What He Must Be is actually doing quite well.  Moreover, the reviews are beginning to come in and I am very pleased with the response thus far.  One of Crossway’s strategies for promoting What He Must Be is a series of blog reviews.  Today, a Reformed blogger, Frank Turk gave What He Must Be the best review I’ve ever received for anything I’ve written.  In Turk’s words, What He Must Be “is probably in the top three books of the last 50 years on marriage and the call to being a husband. ”  At the end of his review, Turk writes:

“Read this book, and then read it again, and then tear out the chapters and make little booklets of them so you can share them in small groups, and then start teaching this stuff to your sons so they can be this kind of men. And then teach it to your daughters so they kind find these kind of men.”

Praise the Lord!  I also thought Turk touched on an issue of vital importance when he explained the appropriate place for ‘conviction’ in the book.  In an age where most people talk about the danger of being “dogmatic,” Turk hit the nail on the head when he wrote:

“There's nothing sort of subtle about this book, and that is a strong compliment. Let me put it this way: non-fiction comes in three categories, more or less -- the descriptive, the instructive, and the "convictive". A descriptive book tells you that something was done, or is being done -- like a history book, or a biography -- and can be entertaining or somewhat instructive. An instructive book tells you how something can be done... and is totally useful and serviceable. The "convictive" book doesn't just tell you about what happens or has happened, and doesn't just talk about how to do it: it seeks to show you why this stuff it is talking about is important, and moves you from being an observer to being a practitioner because your heart is in it.”

I cannot tell you how refreshing I found these comments.  I know the market is so full of fluff these days that anyone who states things in a matter-of-fact manner is deemed “harsh”.  However, while I do want to season my words with salt (Col 4:6), I never want to write without conviction.  I don’t know Turk, but I am grateful for his kind words about What He Must Be.  I am also grateful that he took time to read and interact with the book as opposed to just throwing up a generic review based on the Crossway release. 

I believe in this message, and I praise the Lord for every person he uses to help give this book a voice.  I am also grateful for those of you who have written reviews in other places (and those who are on their way to Amazon.com right now to write reviews... you know who you are).

Thank you for helping to spread the word about What He Must Be. 

VB