"Average Joe"  by Troy Meeder Average Rating By NRTeam Members | View All Reviews

Average Joe, by Troy Meeder, is about subtitled God's Extraordinary Calling to Ordinary Men.  I'd say the subtitle is half right.  The first half of the book gives multiple examples of men Meeder refers to as "average Joes", guys who aren't famous, etc.  Each example includes characteristics they have that all men can/should have.  For example, the chapter titled "The Soldier" references courage and sacrifice, doing what needs to be done.  I really enjoyed reading about these ordinary men who showed godly values and characteristics.  The second half of the book contains more anecdotes, but it seems to focus in more on living a godly life than the first half, which showed regular guys having an impact on the lives of others.  Each chapter also has references to men in the Bible who also demonstrate each of the characteristics.  It was a quick read, and the information was presented in a very casual, easy to read manner, although there were a few instances it seemed to switch to a more "preachy" approach.  The final section has a study guide that would be great for facilitating a discussion in a men's group or for an individual to go a bit deeper into the book's message.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I feel like I was entertained, informed, and challenged by Meeder's ideas and thoughts.  I would recommend this book to men of any age, particularly men's groups who are looking for a book to study.

I received this book from the publisher as part of WaterBrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books review program.