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I'm encouraged to see Jesus so prominently displayed!

Waiting

I have several friends who are waiting.  A lot.  One friend tells me "I passed Remedial Waiting 101 and 201 and I'm almost done with Remedial Waiting 301."

I find it very interesting that God commands Elijah twice to go to a location and stay there, without explaining what Elijah is supposed to do while he's there (other than wait):

 ² Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: ³ “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. ⁴You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”

 ⁵ So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. ⁶ The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. ⁷ Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. ⁸ Then the word of the LORD came to him: ⁹“Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”

And Elijah did such non-monumental ministry in these locations that no one knew where God's prophet was for over 3 years. Zero public ministry. (See 1 Kings 18:10) I believe every man will, at least at some times, be called/commanded to wait.

There is something deep in a man which struggles with waiting. I suspect God knows this, and knows that waiting is the best thing for us.

What do we do while waiting? Michael Hyatt has some excellent suggestions, well worth your time to review. He emphasizes recognizing that God is in control, renewing your faith in God's steady provision (this is what I believe that Elijah needed to develop), and redeeming (rather than wasting) the time to prepare for the future.

My friend in Remedial Waiting 301 tells me this song has really helped him remember to serve God and continue to worship while he waits:

What Challenges Are You Facing as a Dad/Husband?

Looking for your feedback, men -- what challenges do you face now? What are you struggling with? I'd like to know, and then I will write more blog posts to address those. Comment below, or email me at info(at)teachtochangelives.com. Thanks!

Happy Flag Day!

Seth Godin on Leadership

Helpful, challenging thoughts on leadership -- helping people grow in a quantum way, not just a little.

Exclusive interview with Seth Godin from GiANT Impact on Vimeo.

Does Difficulty Mean We're "Outside" God's Will?

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 3:16-4:1

After reading Carl Medearis’ new book (Speaking of Jesus), I’ve committed myself to investing in the four Gospel books this summer.  I need to be re-immersed in the stories of Jesus, and the stories Jesus tells.

There’s an important insight here that helps us understand God’s design for ministry. 

Jesus is baptized by his cousin John, then receives a special baptism of the Holy Spirit at the start of his three-year public ministry which will result in salvation for us.  (We don’t have time to go into it here, but we must think carefully about this baptism – the Holy Spirit was always with Jesus.  Here is a special recognition service of Jesus’ submission to the Father’s will, not some evidence of a 2nd baptism as some would say.) 

The Father says “I love Jesus and with him I am well pleased.”  He’s pleased with His son!  And what does He do?

The Father who is pleased with His Son sends Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted!  Right here at the start of the public ministry is a huge challenge, which could threaten the whole effort. 

We could talk more about fasting – which is how Jesus successfully prepares for the temptations that come at the end of 40 days – but today I just want you to see that the loving Father sends Jesus into a terrible struggle at the start of ministry.

Many great ministry efforts in history have started the same way. In retrospect we see how God was pleased with His servants, and then launched them with temptations and challenges.  The fact that we face ministry struggles may have nothing to do with God’s displeasure with us!  Early adversity does not mean that we’ve failed to follow God’s direction or made a mistake (the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness).  Difficulty and adversity does not necessarily mean we’re outside God’s will – which should encourage us!

One of our most important roles as leaders is to encourage and teach others about this truth.  They can persevere in the strength of Christ!

Feeding the World

Sobering challenge:

"This month, the global population reached 7 billion.  Each year, the world population grows by about 78 million people -- equivalent to the population of Germany.  By 2050, world population will be 9 billion, growing to 10 billion by turn of the century.  Feeding and providing nutrition for this growing population -- and doing it in a sustainable manner -- may be the defining challenge of this century." (Jim Borel, DuPont VP)

Devotions for Your Children

I've yet to meet a father who says, "Family devotions -- piece of cake, do 'em every day consistently and my kids love it."  

For older children (say, above 8 or 9), I recommend you share what God is teaching you in your own daily Bible time.  You can scale it down, provide more context, tailor it to make it relevant to their current challenges.  This doesn't have to be exhausting or take a lot of prep time.  

For young children, I think you have to be more purposeful on finding content that is helpful and age-appropriate.  Picture Bibles are good for this purpose.  

If you want to be more sophisticated, I admire what Tim Challies is doing to lead his children. 

What's worked for you?  Comment below. 

Loving Wayward Children

Here are 12 ways to love your wayward children, by Abraham Piper.  Excellent counsel here!  I really appreciate the loving perspective, without compromising truth.

