"Growing Up Colt" by Colt and Brad McCoy

I am a Cleveland Browns fan so when I heard our Quarterback is a Christian and wrote a book about his life, I wanted to read it. I was surprised to find that his dad wrote some of it as well. This was an interesting read because Colt and his dad share very personal experiences from Colt's childhood and also how his training growing up helped him to become the leader and the role model that he is today. Brad, his dad, shared four main principles of parenting while balancing discipline and love:


 1. Prepare the kid for the path, not the path for the kid.
2. Prepare your children to do their best.
3. Prepare your children to be leaders.
4. Prepare your children for open and closed doors.

I also thought the lessons Colt said he learned were very good, such as always finish what you start, treat everyone with respect, listen to advice from those more experienced than you and relax because "the hay is in the barn."  He used this phrase in his first NFL start as a Cleveland Brown and the guys asked him what it meant.  It means they practiced and put in the work, so now they can relax and go out and play.  (He grew up on a farm in Texas.)

It was nice to read about someone who walks with God and didn't make a lot of bad choices that messed up their life. I think the book balances his childhood training, football games, and his walk with the Lord well. I enjoyed learning so much about Colt through this book. He's definitely a leader with character and I am happy he is our Quarterback! I recommend it to parents, all Browns fans and anyone who is interested in football.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Season of Life--A Football Star, A Boy, A Journey To Manhood" by Jeffrey Marx

Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx is about Joe Ehrmann, an ex-football player who became a minister and a high school football coach.  The author was a ball boy for the football team when he met Joe.  They lost contact but then got back in touch when the author, who grew up to be a journalist, decided to track down the former players and write about what they were doing.  Jeffrey Marx followed Joe's high school team for a year and found out that winning and losing is not the only things that Joe teaches them.  He taught them life lessons on how to be a man by being focused on others and not themselves.  With High School football coming up soon, this is a good book to read.  I enjoyed it a lot!
 (Gerard's review)

Season Of Life by Jeffrey Marx is a inspirational book that I highly recommend to any man, teen boy, parent, coach or teacher. It does not read like a text book at all.  I really enjoyed following the High School Football team through the eyes of the author.  Joe Erhmann is an example of a Godly man putting God’s Word into practice.   Season of Life is all about teaching boys to become men.  The author learns to improve his relationship with his father through watching Joe Erhmann model the basic strategic masculinity principles he learned from God’s Word as he teaches them to the high school football team he coaches. 

Jeffrey Marx looked up to Joe as a football player when Jeffrey was just a kid and connected with him again as a man.  Joe had a father who was always telling him to “be a man” and would punch him and tell him to be tough, that real men don’t cry.  He was into the “false masculinity” mindset of athletic ability, sexual conquest and economic success until his brother died.  While waiting at the hospital during his brother’s illness, he came across a poem that impacted his life by Edwin Markhm:

There is a destiny that makes us brothers;
None goes his way alone:
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.

Then he searched for some real meaning to life and through talking to the team’s unofficial Chaplain and studying the Bible God transformed him into a devout Christian.  Joe became a minister and a high school football coach whose program included “building men for others.” 

He came to the realization that masculinity is all about relationships, being focused on others, and a code of conduct that includes accepting responsibility, leading courageously, enacting justice on behalf of others and empathy.  From here on he not only models these principles but also teaches them to the boys on his football team. 

The book that Joe gave to Jeffrey Marx that helped him get to actually know his father better is Questions For My Father—Finding The Man Behind Your Dad.  It’s just a collection of questions to ask to get communication flowing on a deeper level.  This may be helpful to someone so just thought I’d mention it.
(Karen's review)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Public Enemies" by Bryan Burrough

Public Enemies:  America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI 1933-34 by Bryan Burrough and Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan are so far tie for my number 1 books of 2009.  This book is about the gangster era of the early 30s featuring Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and a few more.  

The stories about these people are so fascinating that it made me want to keep reading.  A ton of research went into making this book come alive.  I really, really enjoyed this book and plan to see the movie based on it one day.  I think this book would appeal more to men than women though--a great read!
(Gerard's review 9/09)

I got the DVD and started watching it but was disappointed in it.  The book is so much better!

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?