Christian Book Notes

Bryan, Hunter, & Harrison Hall.  Mano-A-Mano.  Xulon Press, 2009.  431 pp.  $22.99.  Purchase at Amazon.com for only $17.93.

Introduction to Mano-A-Mano

The men of the Hall family set down to write a devotional for men who are parents to teenage sons.  Bryan, the father,  serves as a deacon, small group Bible Study leader, a fourth grade Sunday School instructor, and is a member of the worship choir at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, TN. Hunter is a biology major at Bryan College while Harrison is a junior at Brentwood High School.  All three have participated in multiple missions trips.

Overview of Mano-A-Mano

This devotional is not written by a noted scholar and that is too our benefit.  Bryan initially started the project to be able to better reach his sons during family devotions in their home.  He then thought it would be best to include his two sons in the writing process.  He let each son choose 87 verses that they wanted to discuss with their dad and he chose 86.  When they brought their lists together, they quickly noticed that while the content was very similar, their choices of verses were not.  Next, they divided up the subject matter into 52 weeks worth of Monday-Friday devotionals.  Most are one-week topical devotionals with a few bleeding into a two or three-week topic discussion.

Each week has an introduction section detailing what will be discussed that particular week along with a particular challenge each for the father and his son(s).  Each day begins with a verse to read and meditate upon followed by the “Father’s Thoughts” and “Son’s Thoughts.”  After reading their thoughts, which are usually no more than three sentences each, they include Discussion Questions to talk about along with some open space to take notes.

Recommendation

This is a gem of a book.  The fact that it was written by a father and his two teen-aged sons, all of who are sold out for God, specifically for other fathers and their teenage sons is very appealing.  The intentional narrow audience is a benefit to the reader.  There will be topics discussed that only a dad and son can comprehend and relate to.

Furthermore, this book will enable a father and son to bond together over the Word of God.  That cannot be replaced and will only make for a greater relationship in the future.

I would highly recommend this book to any father who has teenaged sons or will be having teenaged sons in the coming year or so.  It would make a perfect gift for those boys graduating grade school and going into college to read over with their fathers.