Gentleness

It's certainly appropriate on this blog to talk about gentleness, which is strength under control!  I encourage you to reflect on these verses:

• 
  
• Matt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
• Matt 21:5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
• Gal 5:23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
• Gal 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
• Eph 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
• Phil 4:5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
• Col 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
• 1 Pet 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect
• 1 Thess 2:7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.
• 1 Tim 3:3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
• 1 Tim 6:11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
• 2 Tim 2:25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
• Heb 5:2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.
• HT: quarentia

Light of the World

Where Did All This Hostility in the Middle East Come From?

If you want to explore the reasons for the conflicts in the Middle East, start with this prophecy of the son of Hagar:

The angel of the LORD also said to her:
“You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”

(Genesis 16:11-12)
 

An Idea for Secondary Education

(Disclaimer: I'm not a professional educator.  I have no certifications in teaching children.  I do not create curriculum for children or youth.)

A modest proposal:

Focus elementary school years on the competencies of reading, writing, and math.I'm thinking about up through age12.

Then take the years from 12-18 and focus on these kinds of skills and experiences:

• Reading critically from diverse sources of information.
• Examine history in order to learn themes and patterns and lessons.  Especially study biographies.
• Solving problems worth solving. Focus on it, get creative, stay after it. Use the scientific method and common engineering
• Leading peers without authority, and the skills of influencing through communication and example.
• Work on projects -- planning, executing, managing different aspects. 
• Basics of finances and economics. Personal/family money management, and business use of money.
• Hard work.
• Continual learning, by self-directed and via mentors.

Remember, the word "educate" comes from Latin and literally means "to draw out."  This experience-driven approach requires whole communities of genuine adults who don't abdicate responsibilities to future generations. 

I suspect a secondary education curriculum like this would create a much larger population of good thinking, effective citizens than our current systems do. 

Your thoughts?

The Help Desk Has Been Around a Long Time

"There is nothing new under the sun" -- Ecclesiastes

Two Favorite Books for Boys

I read many wonderful books as a boy, but there are two adventure stories that I still enjoy reading as an adult:

My Side of the Mountain (by Jean George) -- the story of a boy set off to live in a tree by himself in the Catskills, and his adventures there. 

Banner in the Sky (by James Ramsey Ullman) -- the story of a boy who dreamed of climbing The Citadel, the last great unclimbed mountain in the Alps. 

Recommended for your boys!  (Note: Both have been made into movies, but the books are better.)

What other books for boys do you recommend? 

Solving Problems, or Juggling Symptoms?

I recently received a good rebuke from a professional colleague: "Are you solving problems, Glenn, or do prefer to juggle symptoms?" 

Two-by-four, meet Mr. Forehead. 

This was a helpful insight, and not only for that moment.  Sometimes I really do prefer to juggle symptoms.  I'm good at juggling.  I still have a convenient pile of excuses for why things aren't done. (Excuses are lies we tell ourselves.) It's less work than solving problems. 

Is This Your King?

Free Audio Book: The Next Story

Flash update: Tim Challies' excellent book on how we should think about this massive rush of technological change, "The Next Story" is available as this month's free audiobook download.  Recommended.

Water, Water!

I recently learned a few amazing facts about the colossal scale of the water cycle on planet Earth:

One cubic kilometer of water is 264 billion gallons -- a lifetime supply for 70,000 people. 

The ocean's evaporate a cubic kilometer of fresh water every 72 seconds, 1,200 cubic kilometers of fresh water a day -- which is 45,000 gallons of fresh water a day for every person on earth (two full swimming pools' worth).

Each day's evaporation joins an incredible river of 12,900 cubic kilometers of water already floating in the atmosphere. That's more water whirling through the atmosphere than sits in four of the five Great Lakes combined (Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario). 

And yet the Earth is a relatively dry place.  If the Earth were the size of a Honda Odyssesy minivan, all the water on the planet would fit in a single half-liter bottle. 

Source

To God be the glory!

It's Not Enough to Ask the Lord What to Do

47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
 49 When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.


 51 But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.


 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour-when darkness reigns." 
Luke 22:47-53

This event is told in all four gospel accounts; Peter is named as the sword-swinger in John, but not the others.  It would have been an emotionally-charged, memorable event!  Situation difficult: Outnumbered, inferior weapons ("two swords" which were probably more like kitchen knives), at night, hampered terrain.

