The Map: The Way of All Great Men

The Map: The Way of All Great Men

The Map, by David Murrow, is a great book for men everywhere.  It reveals a long-ignored life pattern found in the Gospel of Matthew.  The first half of the book is a fictional journey in which the author spins a tale of intrigue concerning how he first discovered the map, that is the pattern of life.  

    The map consists of three journeys, which occur in life, and also as seen in the life of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew.  The first journey is the journey of submission, as displayed in Christ's life in Matthew 1-7.  The second journey is that of strength, as demonstrated in Matthew 8-25.  The final journey is that of sacrifice, as displayed in Matthew 26-28.  The author uses a diagram of a mountain to illustrate this:  on the left side of the mountain is femininity, and on the right is masculinity.  

     In the first journey of submission, which usually occurs in a man's life as he goes through childhood and young adulthood, he is moving toward the feminine side of the mountain.  As he moves into the second journey, he moves back toward the masculine side of the mountain.  Finally, in the journey of sacrifice, he moves up the mountain and more towards a balance between the masculine and feminine.  While the journeys are never truly completed, i.e, one can begin before another ends, unlike a physical journey.

     Morrow also points out that this pattern of the three journeys can be seen in other Biblical characters, such as Moses, King David, and the Apostle Paul.  They can also be seen in secular culture, such as in movies, television and literature.  

    In this book Morrow also points out a weakness in many churches: they are more geared toward women and more feminine that masculine, so many men get bored in attending church.  The Map was a response to this partly, and partly an attempt to help men on their spiritual journey, no matter what stage of their journey they are on.  There is much to be found in this book, for both men and women.