Three years ago I reviewed Ian "Watto" Watson's first book Every Bloke's a Champion. Even you.
This book encouraged many Aussie blokes to live a turbocharged life. If you are an Aussie bloke who needs to confront years of hatred, anger, broken dreams, problems with your mother or father, broken trust, the battle in the man of lust v love- then Every Bloke's a Champion. Even You is for you.
"Watto's" desire in his first book was to see you get rid of the rocks around your heart and allow "The Bloke Upstairs", whose wisdom is found in the pages of "The Work Manual", to change your life. He continues, after many years, to encourage men around him because, "I've never seen a bloke go backwards with encouragement."
In his second book, Champion blokes 'shed' their shame! "Watto" tackles the topic nobody wants to talk about, but everybody battles with: shame. Watto's desire is to help other men kick pain, shame and sadness, and be free in a new way.
This book confronts many painful events in Watto's own childhood and how these created a shame that hung on deep inside and held him back. I have known "Watto" for nearly 30 years and yet he explains how it has taken 50 years of his life to recognise shame, and how he, and many other men, have dealt with it.
"Watto" travels Australia talking to, challenging and encouraging men to be the men they were called to be at Shed Happens (www.shednight.com to find a "Shed Night/Shed Happens" near you), but this book confronts many of the issues "Watto" had to face as a young man and into his twilight years. He shares his own story and many other blokes' "real-deal" stories of escaping the prison of shame.
When Watto confronted the shame issues in his own life, began to share his journey with other men, he found so many people who had "been smashed by it. I've seen so many men try so hard to get out of pain."
The next lecture
If you have had the privilege of reading the first book from Wattto, then get ready for the next lecture from him. But Watto doesn't talk down to you at all. He writes this book in everyday language. It's as if he is having a coffee or beer with you in some quiet corner of the shop/bar.
Don't worry, you don't have to be a big reader to enjoy this book. It's only 108 pages of pure Watto. Spread across 10 chapters, you can take 5-10 minutes out of your day, grab a cuppa, turn the TV off, and be challenged, yet inspired to face the truth, but find freedom. His only desire is for you, particularly men, to be free from shame.
Men can be held back from reaching their potential because of shame. Too often the "big uns" of sexual and failure shame seem too big to deal with. There are many scars on mens' hearts because of guilt dealing with these issues. However, the little and subtle shames can be just as damaging.
Being called names, told you're an "idiot" (insert other Aussie vernacular here!), or you're hopeless can pin you down forever. Your family or where you grew up can cause shame and build 'rocks around your heart' that are hard to deal with.
Each person's journey is different and telling others about our own journey, then our own story of freedom from shame, can mean freedom for ourselves, but also 'thousands of others we do life with.'
Watto says, 'Telling your story gets it out in the open and you win.'
This then is how we know that we belong to the Truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John chapter 3 verses 19-21).
Russell Modlin teaches English and Physical Education at a Christian School on the Sunshine Coast. He is married to Belinda and they have three children.
Russell Modlin's archive of previous article can be found at www.pressserviceinternational.org/russell-modlin.html