Bond of Brothers: Connecting with Other Men Beyond Work, Weather, and Sports

by Wes Yoder

'The perfect conversation for men with little to say can be summed up in eight words: 'Can you believe the weather at that game?'' Author Wes Yoder's words are humorous. Yet, beyond the sports and weather chatter and silence that characterize many male conversations, there is brokenness. Emptiness. Shame. That's not funny. For Yoder, addressing the problem is not about planting the flag for one's manhood by joining a mass movement for men, nor is it necessary for men to 'sire a herd or shoot a moose to authenticate their manhood.' Yoder calls disappointed, disenchanted, and lonely men to authenticity. To rediscover joy. To find satisfaction. In Bond of Brothers, men will discover: Why your career and performance at work are not your identity * How to defeat the fears that come to a man in the 'Tough Years' * What to do when you are too worried to forgive or too power-hungry to smile * Why spiritual friendships are the central, life-giving core of all healthy relationships among men. Being present to comfort, to love, to listen, to take a step toward Jesus together in our brokenness ... that is the essence of friendship, Yoder writes. When we invite Jesus into our shared brokenness, he can do the work of remaking what is left of the mess we have made of ourselves. Begin a journey toward authenticity and your true identity here

Genres: Christian Living, Religion

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2010

Reviews

[Richard Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bond of Brothers is a highly personal book - a peek into Wes Yoder's struggles in defining and reaching manhood from a Biblical perspective. He candidly discusses his own past, personal failings, and vulnerabilities. The first half of the book discusses the most common failures of men, fostered by the society around us: that we fail to build meaningful relationships, fail to communicate how we truly feel about others, fail to provide adequate support to our loved ones, fail to acknowledge our own mistakes, and fail to forgive others. The second half goes into the goodness of God, the sufficiency of Christ, the importance of acknowledging weakness so that the power of God can fill us in. I appreciated Mr. Yoder's willingness to give us a peak into his soul - warts and all. I believe that men everywhere can relate to the vulnerabilities that he describes. Although I am not particular accustomed to his stream-of-consciousness style of writing (it's hard to look for any real structure in the book), perhaps it is an appropriate format for an intensely personal book. Sprinkled throughout this book are nuggets of wisdom, ultimately pointing to man's desperate need for full dependence on God.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much great truth and wisdom in this small book. Yoder explains the difficulties men have being relational. He does an excellent job of teaching us what real community means. In explaining why "accountability groups" often don't help, he says "We were still lost in the paradigm of religious duties, systematic theology, and fixing what was broken instead of inviting Jesus to be present continually in the midst of our mess so we could be forgiven and healed rather than fixed.". I highly recommend this book for both men and women.

[Wassenario · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the concept. Delivery was a little weak for me. However any man would benefit from the ideas in this book.

[Joey Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me see the need for older spiritual mentors. Very insightful.

[Michael Stallard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wes Yoder's "Bond of Brothers" is an impassioned call for men to connect. Gleaning insights from personal experiences and astute observations of today's culture, Yoder makes the case that men are relationally isolated which leads to all sorts of dysfunction in them, their families, their church and their communities. He calls for what I would describe as the courage to connect with others (note: courage is based on "coeur" which means "heart" in French. So, in a way, Yoder is pleading with men to show more of their hearts even though it goes against our culture for men to be more open).

Yoder is spot on. In John 17 Jesus prays for unity among believers and unity only comes when believers connect via authentic conversation, fellowship and confession. Yoder shares the powerful story of how following two heart attack his own father's life was saved by confessing his sins, an event that had a profound impact on Yoder and led him a year later to confess his sins to his father. Yoder's father had the courage to confess and connect which inspired Yoder to follow suit. Their shared confessions developed a strong sense of connection between father and son. Reading this book will encourage you to follow their example.

This is a timely book that reflects great wisdom. It would make an excellent selection for men's study groups and Christian book clubs. Very highly recommended!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of great material in this book. It is, however, a bit repetitive. It also seems to be written for someone 20 years older than me (written for someone in their 50s). But there is great encouragement in this book for Christian men to develop more deep, male friendships.

[Dave]

This is a good pratical book that hits you in the mouth as it addresses why men act the way they act