In the Thick of It: Raising Sons to Be Men of Unyielding Conviction in a Culture of Confusion

by Jason Cruise

Do you have a plan, a real plan, for raising your sons to be men of God? 
You can bet pop culture has a plan for them, and it won’t be anything that honors God. 

In the Thick of It  lays out a proven model to help you raise your sons to be men of unyielding conviction in a culture of confusion. Each chapter will challenge and encourage you to be intentional about raising boys with a healthy mindset and faith framework in a spiritually hostile world. Jason Cruise, minister to men and father to two boys, covers timeless topics that are essential in the successful parenting of sons--including ​Divided Loyalties, The Judgment Day of Popular Opinion, Redefining the Goal, What My Sons Deserve from Me, Sowing Manhood, and An Unexpected Witness. No matter what stage of fatherhood you're currently in, you'll be encouraged and equipped to train a new generation as you discover this must-have blueprint for raising your boys to become godly men.

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 21, 2018

Reviews

[Beverly Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason Cruise has hit a homer with this book. Sons deserve everything a father can offer to prepare them for manhood. Fathers need to have a plan for raising their sons. Jason takes an honest look into raising boys to be men of conviction. Today's culture has a ruthless agenda and they are going after our sons. Do you have a plan, a counterattack, in place for shaping their hearts with kingdom foundations for biblical manhood?
This book is a must read for fathers. It is destined to become a classic in parenting skills. He explains that a dad must raise his sons with purpose. It's a fast-read book and is packed with powerful suggestions on formulating a plan for raising sons to be men of God. He covers topics such as honoring parents, the need for discipline and what that looks like, loyalty to a biblical worldview, and the dangers of following popular opinion. He also talks about what his sons deserve from him, the dad.
It is a hostile world out there that is after our sons. Learn how to do battle by having a battle plan in place. I even recommend this book to "grandfathers," so that they, too, can help raise their grandsons to be men of unyielding conviction. I loved this book and I plan on giving it to my son to read as he parents his newborn son.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

[Cheri Swalwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Thick of It by Jason Cruise is a wonderful book and I’m so glad I read it. It’s a great book for all parents, but especially for fathers. We have two boys and this book is relevant and timely for each. I will definitely be recommending this book to others as it is powerful and encouraging. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour and was under no obligation to post a review.

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book that acts as a guide on the side to help fathers navigate the world today as they try to raise Godly sons. I love how it is written in an easy to read format with plenty of examples. This is how it happened for me is such an eye opening way to learn the lesson at hand. The frank discussion about "ruthless agendas" is a great reminder that we need to have an open dialog to help safeguard our kids. My favorite topic is "what my sons deserve from me" as it is the soul of the topic of raising children. A good read.

[Tina Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for parenting, basically you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything mentality, do not follow what is in or popular, be your own person.

[Eli Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there are nuggets of wisdom and Scripture that is practically applied to raising boys (I especially liked the use of spiritual gifts) the snarky sarcasm towards culture undermined his points in early chapters. His tone throughout read like a low boil of arrogance and anger. I also personally felt like I must not fit his image of masculinity since I don’t hunt, know much about football, or have an affinity for brown leather - I doubt that is his intent but he didn’t do much to clear that up aside from saying we all have different giftings.

[Brittany Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide for fathers raising future men of faith. This book covers deep topics to help prepare your young boys to grow into manhood with a firm and loving Christian foundation.

I would love to see the cover of the book revamped - the "thick" looks like chest hair instead of weeds (maybe that is intentional, but if so, I'm not sure I find that appropriate for a Christian book cover). :-)

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Thick of It by Jason Cruise
Raising Sons to Be Men of Unyielding Conviction in a Culture of Confusion
Do you have a plan, a real plan, for raising your sons to be men of God?
You can bet pop culture has a plan for them, and it won't be anything that honors God.
In the Thick of It lays out a proven model to help you raise your sons to be men of unyielding conviction in a culture of confusion. Each chapter will challenge and encourage you to be intentional about raising boys with a healthy mindset and faith framework in a spiritually hostile world. Jason Cruise, minister to men and father to two boys, covers timeless topics that are essential in the successful parenting of sons--including Divided Loyalties, The Judgment Day of Popular Opinion, Redefining the Goal, What My Sons Deserve from Me, Sowing Manhood, and An Unexpected Witness. No matter what stage of fatherhood you're currently in, you'll be encouraged and equipped to train a new generation as you discover this must-have blueprint for raising your boys to become godly men.
This is a wonderful book to read.
I highly recommend reading.
In the Thick of It by Jason Cruise is a wonderful well written 5 star book.
more books by Jason Cruise
A Wanted Man by Jason Cruise
The Man Minute: A 60-Second Encounter Can Change Your Life
by Jason Cruise
NIV, Outdoorsman Bible,by Jason Cruise

[Brent Soderstrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through GoodReads First Read program.

