What will you say...

when that certain young man sits down in your living room, sweaty-palmed and tongue-tied, and asks permission to marry your daughter? What criteria should he meet before the two of them join together for life?

Fortunately, God has given us a clear picture of the role of the husband/father in the home, and in What He Must Be..If He Wants to Marry My Daughter Voddie Baucham breaks this picture down into ten desirable qualities. Not only should parents of young women seek these qualities in a son-in-law, but parents of young men should strive to cultivate these qualities in their sons.

Baucham, one of the architects of the Family Integrated Church movement, follows up on his popular book Family Driven Faith with this compelling, down-to-earth apologetic of biblical manhood.

And so this is where I began reading this book.

At first, I will admit, I expected this holier than thou attitude that is seen so many times in Christian circles. This unattainable goal for the absolutely perfectly raised man to perfectly court my daughters to marry them perfectly and then go on to have a perfect life together. I was most pleasantly surprised that this is not the theme of this book!

Many of the ten qualities the author lists in this book are thought-provoking and insightful. Things that I might not have thought of going into such an important decision. As we tell our children, after the decision to accept Christ as your personal savior, the decision of who you marry will have the greatest impact on the rest of your life.

I liked how he started out telling about a multigenerational vision. He gives examples and personal stories about being raised in a father-less home. Did you know that 70% of the hardened criminals in prison today have no father in the their life? 70%! That fact was astounding to me!

This book is appropriate for ALL readers. Now that I have finished it, my husband will be next, after him will come our oldest daughter. It would be a good read for young men as well as young women. It shows what a young man should strive to become as well as what young women should strive to find in her husband.

Like all books, there are some things I don't necessarily completely agree with, but unlike many books, this one doesn't have alot of "bones" to spit out...it's mostly meat.

I would highly recommend this book. And I would recommend parents read it long before their children are of marrying age. I would also recommend that both parents read it, then their children...and then discuss it as a family. That way, the entire family is "on the same page" so to speak on such an incredibly important facet of life.