Detail in the Luke account: the disciples ask what to do! (v49)  Then Peter charges ahead, going after (probably) the least threatening man in sight - a servant.  Of course, Peter wasn't aiming at the man's ear!

Jesus' response is not only to Peter, but to the group.  This suggests the other disciples were going to attack as well.  Certainly the temple guards would be prepared for violence (clubs and swords v.52) It's a natural response to defend your rabbi and yourselves.

Key application for leaders:  How often do we ask the Lord for instruction and guidance - and then move ahead with the assumption that our idea is correct?  Let's be leaders who listen carefully to God.

Mission for the Day

Men, here is your mission for the day: Love your wife. 

Step it up today.  Don't coast.  Put out a "surge" effort today, and don't put this off.  Words and actions.

For Dads with Daughters of "Dating" Age

Men, for your edification:

Rules for Dating a Marine's Daughter
Application to Date My Daughter

Now these are great humorous pieces, and we can identify with them!  One thing I did with my daughter years ago was show here these.  "Dad, you wouldn't do this to any guy who wants to take me out, would you?"  I explained that no, I wouldn't, but I wanted her to understand how dads feel about their daughters.

The Story of the King James Bible

I heartily recommend to you to this DVD which tells the story of the King James Bible.  Wonderfully done, with outstanding presentation by John Rhys-Davies (who doesn't love this man's voice?).  This would be fun for a small group to watch and discuss.  You'll see the Providence of God at work.

Lead Me

Observations from Acts on Ministry Leadership

"News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,  and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people." (Acts 11:22-26)

Barnabas was an effective teacher and leader, but still recruited Saul/Paul to come to Antioch.   It's clear that they both taught and led at Antioch.  And God (who does not make mistakes) sent both men to the Gentile world (Acts 13:1-3). 

Paul and Barnabas go through many struggles and joys together, co-ministering, both operating (boldly!) as teachers and preachers.   This is plainly seen in these verses:
Acts 13:5, 7 42-43, 46, 51
Acts 14:3, 21, 27
Acts 15:2, 35

Then their disagreement comes (Acts 15:36-41), and they separate.  Barnabas takes John and goes back to his home in Cyprus.  Paul takes Silas and continues on in Asia Minor. 

All through the remainder of Acts, chapters 16-28, Paul is clearly the preacher, teacher, and leader.  He's the public face of the ministry team.  (Paul has many different helpers in these years.)   Never again is there an indication of co-leadership with another, the way he and Barnabas had operated.

Three thoughts for your consideration:
1. Ministry is a team effort.  God intentionally brings people together for His work, using our complementary strengths.  Paul could not have accomplished all that he did without help from others and their support. 
2. Perhaps the separation event in chapter 15, difficult as it was, was a transition between different phases of ministry, with different leadership needs.
3. Even if I'm correct about different phases of ministry, let us be clear that God is sovereign over all, and works through imperfect leaders.  There was effective ministry when Barnabas and Paul co-led, and effective ministry after they separated.

Tim Hawkins on Aging Rockers

Opportunity Cost

"Opportunity cost" refers to the fact that by choosing to do one thing, you spend time that could have been used to do something else.  That alternative way to spend time is the "opportunity cost" of  your choice.

I don't know about you, but (especially when I'm physically tired and feeling more selfish) I'm more likely to make poor choices about what I eat, what I read, what I watch, what I do, etc.  It's been helpful for me to ask myself "What's the opportunity cost?" when I'm inclined to do something.

Sure, passively watching TV would "feel" great right now.  What's the opportunity cost?  I'm sure you can think of other example situations.

Note: I'm not opposed to leisure and rest.  They are good and necessary.  But men, we need to know ourselves and push ourselves to our best. 

Want to Be Wiser? Read This Book

If you want to be wiser working with people and situations, there is one book that will help you more than any other: Proverbs. 

Proverbs frames the world in the fundamental differences between wise people and fools.  It's your success manual for practical wisdom in dealing with people. 

Now you read the 31 chapters in an hour, and then lay it aside.  But that's not my recommendation.  Instead, read a chapter a day.  There are 31 chapters, so simply read the chapter that corresponds to the day of the month.  Takes 5-10 minutes.  Trust me, a verse or two will "pop out" for you to reflect on more. 

You'll find that new insights come as you read this way, over a period of years, and encounter new people and situations.  