This is a short boo containing 8 chapters but it really is only one chapter-Chapter 6 Sowing Manhood. I have a son who is now 27 years old. I wish I had read Chapter 6 when he was younger. I did many of the 8 points to Cruise's plan. The ones I didn't do are good ideas-such as having a chalkboard with sayings that make your son think in his room that he will see each day. The most important one I thought from this book was the final one-career path planning. Each of our kids are wired differently. They have each been given certain gifts from God. I let my son choose his career without input from me because I thought let him choose was best. Your career takes up so much of your life that if you are unhappy with what you end up doing life can be miserable at times. I know that from experience. It took me 25 years to figure out what I was geared to do and then 3 years to get there.

Short book with some good ideas to be implemented in our kids lives.

[Christi · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can tell the author wrote this book from the heart. In the Thick of It is a call to action! Our world needs more men to step up and show their sons how to take a stand and be men of purpose and conviction. Within these pages is a powerful message, giving remarkable advise and personal stories, that will help in your journey to raising boys to good, Godly men.

Though geared towards men, women too can glean wisdom themselves, or do what I did and share what you read with your spouse, creating a plan to help put these points into practice. We are raising two teenage sons and this book could not have came at a better time. Such a wonderful resource!

*I have reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions are completely honest, and my own.

[Vicky Sluiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are raising sons, or even grandsons, I highly recommend this book. God has a plan for your sons. It’s time to find that plan, instead of allowing society to dictate who your sons should be. Although this book is geared towards fathers, mothers will learn a lot from it also.

Author Jason Cruise encourages us to train our young men up in the way they should go, and shows us how to practically do that. With chapters such as “The Judgment Day of Popular Opinion” and “What My Sons Deserve from Me”, there is much in this book to help raise sons to be men of integrity who follow God. Filled with stories and real life examples, you will find this book to be extremely helpful.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am one that reads a lot on parenting and raising sons. Having two of my own that are toddlers I am always looking to expand my knowledge and be challenged to raise boys into men. This book by Cruise is a nice primer on raising boys to be men who stand on conviction rather than on what society states.

Popular culture is trying to shape boys into men that will fit its agenda. Sadly, this does not follow the path that God has laid out for boys and men. Cruise sees this and gives cause to his readers to take a stand against modern thought and raise boys with timeless teachings from God's Word.

*I received a review copy of this book and my opinion is my own.

[Lisadiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I try to read a lot of books on parenting and raising sons. We have three sons that I pray to raise them in a godly manner. This book by Cruise is on raising boys to be men who stand on conviction rather than on what society states.

I feel that I am always in conflict with society and the current culture wars that want to devalue boys and men. I want to raise my sons to stand up against some of the modern norms just by the way they choose to live their lives, to stand firm in the teaching of God's Word. I think the author encourages that as well. I would recommend this book.

*I received a review copy of this book and my opinion is my own.

[Sally Mander · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a lot of ways, today's culture and society is messed up. If you are trying to "train up" a Godly boy who will become a Godly man, you are facing many hurdles.

In his "In The Thick of It," Jason Cruise details how to teach your own son how to act as a respectable, responsible Christian man.

As the mother of boys, I appreciate all the wonderful advice Mr. Cruise has imparted on the raising of boys.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

[Lisadiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book. Easy to read and comprehend. It can be more than challenging to raise boys and our society is trying to tell us how to raise boys without the ground work of loving God. I think this book does a great job of navigating those waters and allowing us to honor our sons as God intended boys to be men.

[Ivy Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest book written from the heart of a father who wants to do right by his sons. The raw emotions of raising boys against the cultural norm is evident in the author’s writing and I enjoyed the farm references very much.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this sentence from the intro said it all: "If you don't choose - if you're passive - culture will choose your children's ideals and values." If that resonates with you, you'll may like this book

[Tina Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

I won this kindle book via Goodreads giveaway.
If you have sons, whether you are a mom or a dad, I think you should give this book a chance. I have recommended this to two men I know who are new dads.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and interesting

[Joseph Dubey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book. He has a lot of good advice. I espescially liked what he said on page 25 under CHOSEN. How trus and funny.