Book Recommendation: Tender Warrior

31Jan'22
No.13
///// An IronMen Moment /////

(Designed to be passed along to men and young men in your life.)

Book Recommendation: Tender Warrior

This is possibly the best book on men, masculinity, and fathering that I've read so far. I've read through at least a dozen during the last 20-25 years. 

Why was I driven to read them? Because I was in the midst of being a father during that time -- a period that was simultaneous with society's effort to tear down and destroy masculinity, fathers, fathering/parenting, and boys. 
The trouble now is just this: my sons are raised, living successful lives as adult Christian men, functioning quite well "in their own skin" as males... but the overcast of culture has darkened. It's worse now than it was when I started my trek into fatherhood. The coming generations of fathers and sons may be looking for the same kind of encouragement. Thus, IronMen.


So, if anything, Stu Weber's book is even MORE relevant now than it was when it came out in the '90s. That's why I recommend it to you whole-heartedly. Mr. Weber is a former military professional who led men in combat (Army Special Forces, Green Beret). He is also a father of three sons, and a pastor. As you can imagine, he speaks from a great deal of experience. But it is his pastoring heart that rings out most clearly in his books. 
I've read every one he published, and they're ALL worth your time. I'll include the Table of Contents for Tender Warrior below; there are two chapters (3: Four Pillars of a Man's Heart & 13: Locking Arms) that became their own books later, after this one was published. I may do a book review and recommendation on his Four Pillars of a Man's Heart, at a later time. It is EXCELLENT, too.

Before I give you the write-up from his website, I'll just say that much like the reading I did on Christian homeschooling through the decade earlier (particularly Raymond Moore's book), Tender Warrior provided the needed grounding, rationale, approach, and encouragement I needed to set off in my pursuit of a Godly design for fathering. It was that good.

And why? Because it brought the key pieces of God-designed masculinity together in an ordered way, it grounded it all in Scripture and Biblical principles, and it squarely and fairly addressed the counter-influences coming out of radical feminism, anti-God arguments, postmodernism, relativism, and the like.

The Stu Weber site write-up:

"Young men aspire to it. Women admire it. Yet the definition of manhood itself is obscured by a culture in moral free fall. This book cuts through the fog and defines a powerful blueprint for being the man—theTender Warrior—that God desires for you and your family. You’ll discover that a Tender Warrior:

• watches out for what lies ahead—like a wagon train scout;
• keeps his commitments, no matter how painful;
• has a tender heart beating beneath his armor;
• understands his responsibility to his wife, children, and friends;
• recognizes that he is “under orders from higher headquarters.”

Stu Weber ’s now classic teaching on a man’s vigilance, staying power, and consideration for the women in his life will move you to pursue the man you were created to be."

Some recommendations offered:

“When Stu Weber wrote Tender Warrior, he unintentionally wrote an autobiography. Never have I read a book which has more credibility in terms of the author’s own life. In a day when our culture is at once confused and concerned over gender identity, men everywhere would do well to recalibrate their personal compasses by the Biblical benchmarks found in Tender Warrior. I highly recommend this book!

BRUCE H. WILKINSON, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, WALK THRU THE BIBLE MINISTRIES
÷÷÷

“Tender Warrior is a very meaningful and enlightening book for any man to read who is interested in seeking to become a man in the full sense of the word. Stu Weber certainly has captured the dilemma that many men find themselves in in today’s society, and outlines strategies for becoming more fully human and also more fully Christ–centered in their lives.”

TOM OSBORNE, FORMER HEAD FOOTBALL COACH-UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
÷÷÷

“Tender Warrior is a must read for every man seeking true masculinity, written in a style that is easy to understand and apply. From the viewpoint of a member of the profession of arms, Stu Weber is credible. He has been there and paid his dues. I recommend the book as a manual for a men’s accountability group.”

ROBERT L. VERNON, ASSISTANT CHIEF OF POLICE, LOS ANGELES, (RET.)
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“Just when we need it most, just when the battle for the hearts of men and their families is most intense, in God’s perfect timing, comes Stu Weber’s Tender Warrior. This is a book which both tiptoes into your consciousness and your conscience, and thunders in with powerful impact. It is a book that everyman and all those who love men should read.”

BOB BRINER, PROSERVTELEVISION-PRESIDENT, AUTHOR OF ROARING LAMBS
÷÷÷

The TOC, in case you want more detail:
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.Wake-Up Call:
A Man Faces Himself

2.The Return of Flint McCullugh:
A Man and His Pro-vision

3.The Four Pillars of Manhood:
A Man and His Roots

4. Staying Power:
A Man’s Greatest Strength

5. Beneath the Breastplate:
A Man’s Tender Side

6. Under Orders:
A Man and His Leadership

7. The Rest of the Story:
A Man and His Lady — Part I

8. Does Anyone Here Speak “WOMAN”?:
A Man and His Lady — Part II

9. The Incredible Power of Fathering:
A Man and His Children — Part I

10. Spanning the Generations:
A Man and His Children — Part II

11. Arrows in the Hand of a Warrior:
A Man and His Children — Part III

12. Real Men Stand Together:
A Man and His Friends — Part I

13. Locking Arms:
A Man and His Friends — Part II

14. The Ultimate Tender Warrior:
A Man and His Lord
Afterword

Brought to you by IronMen, where men can strengthen men.

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