysfunctional family…Your kids will be saying that about you one day. Why? Because none of us is perfect; there were only two perfect people — Jesus and Mary, and we are not either one of them!”
Fr. Larry’s style is brash, and um, manly. He whacks his audience upside the head with the conviction that they are not the men they should be, leads them to accept the powerful love of their heavenly Father, and gives them clear, practical directions on how to be live as beloved sons, with wisdom, strength, and holiness.
Tracking Virtue, Conquering Vice: A Guide for Spiritual Survival:
by Father Joseph Classen
Is your husband or Dad a sportsman who counts the days until hunting or fishing season begins? Then he’ll love Father Joe Classen’s stories of trophy bucks and the big ones that got away. Each chapter is an engaging yarn about Father’s adventures in going after various prey with gun, bow, or rod, followed by what the experience taught him about a particular vice or virtue. Angling for Alaskan salmon revealed the truth about Anger. A hunting partner’s trophy buck taught Father a lesson on greed. Overdosing on fancy new fishing gear one year made him come to grips with gluttony. Like its companion volume, Hunting for God, Fishing for the Lord, this book will meet your sportsman where he is, and take him to a deeper level.
Hiking the Camino – 500 miles with Jesus:
by Father Dave Pivonka
Although not written specifically for men the way the other two were, Fr. Dave Pivonka’s account of his pilgrimage along the ancient route across northern Spain to the shrine of Saint James will certainly appeal to the masculine crowd. Fr. Dave relates with humility and humor how his initial pride over his powers of endurance melted away after the second day’s march, when PAIN arrived, big time, and stayed for many days thereafter.
He draws spiritual lessons out of the many encounters he had with fellow pilgrims during his month long journey. A favorite example: Father’s description of the difference between the way women and men did their hand laundry at the pilgrim hostels: a woman’s goal was to have clean clothes, while the men only scrubbed long enough to make sure their clothes wouldn’t stink. Father Dave builds this story into a parable about the importance of making one’s confessions thorough and heartfelt, rather than careless and routine. Tales of mouthwatering local cuisine and pauses along the journey to cheer televised soccer matches make this a spiritual travel story with guy appeal.
—Senior writer Daria Sockey writes from her home in Pennsylvania.
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