THE MANUAL: BIBLE NOTES FOR MEN
By Carl Beech
CWR. £4.99 each
ISBN 978 1 853 457 692 (Book 1); 978 1 853 457 708 (Book 2)
Carl Beech of Christian Vision for Men has teamed up with other leaders of men’s ministry to produce two very accessible pocket-sized daily Bible reflections for men under ‘The Manual’ banner.
Book 1 is sub-titled Power / Poker / Pleasure / Pork Pies; Book 2 Fighters / Keepers / Losers / Reapers. These snappy headlines reflect a style that is pithy, no-nonsense, attractive and direct. Each book contains 60 days’ worth of reflections on a single verse of Scripture and the presentation quality is first rate.
Their stated aim is ambitious: ‘to tackle the tough questions that confront Christian men as they battle with the consequences of personal success and failure’. A noble aim, but perhaps over-ambitious and unrealistic in such a short format, which can only really begin to open up the issue! But, as a means of encouraging men to take time out in the busyness of each day to meditate on their identity in Christ and to stimulate them to follow Christ, then there is much here that’s challenging and helpful — not least as it’s laced with humour and delivered in a punchy style.
Trevor Archer,
FIEC Director of Training and London Men’s Convention organising committee member
