If you don't know what it means to be a "real man," there are approximately 2,341 books waiting to enlighten you. But many of them will leave you burdened with a masculine to-do list, resigned to passivity in the face of impossible expectations, or convinced that your manhood has been indelibly marked by an absentee father. These miss the biblical mark.
Whether your dad was absent or present, passive or aggressive, positive or negative—you need to know the love of your Father in heaven in order to discover who you are and who you are meant to be. Forty years of experience in men's ministry has convinced Pete Alwinson that knowing God's fatherly love changes everything for a man.
Instead of outlining how to recover and reclaim masculinity, Alwinson invites men to recover and reclaim an intimate, growing relationship with their heavenly Father and live out of that identity in their particular calling as sons, fathers, brothers, friends. A man who is forgiven and accepted by his heavenly Father is free to become like him.
Like Father, Like Son is a refreshing message of grace amongst the voices encouraging men to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. By focusing men on their biblical, core identity—being sons of the Father by grace—it channels the thirst for adventure and freedom into a radical exploration of grace.
Like Father, Like Son is easy-to-read and conversational, full of personal stories and anecdotes that will encourage males to believe that God's grace alone turns them into real men. No bootstraps required.
"Every once in a while a book comes along that is life-changing. Like Father, Like Son is that kind of book and it's that in spades. Pete Alwinson has given us a gift of profound biblical insight and he's done it with clarity, humor, and freshness. If you're a man, you'll 'rise up' and call Pete blessed. If you're a woman, you will too . . . because you'll understand about men and also about your heavenly Father. Give this book to everybody you know. They will thank you."
Steve Brown, Key Life radio broadcaster; author of Three Free Sins
"If ever a book deserved to become a bestseller it's the uplifting, winsome, and tightly written Like Father, Like Son. An ineffable feeling that I'm going to be okay swept over me as I read this book. I hope you will experience it too. You'll never read anyone who has a better grasp of the gospel of God's grace than Pete Alwinson. The result? He doesn't write to beat you up, but set you free."
Patrick Morley, Author; Bible teacher; founder, Man in the Mirror
"Imagine this. The God who created all things, visible and invisible, becomes the spiritual Father of everyone who believes in Jesus. Nothing is more reassuring and invigorating than experiencing how this is true. Pete Alwinson speaks from this experience. He knows God as his Father and he has charted a course for others to follow as they seek to live in the love of the Father as well. You want to read this book."
Richard L. Pratt, Jr, President, Third Millennium Ministries
"We guys struggle with what gnaws at us on the inside, what creates that edge, that fear of not measuring up. This book answers that question and shows us the answer to being who we were meant to be. Pete's book is crucial to our journey to be men. He illuminates our identity, our value, and our freedom by calling us into grace—a real relationship with our perfect Father."
Jeff Kemp, Former NFL QB; Vice President at FamilyLife; author of Facing the Blitz
"Pete Alwinson is onto something huge. The disquiet, the uncertainty, the insecurity that all men feel can be traced to an emptiness that only the Father can fill. In the pages of this book, we meet the Father again."
Nate Larkin, Founder of the Samson Society; author of Samson and the Pirate Monks: Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood
"Although some fathers are distant or abusive, my father was not. He loved me and I knew it because he said it and he showed it. As a result I wanted to honor my father and not disappoint him, even though I knew whatever I did would never change his love for me. It was natural, therefore, for me to relate to my Heavenly Father the same way. God loves me eternally in Christ and I know that. As a result of his amazing grace, I desire to honor and obey him. Read this book to understand more about the motivating and freeing love of a good father, whether an earthly father or your Heavenly Father."
Robert C. (Ric) Cannada, Jr., Chancellor Emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary
"Most men remember their fathers with a mixture of both fondness and disappointment. We could use help in constructing a healthy way to deal with both our past and our future, not just for ourselves but to better love those in our lives now. Dr. Alwinson gives us the spiritual and emotional empowerment to love others the way our heavenly Father has loved us."
Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland, A Church Distributed
"My twenty-plus-year friendship with Pete does not cloud my assessment of this compelling and practical book. He knows what makes a man a man; first because he's a man who is tough and tender. He also has wisdom from working with men, but most importantly he directs us to the True Man, Jesus Christ. This book is a compelling and healing message of the power of the Father in making men that we will recommend to all our clients and partners."
Tom Wood, President, CMM, Inc.; coauthor of Gospel Coach
"This is the book I wish I had written on fatherhood. No guilt, lots of encouragement, and appropriate challenges."
Larry Kreider, Founder, Gathering of Men, US; author
"In the high-stakes, high-performance, success-driven system that is American culture today, it seems that most men have one feeling in common: they don't measure up. The insecurities of men run deep because their identity is almost wholly performance based. For that reason, I believe Like Father, Like Son is a refreshing reminder men are desperate to hear. Pete Alwinson does a masterful job of connecting a man's identity to the fundamental nature of our heavenly Father, bathing the reader in the healing balm of God's grace. When a man reads this book, I think he will see himself with new, Christ-like eyes, he will hold his head up a little taller, and he will be more equipped to love and serve because he will be doing so out of a cup that is now full—the cup of God's gracious love."
David D. Swanson, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Orlando; author of Everlasting Life: How God Answers Our Questions about Grief, Loss, and the Promise of Heaven
"Pete Alwinson is onto something! The father wound runs deep in men leaving them ill-equipped for parenting, and their children are languishing for lack of father affirmation and engagement. As men are re-parented, however, by the Father love of God, old wounds are healed and grace is received to give their children. Like Father, Like Son is the right prescription for healing our culture's deepest wounds and unleashing dads to give the father love their kids crave."
Ray Cortese, Pastor, Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church
"In father and son relationships, there is always the good, the bad, and the ugly. What I so appreciate about Like Father, Like Son is the redemptive message without regard to one's earthly father or circumstances. Here's a formative and transformative book for men to live into authentic victory and to be on-purpose."
Kevin W. McCarthy, Author, The On-Purpose Person
"If you're a man—read this book. If you're a son—read this book. If you have a son and you want him to be a man—read this book. Pete has captured the essence of real manhood and how it flows from a man's relationship with his heavenly Father."
Bill Perkins, Best-selling author; speaker; president, Million Mighty Men
"Like a good father, Pete gives men permission to examine their sorrows, to understand why guys are the way we are, and to emerge from our isolation, strong and true, into the community of light and life."
Wes Yoder, Author of Bond of Brothers
"I've become exhausted by the many how-to books on being a man or fathering. Pete's new book, Like Father, Like Son, is a refreshing challenge to parent BY GRACE and swim in adventurous freedom. Such gospel-centric parenting is not only energizing for dads, but also able to captivate the hearts of young men. Pete's creative ideas and engaging stories are tried and proven. I should know. Pete's adult son, Jon, is an active, vibrant husband and leader in the church I help lead."
Alan Scott, Lead Pastor, Cumberland Community Church, Atlanta, Georgia
"In Psalms 32:8, the Lord says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.' In this book, Like Father, Like Son, Pete Alwinson has written how the fatherhood of God plays this out in the context of a man's life. The relationship that God desires with each of us is the same as God desires for each man to have with his son or daughter. This is an encouraging book for every man of God and his desire to make a difference in the lives of his sons and daughters."
Darrel Billups, Executive Director, National Coalition of Ministries to Men
"What is a 'real man'? With definitions hurled at us through every medium, where should we turn? Culturally, the idea of 'father' and 'son' have many connotations, which have a profound impact on how a man relates to God. Why then have men been burdened with behavior modification, generalized rules of what constitutes a 'real man'? Like Father, Like Son replaces the checklists with God's grace. By exploring men's biblical identity as sons of the Father, Pete Alwinson unpacks the greatest news proclaimed, the gospel. And the gospel changes everything about what it means to be a 'real man'!"
Bobby Raulerson, Grace Church, Pastor, Oviedo Campus, Florida
"Like Father, Like Son is different from any book I have read in my own journey to become a better man and follower of Christ. It starts at the foundation of understanding the depths of God's love for man. It's not a self-help manual or quickstep guide; it truly begins to transform your heart into a new way of living under the grace and love of God."
Mitch Todd, Senior Pastor, River Run Church
"For a father or son, Pete Alwinson encourages us to first know our heavenly Father, so our earthly father-son relationship will thrive. What a guide he has provided for dads to be godly fathers. And driving home the point that it is never, never too late to connect with God or our son(s)."
Jay Crouse, Founder, Men and the Church
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I really enjoyed reading Pastor Pete's book. Just like in his sermons, he has a real gift of showing us how our Heavenly Father loves and cares for us in much the same way as our fathers do on earth. And if we never really felt any love from our earthly fathers we can feel the love from our Father in Heaven like we never had the chance to when we were kids. I gave this book five stars mostly because it was a good read and Pete is just as eloquent a writer as he is a speaker. And if you have never heard one of his sermons, let me tell you he is one good preacher.
Read it twice-I call it's theme: OUR FATHER IN A FATHERLESS WORLD
I of course am not a father, but I do have a Heavenly Father that has held me accountable for 3 young men and I chose to read and review this book based on that fact because their actual fathers are not involved in their life, but my husband is who they call father. I was looking into this book to see how the better guide my boys to be sons more like their Heavenly father. I do have a son who is a father to one boy Carter and one girl Zoey. I feel he is at a point in his life where he really needs this book that is why it will be his Christmas present from me this year. As someone who used to struggle a lot to believe God loved me and he was mine and my children’s ultimate father I learned this from a singles mom group at a Church I used to attend. This book is a must read for those young men whose fathers were not involved or very affectionate to them Pete shared about fathers not engaging in their sons lives leading a void in their heart. I know I am not a perfect person at all but I can say my oldest son suffers from this very much his dad always put his drinking and friends before his kids. My son in turn has led a hard life when he was younger I was a lot more lenient with him because his dad was not there. To try to engage his father I lived 30 minutes away but my son played baseball less than 10 min from his dad but yet his dad never came my son played little league football and middle school football as well as wrestling and his dad did not come to one single game or match. I know I seem to be getting off of the subject but even though I am a mom this book pretty much described what my son has gone through and where he needs to be. The chapters cover the character traits of God as a father. Traits such as God as the welcoming father, the identity-building father, the guiding father, and several others. This is the author’s first book, and is definitely one worth reading on this topic. I not only found it interesting and easy to read, but I also was helped and encouraged by it to view God more as a loving father instead of a demanding tyrant as I used to. He uses examples through the book to make some of his points that make the book even more interesting. I even found attributes in this book that I could put to use as a mother. Each chapter ends with a “take it to heart” section that has six questions for further thought and introspection. disclosure I was given a copy of this book without compensation for a free unbiased review
After forty years of ministering to men, Pete shares (through well though out words and strengthening quotes Scriptures) the importance of love and a relationship with our heavenly father that changes everything for a man. Many of us struggle to learn how to be a man because we were abandoned in different ways by the most important man in our lives – our fathers. The pain is real and we start our search on trying to figure it all out. Alwinson explains that quite a few young men have been hurt to a point of complacency and confusion and “aren’t taking charge of their lives and instead are passively waiting for life and a career to happen to them.” So, what do we do about it? Our earthly dads have focused on “actions of manhood” instead of love. The author vividly demonstrates the scenario when explaining that many young men feel like an “it” instead of a son. But, it doesn’t have to be that way! Pete reminds us that our “value is only as high as our current owner.” When the owner changes, our value changes. It’s should be about who we are in Christ. Our identity is defined by our relationship with Him! Our life is all about a new adventure in seeing our heavenly father in everything! When a man embraces the fact that he is a special creation and image-bearer his core identity is strengthened realizing his great “incomparable worth and high status.” I highly recommend this outstanding book. Be prepared to find some great advice as a man and father in the areas of acceptance, approval, addictions, life adventure and more!
What do men need in the twenty-first century? There are so many opinions–some think the answer is a masculine to-do list. Others give detailed directions on how to become a “real” man. Those things can be helpful, but do they get to the core of the identity issues that men are facing today? You can’t know who you are and who you are meant to be without knowing the love of your Father–that is, your Father in heaven. Without knowing the Father’s love and acceptance, men are adrift looking for identity in imperfect relationships or cultural norms about manhood. But knowing God’s fatherly love changes everything. A man who is forgiven and accepted by his heavenly Father is free to become like him. Living out of the love of God the Father changes everything for his sons. Instead of telling men how to recover and reclaim their masculinity, Pete Alwinson invites men to recover and reclaim an intimate, growing relationship with their heavenly Father and live out of that identity in their particular calling as sons, fathers, brothers, friends. Using personal stories and anecdotes from his many years of men’s ministry, Pete shows men that the way forward in life and relationships is through their growing relationship with their heavenly Father. My Review: "Like Father, Like Son" by Pete Alwinson dives into the extraordinary importance of a father's role in his child's life. In one chapter, Pete uses the story of a young boy would was born from an affair and whose father wanted nothing to do with him. Fathers leave a profound impact on their children whether they want to or not. It's terribly important for fathers to be a positive influence because it will shape who our sons become. The author also explains how God becomes our Father and how we need to find our identity in Christ. I think Pete Alwinson does an amazing job of explaining the subject at hand. He thoroughly did his research in this one. I also think it's worth noting that this book is not terribly long. It can easily be read in a matter of a few nights, and would even work as an excellent Bible Study.
In Like Father, Like Son, Pete Alwinson explores how vital the role of fathers have on their children. He shared the dangers of fathers not connecting and engaging with their sons and how they left a whole void inside their hearts. Pete shared one story about how a young boy was forever changed when his mother told him the harsh truth that he was conceived in an affair and his father stated that he didn’t want anything to do with “it”. This hurt the young boy and affected his entire life. He suffered from nightmares until he dug into scriptures. He was changed by believing that he was loved by His Heavenly Father. Pete explained how God becomes our Father and how we need to find our identity in Christ. God designed us in His image and He calls us His children and He declared that we are loved. I would recommend this life changing book to any men especially to those who didn’t have a very affection father and they are ready to seek their Heavenly Father. This book taught me a lot about my identity in Christ and how God has blessed us with every spiritual blessings. God has already forgiven us for all our sins and He sent His only Son to die where we could one day live forever with our loving Creator. This also means we don’t have to live with a performance based mindset. We don’t have to live from approval from others, because God has already accepted us. This book has the potential to change reader’s lives and help them to know their Heavenly Father.
This book is very well written and drives us to uncover the identity that God our Father provides for us. Very encouraging read. Pick up a copy!
