Christian Book Notes

Brasee, Jakeb. The Art and Science of Finishing Last. Oberlin: Skyfort Publishing, 2009. 218 pp. $14.99. Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

As a boy growing up, I can recall wanting to be a ninja.  Seriously, I had the throwing stars, nunchucks, home-mad bo staffs, and would wear black as much as possible.  Chuck Norris was my hero and I wanted to break bricks with my head.  Well, I never did break the bricks with my head, the nunchucks hurt too much, and my mom took away my throwing stars (something about losing an eye or limb or something) but Chuck Norris has become not so much a hero, but a man I respect thanks to his faith in Christ.

What I didn’t care about was being nice to my sister.  Looking back on my childhood now, I can see why I was a major jerk to my sister–I was not being brought up in the ways of the Lord and therefore reacted to what I saw as a child growing up.  In other words, my friends were mean to their sisters, therefore, I was mean to mine.

Granted, I was not a Christian growing up, but I know many young Christian men who want to be Ninja’s (Josiah!!!) and want to treat their sisters, and all women in general, as they should be treated.  It is a hard life to live when you are a ninja needing to be nice to your sister!  Thankfully, Jakeb Brasee has written a manual for all ninja’s to show them “how to bless [their] sisters’ heart and get away with it.”  But, a ninja is not just concerned with his sibling.  Rather, a ninja is concerned with all of his sisters in Christ (1 Tim. 5:12).

You can become a fan on facebook and can read more on his blog, Ninja Gentlemen.

Summary

The book is divided into four levels of ninja training and sister blessing.  They are as follows:

• Serve – being truly useful to sisters-in-Christ
• Protect – guarding, protecting and freeing sisters-in-Christ
• Affirm – assuring sisters-in-Christ of their worthiness and beauty in God’s eyes
• Lead – “setting a tone for holiness and helping her become who she was born to be”

There is an appendix that offers nine expert challenges once you have mastered the art of blessing your sister ninja style.  Sprinkled throughout the book are seventeen different missions from praying for your sister to being a peacemaker in the family with your siblings.

Review

Let me say that this tongue-in-cheek book was a real blessing to read.  Jakeb Brasee has creatively (and I mean creatively) written a book that is a manual for young men that they will truly enjoy reading.  And by the way, he is only twenty-three!

The book is Christ-centered and saturated with Scripture and Biblical principles that truly sneak up on the reader.  Through reading this enjoyable book, a young man will be better prepared to be the man of God he needs to be for his future wife, daughter(s), and any other Christian sister that he knows.

To be honest, I did not think I was going to like this book at first.  It seemed kind of hokey.  I was greatly surprised by the content and the style of Jakeb’s writing.  If you have a teenage son, you would do well to purchase this book for him.  If you are a youth pastor, this book would be a great resource for tips and teaching techniques as you undoubtedly want to train your young men to be godly.