Spiritual Game Plan

Ryan has made me into a golf fan.  We always would root for Tiger Woods in the major tournaments and loved to see him dominating in his red shirt on Sundays.  We liked his focus and raw talent.  His daughter Sam was born a couple months before Molly.  So, we also had an interest in seeing glimpses of his family, too.  Because of the recent events in his life, golf this year won't be the same.  As one of his fans, he let me down.

We also like college football.  While we are, of course, Michigan State fans at heart, we follow other teams, too.  We like to watch the Florida Gators.  Tim Tebow is one of our favorite players because of his leadership and great playing on the field, but also because of his unwavering faith. 

These men are contrasting examples of those without and with their priorities ordered correctly.  Living Life in the Zone:  A 40-Day Spiritual Gameplan for Men by Kyle Rote Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew is a daily guidebook for men that want to order their lives God's way.  The book is full of motivating examples of famous men in sport that honored God by the way they love Him and their families.  The daily readings are both very practical and very specific.  All of a man's priorities:  God, marriage, children, friends, and career, are front and center in this book. 

As a woman, and also a wife, my opinion of this book is obviously somewhat skewed.  I thought the challenges to the reader cut straight to the heart.  It brings perspectives to a husband and father that he might not have previously considered.  I'll be placing this one suggestively on Ryan's nightstand!


I like the highly structured format of this book.  Daily, there are scripture references, questions for thought, and an assignment for life application, in addition to the discussion of the day's topic that is filled with examples and exhortations.  At the end of each of the forty chapters is a box to write praises and concerns.  This feature could serve as a kind of a mini-journal to review life issues. 

The writing is very readable.  If I were using this as a daily devotional, I would have a hard time not turning to the next chapter after finishing one.  That's how I felt as I read through it from cover to cover.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review on my blog.