Man Maker Project

Father is a verb, and fathering is the highest calling of God on men. Man Maker Project is a guide for fathers to intentionally usher their sons into godly manhood. Now more than ever, the reality of unfinished men confronts us at every turn. Without intentional fathering, a boy's core question--Am I a man?--forever echoes in his soul. Every boy needs to hear his father's clear "yes" in response. While many fathers know they should do something for their maturing sons, they have little idea how to create such an initiatory process. Man Maker Project offers a practical roadmap that equips fathers to create a unique, modern-day masculine initiation experience for their sons. Rather than a single event or ceremony, fathers can guide their boys through a yearlong process, with the support of a cadre of hand-selected men. This book also challenges fathers to investigate their own stories, as God's mutually redemptive design is for us to be fathered ourselves as we father our sons. Through this modern-day rites of passage process, fathers fulfill their calling, sons find their footing, and society receives solid men ready to strongly and kindly restore the world.

The Chaos Machine

Max Fisher

We all have a vague sense that social media is bad for our minds, for our children, and for our democracies. But the truth is that its reach and impact run far deeper than we have understood. Building on years of international reporting, Max Fisher tells the gripping and galling inside story of how Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social network preyed on psychological frailties to create the algorithms that drive everyday users to extreme opinions and, increasingly, extreme actions. As Fisher demonstrates, the companies’ founding tenets, combined with a blinkered focus on maximizing engagement, have led to a destabilized world for everyone.

Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World

Michele Borba

Hailed as “an absolute must-read” (Jean Twenge) and a book that “will change your kids’ lives” (Jack Canfield), UnSelfie by Dr. Michele Borba explains what parents and educators MUST do to combat the growing empathy crisis among children today—including a 9-step empathy-building program with tips to guide kids from birth through college, and beyond.

Boys Adrift

Dr. Leonard Sax

Something is happening to boys today. From kindergarten to college, American boys are, on average, less resilient and less ambitious than they were a mere twenty years ago. The gender gap in college attendance and graduation rates has widened dramatically. While Emily is working hard at school and getting A's, her brother Justin is goofing off. He's more concerned about getting to the next level in his videogame than about finishing his homework.

In Boys Adrift, Dr. Leonard Sax delves into the scientific literature and draws on more than twenty years of clinical experience to explain why boys and young men are failing in school and disengaged at home. He shows how social, cultural, and biological factors have created an environment that is literally toxic to boys. He also presents practical solutions, sharing strategies which educators have found effective in re-engaging these boys at school, as well as handy tips for parents about everything from homework, to videogames, to medication.

Glow Kids

Dr. Nicholas Kardaras

We’ve all seen them: kids hypnotically staring at glowing screens in restaurants, in playgrounds and in friends' houses―and the numbers are growing. Like a virtual scourge, the illuminated glowing faces―the Glow Kids―are multiplying. But at what cost? Is this just a harmless indulgence or fad like some sort of digital hula-hoop? Some say that glowing screens might even be good for kids―a form of interactive educational tool. Don’t believe it. In Glow Kids, Dr. Nicholas Kardaras will examine how technology―more specifically, age-inappropriate screen tech, with all of its glowing ubiquity―has profoundly affected the brains of an entire generation. Brain imaging research is showing that stimulating glowing screens are as dopaminergic (dopamine activating) to the brain’s pleasure center as sex. And a growing mountain of clinical research correlates screen tech with disorders like ADHD, addiction, anxiety, depression, increased aggression, and even psychosis. Most shocking of all, recent brain imaging studies conclusively show that excessive screen exposure can neurologically damage a young person’s developing brain in the same way that cocaine addiction can.

The Teenage Brain

Dr. Frances E. Jensen

The root myth scientists believed for years was that the adolescent brain was essentially an adult one, only with fewer miles on it. Over the last decade, however, the scientific community has learned that the teen years encompass vitally important stages of brain development. Dr. Jensen gathers what we’ve discovered about adolescent brain function, wiring, and capacity and explains the science in the contexts of everyday learning and multitasking, stress and memory, sleep, addiction, and decision-making. In this groundbreaking yet accessible book, these findings also yield practical suggestions that will help adults and teenagers negotiate the mysterious world of adolescent development.

The 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers

Ken Canfield

You CAN understand the secrets of effective fathering. You CAN do them. You CAN raise healthy, happy, good kids. You can't earn a degree, take postgraduate courses, be certified or become a master tradesman, but being a dad is the most important job you will ever have. The multitude of suggestions and "should do's" being shouted at you from all corners can be overwhelming. You cannot do them all, but how do you choose which techniques and skills are the most important for raising happy, healthy children? Solid scientific research and the wisdom of excellent experienced fathers clearly show the way.

Discipline that Connects with Your Child’s Heart

Jim & Lynne Jackson

Did you know that the way we deal (or don't deal) with our kids' misbehavior shapes their beliefs about themselves, the world, and God? Therefore it's vital to connect with their hearts--not just their minds--amid the daily behavior battles. With warmth and grace, Jim and Lynne Jackson, founders of Connected Families, offer four tried-and-true keys to handling any behavioral issues with love, truth, and authority. You will learn practical ways to communicate messages of grace and truth, how to discipline in a way that motivates your child, and how to keep your relationship strong, not antagonistic. Discipline is more than just a short-term attempt to modify your child's actions--it's a long-term investment to help them build faith, wisdom, and character for life. When you discover a better path to discipline, you'll find a more well-behaved--and well-believed--kid.

Praying Circles around Your Children

Mark Batterson

Every blessing, every breakthrough, and every miracle can be traced back to the prayers that were prayed by you or for you. Join Mark Batterson, New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker, as he equips you to become an extraordinary influence in the lives of your children through one simple practice: praying for them.

Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles that can Radically Change Your Family

Paul David Tripp

In the midst of folding laundry, coordinating carpool schedules, and breaking up fights, many parents get lost. Feeling pressure to do everything “right” and raise up “good” children, it’s easy to lose sight of our ultimate purpose as parents in the quest for practical tips and guaranteed formulas. In this life-giving book, Paul Tripp offers parents much more than a to-do list. Instead, he presents us with a big-picture view of God’s plan for us as parents. Outlining fourteen foundational principles centered on the gospel, he shows that we need more than the latest parenting strategy or list of techniques. Rather, we need the rescuing grace of God―grace that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents.