Real Win by Colt McCoy and Matt Carter

Every man wants to succeed. But for so many, life seems to get in the way. We all have friends—good men, followers of Christ even—who start out well but before long, they’re failing at relationships, bending ethical standards, or driving themselves so hard at work they’re losing the hearts of their wife and kids.
 
In The Real Win, Colt McCoy and Matt Carter wrestle deeply and personally with this challenge, then deliver down-to-earth, biblical answers. Based on their personal experiences and a close study of Scripture, McCoy and Carter show men:
 
• Why so much depends on who you trust and who you serve
• Why every man is called to lead and why every man can
• How to man up to temptation—and conquer it
• How to find the “win” even in your biggest failure
 
“The real win means trusting the Lord and walking with Jesus no matter what,” write Matt and Colt. “That kind of faithfulness is possible for any man who follows God with all his heart. No matter what circumstances threaten him, a faithful man is the most truly confident man in the room.”

My review:
  I don't like football, so I don't normally read books by football players, or books that are co-authored by a football player, but this sounded like a book worth reading, and it was.

  As with most books for men, there is a lot of content geared for married men, which I am not. But there is also a lot of good advice for all men, married or single.

  Matt Carter, a pastor, talks about things from his viewpoint. Everything from a cancer scare to starting and pastoring a large church. Colt, a football player, of course talks a lot about his wins and losses in his football career. But both men discuss what true manhood is according to the Bible, and what it really means to win as a Christian man.

  One of the lines from the book that has really stuck with me was when Matt was talking about Jesus being on the cross, seemingly forsaken by God. He made the statement "sometimes trusting God means you stay on the cross and don't get off of it." Powerful words.

  The authors cover topics such as temptation, being the spiritual leader in your home, trust, loving your wife, and other issues important to men. The book is well written, interesting, and very relevant. I found it encouraging and helpful, and all men should read it. The world has it so wrong on what true manhood is, and what winning is all about. It is refreshing to read a book that shows what it is all about.

About the authors:

Colt McCoy is the winningest quarterback in college history, winning 45 of his 53 starts during a storied four-year career at the University of Texas, from 2006 to 2009. He set numerous school records as well as the NCAA record for highest single-season completion percentage of 76.7 percent. He is the only quarterback in college football history to win at least ten games for four seasons.

Born September 5, 1986,Colt is the oldest son of Brad and Debra McCoy. He grew up in several small towns in Texas and atteded Jim Ned High School in Tuscola, Texas, where his father was the head football coach. Colt threw for nearly nine miles of passing yards and averaged more than three touchdown passes per game during a three-year high school varsity football career. Despite playing for a small Texas high school with an enrollment of 325 students, Colt was recruited by dozens of colleges around the country. He fulfilled a childhood dream of accepting a scholarship offer from the University of Texas.

Colt won the starting quarterback position at UT at the start of his redshirt freshman year in 2006 and never looked back. He won numerous awards and MVP trophies in bowl games during his four years of signal-calling at Texas; some of the biggest awards were the Walter Camp Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, and the Maxwell Award.

Following his college career at Texas, Colt was drafted in the third round of the 2010 National Football League draft by the Cleveland Browns and played in eight games during his rookie season.

MATT CARTER is founding pastor of the seven-thousand-member Austin Stone Community Church. He is a co-leader of the For the City network, which helps churches partner with social service agencies to meet local needs. Matt is the author of several books and is a sought-after national speaker. He holds a master’s of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children: John Daniel, Annie, and Samuel. 

The Real Win is available from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishing.

Thanks to Waterbrook/Multnomah for the review copy.