Learning Through Mentoring

Challenge for you: list out those people that you are mentoring, even if only informally or occasionally. Who are you influencing more than others?
Most of the time, when you've plateaued in an area, the breakthroughs will begin to come again when you start teaching or mentoring others. There's something about the way we're wired that we don't learn everything we could until we teach others. This avenue to self-growth requires selflessness.
Next two challenges:

1. Think carefully about something you can do to help each person on your list. What can you teach them, what stories can you share, what encouragement or coaching or feedback can you provide?

2. Add one or two more names to your list of people this week.

Hi-Tech Glass -- But What Will Be Important?

The technological future is coming very fast. I think there are hard trends (inevitable), but also soft trends where we have more room for decisions. While this intriguing video is focused on what could be enabled by hi-tech glass, I encourage you to think about what will be important that might be hurt or limited by technology (if not used well). What aspects of your marriage, your parenting, your deepest friendships, governing ourselves, entertainment, ability to create a multi-generational legacy, our worship -- all that which is the best of us -- what decisions will we need to explore?

Leadership Blogs

I follow a number of blogs which give me great ideas and encouragement on leadership, including:

Seth Godin

Michael Hyatt

Orrin Woodward

Mark Sanborn

Perry Noble

Ron Edmonson

Mark Batterson

T.J. Addington


Which others do you recommended? Comment below.

An Effective Family Devotion Strategy

No guilt trip here, guys. 

Here's a simple approach to family devotions that works.  Review with them what God is teaching you from your daily time in the Word and prayer.  (You'll find it's easier to do that yourself when you're teaching your family from it!)

Doesn't have to be complicated or very long.  Read a few verses, share an insight you had or a point you feel is worth emphasizing, and facilitate some discussion.  Pray. You can even do this during mealtime. 

Try it out!

Personal MBA Reading List

Some of you might be considering getting an MBA degree.  Before you do that, consider an alternative approach: the personal MBA reading list. It still takes a lot of discipline, but you will get most of the benefits with much less cost and time away from your family.

Biographies Worth Your Time

It's important to learn from history and biographies.  Here are a few biographies of great men which have helped me enormously, in no particular order:

Athanasius
John Adams
Harry Truman
Theodore Roosevelt
Martin Luther
Glady Alward
John Paton
Robert E. Lee
Winston Churchill

Do you have some recommendations?

Note: there are some great biographical documentary films and movies worth watching, but nothing quite matches a biographical book.

Class of 2014

Check out this list of characteristics for the college freshman class of 2014.  Wow, I feel really old.

Dealing with Offenses

Excellent video from Michael Hyatt on dealing with offenses.  This important for leaders and role models like you, men!

He covers four truths:

Offenses are inevitable.
Satan intends offenses for our destruction.
God intends offenses for our good.
Being offended is a choice.

Marching Orders for Men (That's You)

Marching orders for men  (from 1 Cor 16:13-14):

Be on your guard
stand firm in the faith
be courageous
be strong.
Do everything in love.

How's that Bible Reading Plan Going?

Time for a check-in -- how are you doing with your Bible reading plan?  If you dropped the habit, today is the day to restart.  Don't worry about yesterday.  Just restart today.  It's been said of Marines that they get knocked down six times and get up seven.  Be like that!

This Echo Chamber May Be Dangerous

We have MANY channels and sources for news and commentary now -- let's talk about the good and potentially bad aspects of this.

As a kid you could get your news on TV from three networks (where I grew up, only two, because the antenna wasn't that good).  There were only a couple of options for newspapers in any region.  Radio stations didn't carry a lot of news.  Someone else pretty much dictated what you saw and heard.

With blogs, websites, multiple news channels and their derivatives available on cable and radio, almost every newspaper is online, even automated news aggregators from multiple sources -- there are millions of sources and avenues to get news and commentary, from every conceivable perspective and worldview. 

The plus side of this is that you are limited by what a few people decide is newsworthy, or how they choose to present it.  You can gain access to multiple perspectives on the same events, and get a more complete picture of what's going on...if you choose to.

The downside is that if you aren't diligent, you can spend hours daily in a news stream and never hear or read something that contradicts your preferred perspective. It's been said of several presidents "How did he get elected?  No one I know voted for him!" 

I believe it's important for you, men, because you are leaders in your families, to be well-informed and work with multiple perspectives.  That takes some energy, some discipline.  This situation is only going to get more complicated in the future, so it is important to train your children about these things. 

Ground everything in reliable Scripture, and be discerning, but don't limit your intake to one preferred perspective. 

"There's a Signal In This Home Somewhere"

A little humor -- with a point -- for Monday morning.

We Don't Get to Rebuke the Lord

(This is from a short devotion I led recently. -- Glenn)

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.


28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Matthew 16:21-28

Observations to apply in our lives:

• We don’t get to rebuke the Lord. We don’t get to say “No, Lord.”

• Geographic orientation – don’t get between me and my destination (Jerusalem)

• Personal orientation – we are to follow Jesus

• Top of mind concerns should be the concerns of God

• May we be small or non-existent stumbling blocks to Jesus!

Future of Business Models

I've spent considerable time in the past two years studying and thinking about the future of business models, managing, product value, gathering communities, and leadership.

I watch a lot of men looking backwards with nostalgia for how it use to be.  Those days are gone, and they aren't coming back again.

It's important to think clearly and courageously about moving forward, and especially about helping our children move forward into the future economic realities.  So I encourage you to watch this short video and start considering these ideas.

Exclusive interview with Seth Godin from GiANT Impact on Vimeo.

Teach Your Girls to Look for Men

It doesn't require more than cursory review of pop culture to conclude that we've moved to celebrating prolonged adolescence.  Consider how many popular music and TV and sports figures are 25-35 years old but acting like irresponsible teenagers. 

I don't have a simple remedy, but here's a starting point, men: teach your your ladies what real men act like, what they say, how they handle themselves, how they take on responsibility -- and then encourage them to skip the goofy, immature, irresponsible "boys" of any chronological age. 

When boys see that young ladies are interested in men, they're much more likely to become men. 

Christians Actually Have Lower Divorce Rates

This article looks carefully at some data and concludes that -- contrary to what is often said -- American Christians who are serious about their faith actually have a lower divorce rate than secular marriages.

While encouraging, the rate remains too high!

I like what our senior pastor says: "There are only two kinds of marriages: those being worked on, and those that aren't."

Interesting Sign of the Times

Things My Grandfathers Said

My two grandfathers were very different men, and I loved them both dearly. As a boy I treasured time with them, looked up to them, paid attention to what they said – which was often surprising. Here are a few things I heard them say that made a deep impression on me. I won’t distinguish which grandfather said what, because that’s not important to a general audience. But I write in hopes my grandfathers will inspire you, and also to encourage men to be good teaching grandfathers for future generations.

One time I was watching my grandfather pruning rose bushes. I was startled at how much he cut them back! “If you ask the rose bushes, they don’t like to be pruned,” he replied.

“Don’t argue with idiots. They like it too much.” I probably should have followed this advice more frequently in my life.

I could tie my shoelaces as a youngster, but my shoes were often loose enough to come off my feet. My strategy was to keep tying more knots in the laces until I didn’t have any shoelace left to work with. My grandfather said to me, “Glenn, if the first knot isn’t tight, it doesn’t matter how many more knots you tie on top.” I’ve found a lot of ways to apply that insight over the years!

A simple framework for determining what’s wrong: “Don’t do things that make the devil happy.”

Whenever I expressed that I was a little tired of working on a chore, I heard my grandfather’s classic response was classic: “The work isn’t done yet.” Learning about the rhythm of work is more caught than taught.

When I rationalized that he cut wood better because he had a sharper axe: "It's the workman, not the tool."  Even at age 15 I knew he was right. 

“Every driver thinks they’re above average.” One of my earliest insights into the fact that self-perception is unreliable.

“You have a belly button, Glenn, so you’re entitled to your opinion. That’s about all you’re entitled to.” Needless to say, my grandfather was not keen on entitlement programs and people who thought they deserved this or that.

Commentary on a local figure who was caught in adultery: “He threw a lot away for a few minutes of fun with a zip at the end. A man does well to keep his pants on.”

One time I asked my grandfather why he shaved in the morning and the evening before bed. He just looked at me, smiled, and continued shaving. (It was several years before I figured this one out!)

Sometimes these men showed ignorance or stereotyping. Here’s an example: “Those foreigners have a different word for everything. If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it’s good enough for me!” I suspect my grandfather was a little surprised in heaven to find that blue-eyed English-speaking Caucasians were the minority population in heaven. He was convinced that Jesus spoke King James English, and that the apostles switched to the red ink quill when recording his words.

What did you learn from your grandfathers?

Colin Powell's 13 Rules of Leadership

Worth pondering, and then discussing with your older children. Make every effort to help them become leaders! (That includes modeling it.)

