Most men will not invest themselves in anything that does not offer a shot at greatness.

Why Men Hate Going to Church, by David Murrow is a thought-provoking look at why Christian churches have a growing gender gap. Written to call the church back to men, Murrow examines how the church is designed to appeal to it’s largest women through it’s decor, rituals, language, music, and ministries.

I found the background information fascinating – how the church became so feminized throughout history, and the temporary effects of “Muscular Christianity” and the YMCA’s original influence.

Some of his claims about how men think seemed surprising to me, but as I read them to my husband he agreed with every one, and he wanted to continue discussing the rest of the book.

The last section of the book discusses things churches can do to be more appealing to men, with lots of practical advice given to help churches build a place where men want to come and worship. Murrow gives examples of churches that have successfully implemented efforts to attract men, which also led to increasing numbers of women and children attending as well!

I really am thankful for reading the book, for the ideas it’s giving us as we search for a church to call home. We’re both on the hunt for a “man-friendly” church, and hope we find one soon.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

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What people do with their money is a choice, and those choices reflect our priorities….Money spent on one thing is money not spent on something else, and those choices have consequences for our happiness and the happiness of those we vow to love.

I expected to like the book All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending.

What I wasn’t so sure about is how useful I’d find it. I consider myself fairly financially smart. I’m careful about my spending. Growing up, my dad preached opportunity cost regularly, and opportunity cost, that money (or time) spent on one thing cannot be spent on something else is something I regularly consider when we make our financial choices (especially the big ones.) Author Laura Vanderkam believes that the people who are the “happiest about money operate under three premises of wealth,” and all three are premises I think I follow.

Even so, I was very glad I read the book and found it thoughtful and inspiring. I often err on the side of saving too much; stockpiling my money and debating with myself over what I want most. The book helped me to think about what will make me (and also my family) happiest both day-to-day, and long-term.

Vanderkam is a terrific writer and great at explaining how money is just a tool – a means to an end. And that end can be whatever makes us happiest. She bucks conventional money advice that so often suggests trimming grocery budgets and instead emphasizes sweating the big stuff – housing and transportation costs – where you’ll see more of an impact.

Despite having just moved last year, into a much bigger house with a bigger yard and lawn, I still enjoyed the section on thinking about how much you really want more lawn to mow, and more square footage to clean. It made me glad that we had been thoughtful as we house shopped, and really considered what we wanted and needed in our next home. For our family right now and in the foreseeable future, this house fits our needs and makes us happy.

The book made me very reflective of lots of the choices I’ve made in the past. Despite my dad’s encouragement to choose a different career (or that might have been because of it), I chose very poorly when it came to a career path that would reward me financially. (Seriously. Do not ever go into the library or museum field for the money. Because it’s not there.) Many of her suggestions about increasing income instead of working on frugality measures that make you unhappy felt like they would be a lot easier to apply if I’d made some different choices years ago.

My children aren’t at an age yet where allowances are an issue, but I appreciated her discussion of what the research shows regarding kids and money. It’s definitely something I’ve been thinking a lot about, because I want our children to be smart with money and appreciate it.

I think this book would be a great choice for a discussion, and as I read each chapter I was thinking of how tempting it is to use the topics covered as a springboard for a blog series.

I highly recommend this book, and am eager to read her first book, 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think. The underlying philosophy in both books is apparently the same, that we have a choice in how we spend both our time and our money, and we have to consider opportunity cost. I’m excited to see if the first book gives me any ideas on how to maximize my time in my current season of life.

(And, as a former history major, I also loved the historical details she provides on how spending on some items became so common. I never knew the history behind diamond engagement rings and was fascinated by the story!)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I received a preview copy of the book from the author, but the opinions I have expressed are my own.

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