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Call to Action: Become the Man God Designed You to Be
The world needs real men. Christian men. But real manhood doesn’t just happen.Are you ready for basic training? In A Call to Action, Ebenezer Alun calls young men to stop being passive and pursue godly character. In thirty chapters, he provides practical steps for pursuing godly manhood. Take action to become the man of God you must be—the man who our churches, schools, universities, workplaces, families, communities, and countries need you to be.Learn how the man of ReadsPraysLeadsWorksAnd more as you Become the Man God Designed You to Be!Endorsements“Clearly and affectionately, Alun Ebenezer appeals to young men to come to Christ and cling to Him, to follow Him closely in all of life. . . I will gladly give it to my sons and other lads, praying that they will not only read but also heed its earnest counsels.” —Jeremy Walker, author of Passing Pilgrim Life in the Wilderness “Don’t miss this, whatever you do! . . . What is this all about? What do I live for? What is reality? Can I know the purpose of life? How should I live? Can I know God for myself? These are among the most important questions you can ask, and this book is bound to help.”—Geoff Thomas, author of You Can Have It All and Knowing the Cross
128 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 26, 2024
Meh.
If you want a book encouraging young men to be men, read Ryle.
Ebenezer attempts to give young men action steps to become fully grown men. And in my opinion he gives good, true tips but fails to give any real direction to that end. He writes 30 “actions” that young men are supposed to do to become men. The first two are:
1. Be male (Basically, don’t be transgender)
2. Behold Jesus acknowledging that he is a man
It’s addressed to an unspecified group of young men. Seems like early teenagers. Maybe 10 at the earliest because each chapter or “action” is between 1.5 and 3 pages long and very generalized. Nothing particularly noteworthy about this one. Nothing wrong as far as I can tell. It just doesn’t contribute anything significant to the discussion of raising men.
I didn’t finish the whole thing. I stopped at action 22 before finally deciding that it likely wasn’t going to get better.
If you want a book encouraging young men to be men, read Ryle.
Ebenezer attempts to give young men action steps to become fully grown men. And in my opinion he gives good, true tips but fails to give any real direction to that end. He writes 30 “actions” that young men are supposed to do to become men. The first two are:
1. Be male (Basically, don’t be transgender)
2. Behold Jesus acknowledging that he is a man
It’s addressed to an unspecified group of young men. Seems like early teenagers. Maybe 10 at the earliest because each chapter or “action” is between 1.5 and 3 pages long and very generalized. Nothing particularly noteworthy about this one. Nothing wrong as far as I can tell. It just doesn’t contribute anything significant to the discussion of raising men.
I didn’t finish the whole thing. I stopped at action 22 before finally deciding that it likely wasn’t going to get better.
July 6, 2024
This short little book doesn’t provide any groundbreaking thoughts or ideas. What it does provide is encouragement to young men to grow into old men of character who persevere in the faith. Highly recommend to young men and even older gents who have been persevering for some time can find a few nuggets in this one.
Love that Ebenezer provides a 4 year reading plan at the very end. I’ll be picking through that list in the future for sure. 10/10
Love that Ebenezer provides a 4 year reading plan at the very end. I’ll be picking through that list in the future for sure. 10/10
October 12, 2024
As a dad of daughters and sons, I've always looked for resources to read with them and help bring about discussions. As they got older we went this way, and then that to try and achieve some aspect of "covering all our bases," as the saying goes. Even though my children have all moved on into adulthood, I still look for resources for other parents. So I was interested in "Call to Action: Become the Man God Designed You to Be." This wee 128-page manual looked to be something I would have used when the kids still lived at home. Alun Ebenezer, CEO and Executive Headmaster of Fulham Boys School in London, England, has given parents and youth ministers a little handbook they might just find useful. The working assumption in the book is, if "you get the men, you get the home, the church, and the culture" (viii), and that seems right to me.