COLIN POWELL’S 13 RULES OF LEADERSHIP

1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
2. Get mad, then get over it.
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that, when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
4. It can be done!
5. Be careful what you choose, you may get it.
6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
8. Check small things.
9. Share credit.
10. Remain calm. Be kind.
11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Insights on Idolatry

"Shining Like the Sun"

This is pretty cool! A few thoughts, as a comparison with we as believers:

The power is from the Son, not from us.
The power is focused as there are more of us working in concert and unity.
The power is focused at a close-by focal point. We need to be close to the not-yet believers to have intense effect.

Who Can Speak Into Your Chest?

Guys, here's an important question: how many men have permission to speak into your chest, and really get to you?

[Go ahead, think about it. I'll wait a moment.]

There's no "right" number, but you need these men. You need them desperately! Cultivate these kinds of relationships. Learn from their experiences. Consider their counsel carefully. You aren't the first person to have faced difficulties.

Take note: these guys don't all have to be alive. There are wonderful books and journals from men of old that can inform and guide and challenge you.

Got a sense of something that needs more attention here? What will you do about that?

Lessons from Ben Franklin

I highly recommend this Orrin Woodward article, "Ben Franklin's Passive Income Stream," for three reasons:

1. He describes a little-told aspect of Ben Franklin's success -- franchising printing operations to provide him income and freedom to work on other things.
2. Franklin wasn't lazy, but very disciplined as a young man. This is worth talking about with our children.
3. It inspires thoughts about what you could do with your time if you had passive income? Franklin worked on an amazing array of interests and service. You can do this, too!

By the way, if you're interested in Leadership Development, you can do a lot worse than paying attention to Orrin Woodward.

Football Trick Shots

Change of pace -- I'm not a football fanatic or anything, but these trick shots are fun!

“By the grace of God I am what I am”

From John Newton:

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I am not what I ought to be.
Ah! how imperfect and deficient.

Not what I might be,
considering my privileges and opportunities.

Not what I wish to be.
God, who knows my heart, knows I wish to be like him.

I am not what I hope to be;
ere long to drop this clay tabernacle, to be like him and see him as He is.

Not what I once was,
a child of sin, and slave of the devil.

Thought not all these,

not what I ought to be,
not what I might be,
not what I wish or hope to be, and
not what once was,

I think I can truly say with the apostle,

“By the grace of God I am what I am.”

Fortitude With Our Faith

Two powerful phrases in Daniel have stuck out to me recently:

“But Daniel resolved…” (Daniel 1:8)
“But even if He does not [deliver us]…” (Daniel 3:18)

We learn from Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to exhibit fortitude with our faith in God. We’re to speak of this even to not-yet believers!

As leaders we’re called-upon to model this fortitude and faith to others, and foster it amongst those in our sphere of influence. (“Example isn’t the main way to influence others, it’s the only way.”) This is particularly true for our boys and young men. “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.” (Prov. 20:29)

We need to model this as Jesus did – toughness and tenderness, boldness and gentleness. Strength, assurance, confidence – all under self-control.

The best avenue to living with this kind of fortitude and faith is to enlarge our view of what God is doing, both now and in the future. Small men choose to focus on goofy, little stuff – we’re not called to be small men, but great and godly men. As the hymn says,

“Rise up, O Men of God! Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and hands and voice to serve the King of Kings!”

Worth memorizing:

“But Daniel resolved…” (Daniel 1:8)
“But even if He does not [deliver us]…” (Daniel 3:18)

Reagan's 1964 Speech

Great speech -- amazingly timely.

Why Don't They Watch TV on TV?

Typical American families have televisions turned on many hours each day (there are various numbers). Here's a question to ponder:

Why do you seldom see the people in television programs sitting around watching TV?

Teach Your Boys to Shovel the Driveway

Tim Challies had a good dad that we need to emulate:

"I remember being a rebellious, listless teenager. I remember how little I wanted to do much of anything for anyone else. I remember our elderly next-door neighbor had a heart attack and was unable to do any strenuous labor. We had a good snowfall one day and I was enjoying the day in the refuge of my basement bedroom, lying across my bed reading a book and listening to some music. My father came down and told me in no uncertain terms that I was to go upstairs, get my winter gear on and get outside to shovel the neighbor’s driveway. He gave me a figurative (and perhaps literal—my memory is a little hazy) kick in the rear-end and sent me on my way. I went outside and there was my neighbor’s wife, shoveling the drive. I pitched in and soon had it cleared. The lesson has stuck.

"Dad had high expectations of me, but reasonable, biblical ones. He wanted me to be active and proactive in service to others; he wanted me to be looking for opportunities to serve and for opportunities to serve as a man serves; he wanted me to use my growing (and now diminishing) strength to serve other people.

"I have a boy of my own now and I can see that some of what was in me is in him. He is a good kid, a kind soul. Yet he is sometimes as reluctant to serve as I was when I was young. I am seeking to teach him that he is to use his strength, his ability to serve others and especially to serve those who are weaker or less able than he is. It will not be long before my son is stronger than my wife. Already when they goof around together I can see that she does not have a whole lot on him. What becomes of a mom when she has children who are bigger than she is, stronger than she is, and yet with so little maturity, so little restraint? What happens when there is no one to mentor the boy, to teach him that his strength must be used to serve others?

"This is a lesson a father needs to pass to his son. It’s a lesson that no one has taught to so many of the boys who live around me. A little while ago I saw a mother struggling with a load of groceries while her boys pushed past one another and past her to get into the house. I stopped them and told them to get back to the car to help their mother. They looked at me blankly and walked into their house, mumbling an excuse. Mom struggled down the walkway she had shoveled with the groceries she was forced to carry. Dad is long gone. There is no one to give these boys the good, swift kick to the posterior that would get them acting like men."

What are you doing to teach your boys (and helping to teach all boys in your sphere of influence) to shovel the driveway, mow the yard, carry groceries, do the heavy lifting, etc?

My Needs, Her Needs

This one is for you married guys...or guys who want to be married someday.

Lot of wisdom in this article: "Mine are Needs! Yours are Nice-to-haves!"

Print it off, read it twice, mark it up.

Important Valentine's Day Tip

Intentional Parenting

I highly recommend this book from Cruciform Press: Intentional Parenting. Terrific for dads. Inexpensive, and you can get it in multiple formats.

From the description:

"There are literally thousands of books available on how to live various aspects of the Christian life. Of these, at least a couple of dozen pertaining to family life and child training are well worth reading.

This is not one of those books.

This book is designed to help you take those other books, as well as all the sermons, teachings, and exhortations you have received on child training and leadership in the home, and make sense of it all.

Pastor Tad Thompson has assembled a biblical approach to effective family discipleship. Let him share it with you in this clear, encouraging, accessible book.

This is not another book of tactics and techniques. It is a book of strategy for parents who want to be intentional about discipleship in the home."

Interested? Get the Table of Contents and an excerpt free here.

Learning from a Dog Named Life

Even non-dog lovers will appreciate this story of Zoe, "A Dog Named Life."

Dads, there are good reminders for us in this story of redemption.

For Math and Biology Wonks

Let us celebrate and praise the sheer elegance of God's creation, right down to the mathematics of DNA!

Privacy in Plain Sight

The people who have the most to fear by sharing information online are not disciples of Jesus. Christians can live exactly the kind of life that can tolerate public scrutiny better than any other. Let's look at why:

• Your yes is yes, and your no is no. (Matthew 5:37)
  
• You speak the truth, and speak it in love. (Ephesians 4:15)
  
• You build others up, not tear them down. (Ephesians 4:29)
  
• You guard that which is precious about people, because they are made in the image of God.
• You don't give in to temptations.
• Your motives are pure, and rooted in love, even if you are sometimes misunderstood.
• Your words and actions glorify God.
• Your suffering (and we all do/will suffer) is under the loving hands of our Sovereign God.
• You are as shrewd as a snake and as innocent as a dove (Matthew 10:16)
  

Yes, I know you don't live up to these standards -- and neither do I. But this is what Christ-in-us looks like.

Live, speak, and write for the King -- and you need not fear public scrutiny.

Three Step Mentoring

We desperately need to mentor those coming along beside and behind us! I'm saying that selfishly, guys -- you and I need to mentor others, because it's the key to our own continued growth and learning. And it's God's design for training and developing others.

As I encourage men to mentor others, I find that often people get hung because they make it complicated and formal. To get you past this, I recommend this approach from Mac Lake:

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Three Easy Steps for Mentoring

EXPLORE – The first thing you want to do is get your mentee to THINK about a specific leadership skill or principle. You can do this by giving them something to read, watch, research or listen to. Give them some time to explore and think about the material you’ve given them.
EXPERIENCE – Next you want the mentee to TRY it. Just reading about a leadership principle doesn’t mean you really get it. We learn best by putting something into practice. So take one of the leadership principles they learned from their reading or listening (Explore) and give them a challenging assignment that will give them the opportunity to put that prnciple into practice.
EVALUATE – Finally you want the mentee to TALK about their experience. Once they have tried the new skill they need the opportunity to discuss how it felt, how it went, what they learned. Ask them questions like: What did you do well? What would you do differently? What kind of response did you get from others? What did you learn from the experience?

