Becoming A Dad: A Spiritual, Emotional and Practical Guide

by Stephen James, David Thomas, Dan B. Allender (Foreword)

Preparing to be a dad has more to do with bravely facing the deep questions of your soul than mastering the mechanics of baby care (although, that's really important too). Fatherhood is a journey o

Genres: Parenting

194 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.


Stephen James, LPC, MHSP, NCC is a private practice psychotherapist in Nashville, TN where he provides individual, couples, and group therapy as well as organizational and leadership consulting.

He received his MA in Counseling from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and his BA in English from Belmont University. He has published numerous articles and is the coauthor of five books including the bestselling Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys. Stephen has appeared in interviews on ESPN, Sports Illustrated as well various other media outlets. Stephen speaks and consults often in the areas of servant leadership, parenting, and family.

You can find out more about his clinical practice at www.sagehillcounseling.com.

Reviews

[Alex Raup · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I’ve read on becoming/being a dad. Stephen and David prepare/equip every man for the journey of fatherhood and do so with grace, intentionality, love, and humor. I’ll be giving this book to every guy I know who will be joining the Dad Team or growing their family.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, engaging, and encouraging book. More practical than technical, the authors seek to encourage men to embrace the excitement, mystery, and confusion of fatherhood. They challenge men to live life boldly and fully, to love their wives and children passionately, and to risk personal pain in order to lead and love their children.

Being a father does not mean having all the answers, fulfilling some cultural picture of masculinity, or raising kids that "do right." Being a father means setting aside yourself and loving children with your whole heart. It means understanding that the pain of fatherhood is given by God to sanctify you, to change you into the image of Christ. Being a father means treasuring these precious children that God gives to you.

This book was encouraging. I would recommend it to all fathers, young and old.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It's written by two christian guys, both counselors. They really cut right to the heart of what being a dad (and an many ways, being a man, and being a christian) means. You have all sorts of responsibility, you have a certain amount of influence and power, you have very little real control... and guess what? You're going to screw it up. You will fall flat on your face. But, the great thing is, life isn't lived in the perfect moments only, but in recovery and repentance. And as a dad, you have the opportunity to teach your children that very fact.

[Tim Lapetino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book that deals much more with the ways to think *about* becoming a father rather than how exactly to do it. The authors are both counselors and look at the parenting task through a spiritual lens and deal with the specific hurdles and challenges of fatherhood. So glad it was the first book I read in prep for our kid.

[Chris Monks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I did gain some important knowledge from this book I was troubled that the authors took the perspective of the father being the number one provider for his family while the wife stays at home with the kids. Three months after my baby is born I'll be a stay at home dad.