This small compendium includes 30 short chapters that cover a number of aspects fathers, mothers, and pastors would likely want to cover with their young men. For example, the first several chapters dwell deeply on the gospel and coming to faith in Christ. Beyond that, many of the subjects move on to normal discipleship areas like prayer, church membership and involvement, and more. The subjects covered were to the point, but gracious and helpful. Such as when the author was discussing the need to listen and learn, he wittily observes, "Today we think we know best, and we act as if the two-thousand-year-old church has been waiting for us to arrive on the scene" (86). Or, while talking about the boys growing up as leaders doing the right thing, which is not always the easiest thing, Ebenezer turns toward these young male readers one day being husbands. In this regard he rightly states, "They are meant to lead in such a way that wives will find it easy to submit" (97).
This small book is easy to keep on track with, and follow along. It is ideal for dads and moms with sons, Christian Schools, and even churches. It appears that these volumes can be picked up individually but also in discounted case sizes to make it simpler for putting them in parents' hands. I recommend the book.
This small compendium includes 30 short chapters that cover a number of aspects fathers, mothers, and pastors would likely want to cover with their young men. For example, the first several chapters dwell deeply on the gospel and coming to faith in Christ. Beyond that, many of the subjects move on to normal discipleship areas like prayer, church membership and involvement, and more. The subjects covered were to the point, but gracious and helpful. Such as when the author was discussing the need to listen and learn, he wittily observes, "Today we think we know best, and we act as if the two-thousand-year-old church has been waiting for us to arrive on the scene" (86). Or, while talking about the boys growing up as leaders doing the right thing, which is not always the easiest thing, Ebenezer turns toward these young male readers one day being husbands. In this regard he rightly states, "They are meant to lead in such a way that wives will find it easy to submit" (97).
This small book is easy to keep on track with, and follow along. It is ideal for dads and moms with sons, Christian Schools, and even churches. It appears that these volumes can be picked up individually but also in discounted case sizes to make it simpler for putting them in parents' hands. I recommend the book.
April 19, 2024
When I was nineteen, I attended a tight-knit gospel-proclaiming Baptist church nestled among northwest Ohio’s cornfields. There, I learned early on that Christianity is ‘cerebral.’ As Grandpa used to say, “Christianity is a thinking man’s religion.”
In other words, when thinking about God, we use our brains and don’t turn them off.
At twenty-three, I still need the reminder: “Think!”
This action word is one of Alun Ebenezer’s chief imperatives in his timely primer on biblical manhood, Call to Action.
Review continued at https://medium.com/@benjaminkwriting/...
In other words, when thinking about God, we use our brains and don’t turn them off.
At twenty-three, I still need the reminder: “Think!”
This action word is one of Alun Ebenezer’s chief imperatives in his timely primer on biblical manhood, Call to Action.
Review continued at https://medium.com/@benjaminkwriting/...
May 11, 2024
This book is okay. Debated between a 3 and a 4. There is some good material in here, and each chapter is very short. I can see it possibly being useful as a starting point for having a conversation with your boys on important topics. There's nothing mind-blowing or earth shattering here, and it's a little trendy with all one-word chapters titled "Be", "Behold", "Call", "Cast", "Belong", etc., but nothing too strange, aside from the odd suggestion that Jesus "left time, entered eternity, and suffered an eternal hell." (p. 24) Otherwise, decent.
May 14, 2024
A great book for young men (youth-aged boys, I’d say) to take up and read. There are 30 chapters, each titled with an action to take. The chapters are clear and concise, giving good biblical and theological exposition before moving into how the reader can put the action into practice. I recommend this resource for youth boys!
August 22, 2024
Overall, not bad. Each reading is short and easy to do each day. I'm sure Alun is a great headmaster and does good work training young boys to be men, but you should probably just read JC Ryle's thoughts for young men instead.
November 21, 2024
Reads like a devotional. Enjoyed some of it. Not first on my list to recommend to young men. There are better books out there for that audience.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews