Brave and Bold: 31 Devotions to Strengthen Men

What is the measure of a man? Is it athletic ability, strength, intelligence, or accomplishments? In Brave and Bold, Marty Machowski offers thirty-one daily devotions to encourage readers to become men whose strength comes from following Jesus and reflects him to a watching world. Each devotion calls men to grow deeper in compassion, kindness, courage, integrity, and service.

Machowski explores the truth that becoming a real man means trusting God in every area of life, including serving, taking responsibility, and confessing failure. Through personal vignettes and practical application, men will be challenged to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22) and to be examples of faithfulness, selflessness, self-control, and humble dependence on the Lord.

Useful for personal reading, one-on-one discipleship, or small group discussion, Brave and Bold encourages young men to live on a mission to honor the Lord and to make him known in every part of life.

“My sons can tell you about the Saturday mornings when I used to take them out for breakfast and for what I called ‘manhood training.’ I realized it was my job to help them grow from boyhood to the responsibilities of mature manhood. How I wish I'd had Marty's book back then. I'm so glad today's dads have this invaluable tool to use with their sons.”
Bob Lepine, Cohost, FamilyLife Today

“Brave and Bold: 31 Devotions to Strengthen Men is a basic training manual for biblical manhood. Machowski offers thirty-one essential characteristics of biblical manhood in this compact, accessible devotional. Men who read this work and take on the challenges contained in it will be blessed and grow far beyond the thirty-one days it is designed to cover.”
Curtis Solomon, Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition; Cofounder of Solomon Soul Care

“As the father of five now-grown sons, I was called to the man-raising business. Had this book been around when my sons were younger, it would have been part of our manhood curriculum. It expresses what men are meant to be—and what I still want to be when I grow up. Brave and Bold is solid, practical, biblical, and accessible. Marty combines great illustrations with biblical insight, and then adds recommended next steps for application. Get it. Read it. Do it.”
Tim Shorey, Author of Respect the Image: Reflecting Human Worth in How We Listen and Talk

“Marty Machowski has written a thoroughly biblical, highly practical, and enjoyable book that will encourage men, young and old, to pursue godly manhood. I know Marty personally and he is the kind of man I would be honored for my sons to grow up to be like. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to rise above the misguided versions of manhood presented in society and wishes to capture a biblical vision for manhood. Pick up a copy today—you will be blessed!”
Josh Mulvihill, President of Gospel Shaped Family; author of Biblical Grandparenting and Preparing Children for Marriage

“We all know Marty is one of today’s preeminent authors for gospel-centered children’s and family literature. Now he has blessed the church with a fantastic resource for men. Brave and Bold is refreshing spiritual boot camp for both young believers and longtime Christians—never heavy-handed, never watered down, always grace-filled, and brimming with applicable truth. Pick up a copy! I have already recommended it to several churches I know.”
Joshua Cooley, New York Times bestselling author of Creator, Father, King, Heroes of the Bible Devotional, and The Biggest Win

Marty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where he has served on the pastoral staff for over thirty years. He is the author of The Gospel Story Bible, Long Story Short, Old Story New, the Gospel Story Curriculum, the Prepare Him Room advent devotional and curriculum, Wise Up family devotional and curriculum, Listen Up family devotional and curriculum, Dragon Seed, The Ology, Don't Blame the Mud, Parenting First Aid, and Parenting First Aid Study Guide. He and his wife, Lois, have six children and two grandchildren, and they reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.