Title Wild at Heart

Author John Eldredge

Year Published 2001

Kind of Book Masculinity/Religious

How strongly I recommend it 4/10 

My Impressions Very good analysis of the crisis of modern masculinity and then it gets weird and religious talking about the literal devil and praying to Jesus to get rid of sexual lust.

Date Read August 2020

Practical Takeaways

  • Take that journey for yourself

  • Get out there into the wild

  • Do what makes you come alive

  • Give up trying to prevent little boys from having guns A: “ If you don’t give little boys weapons he will make them from whatever materials he has at hand”

  • Don’t make the woman the adventure of your life. Make her part of the adventure

  • “Head up into the uncharted territory of the soul to wild uncharted regions And track down that elusive pray”

  • Teach your sons to stand up to bullies and fight back

  • Ask God “what are you trying to teach me?” Not “why did you do this to me?”

  • Acknowledge and weep for your wound

  • Ask people “what am I like to live with?”

  • Ask people “what are you afraid to bring up with me?”

  • face your fears head on

  • Stop looking for your wife for validation

  • Don’t go to a woman to get your strength. Go to her to offer it.

  • “Choose God over Eve”

  • Be very specific and intentional about healing your wound

  • Let yourself be loved

  • Let people feel the weight of who you are

  • Steps to healing your wound

1)surrender 

2)grieve your wound (cry)

3)let God love us

4)Forgive your Father (those who have wounded you)

  • Don’t wait to forgive until you feel like forgiving. Make a choice to forgive

  • Remember that your Father has his own wound

 

Big Ideas

  • The same "steel" that hardens you from being hurt by others, also hardens you from being opened up and transformed

  • If you don’t give little boys weapons he will make them from whatever materials he has at hand

  • Men become addicted to things (like porn) when they deny tapping into their strength

  • Healing requires more than just understanding something intellectually

  • You can't expect to find the answers to your biggest questions on TV, you must find them out in the world

  • The real journey in life begins after your false self (persona) is no longer capable of delivering you what you want

  • Aggression is a part of the masculine design

  • Deep in every man's heart is the yearning for adventure