This process is so powerful because it’s more than dispensing information, it actually produces transformation.

EXPLORE + EXPERIENCE + EVALUATE = TRANSFORMATION

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Try it!

Butchering English

Words do have meaning, and are important. I often feel great empathy for my friends from other countries who struggle to understand our English. This guy points out that we really need to laugh at our inconsistencies!

Ending Self-Inflicted Castration

Long ago a man told me that my mission would be to "speak into the chests of other men and stir their hearts."

That's what Orrin Woodward does in this talk. An excerpt:

"So many men, checked out of their marriages, checked out on their children, complete the dismal triple crown by checking out of leadership. You cannot be a bum in one area of your life, while being a star in another. Either, leadership will grow all areas, or lack of leadership, will stunt them. Men must lead their homes, learning the principles of leadership necessary to serve within society. Because of our warped understanding of leadership, many assume leadership means dictatorship, but nothing could be further from the truth. Leadership is based upon servanthood, a willingness to serve others, while holding the bar high on themselves and the community. When a man gets the leadership right in his home, he can then step forward to lead in his community, having the confidence engendered by a stable home. In order to have men to lead in the homes and society, we must raise up a group of leaders, who accept responsibility. Males must stop hiding from Goliath, instead, stepping forward to conquer Goliath, moving on to their God given destiny. We have plenty of males, but not enough true men. As C. S. Lewis wrote in his classic chapter in Abolition of Man, called Men Without Chest, “We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.”

A vital part in the resurgence of North America, is the restoration of American manhood, ending the self-inflicted castration of the male. True servant leadership, based upon character, courage, and convictions, are still alive in a remnant of men. This remnant has hibernated long enough. The year 2011, is a call to arms for that remnant. We can no longer remain inactive. We can no longer allow our wives and children to be damaged by our lack of leadership. We can no longer pass the buck. It’s time to step to the plate. This is the year, the year that millions of males became men."

-=-=-=-=-
Read the whole thing. Let is stir your heart!

Boys Adrift

Tim Challies' review of the book "Boys Adrift" is well-worth your time. Certainly gives me much to ponder.

Steps Away from Internet Distractions

Men, we’re vulnerable to distractions and the Internet fuels many of them.

So here is a tool you might consider: Freedom. It works for either Mac or PC, and – for the number of minutes you specify – blocks access to the Internet from that machine. Bingo, there go some of the distractions. $10. This could really help your productivity and keep you (or some members of your family) out of trouble.

Anti-Social is a Mac-only app that blocks access to social media sites, but not everything on the Internet. $15.

Train Yourself to Ask These Questions

My mind is very active, frequently wandering off to unhealthy places. I've developed some thought questions and reminders to help me stay on track:

"Does this thought make Satan happy, or God?"

"I am not my own, I was bought at a price, for His purpose."

"Does that whisper sound like something God would say? Or someone else?"

"Being tired is never an excuse or rationalization."

"And if that was the lead story on the local news...?"

"There is nothing anonymous in this universe."

"Backbone!"

"I am commanded not to fear but to put my trust in God."

What's on your list?

Husbands, Protect Your Wife!

Sad Anniversary

Today is the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade...

More prayer needed!

Changing Educational Paradigms

Dads, this is a challenging/shocking video -- brilliantly presented -- sobering content. We need to be thinking about how we educate our children, and the consequences of the systems we accept as "normal." I'm not advocating everyone switch to homeschooling, or that public schooling is all bad. I am advocating we think about what's going on, trendlines, what data tells us, and the responsibilities we have as dads to help children (and not just our own children).

Parenting by Prepared Spontaneity

I really appreciate this insight from Paul David Tripp on parenting:

“Parenting is all about living by the principle of prepared spontaneity. You don’t really know what’s going to happen next. You don’t really know when you’ll have to enforce a command, intervene in an argument, confront a wrong, hold out for a better way, remind someone of a truth, call for forgiveness, lead someone to confession, point to Jesus, restore peace, hold someone accountable, explain a wisdom principle, give a hug of love, laugh in the face of adversity, help someone complete a task, mediate an argument, stop with someone and pray, assist someone to see his heart, or talk once again about what it means to live together in a community of love.”

I believe part of the reason we get so tired at parenting and want to escape is because we prefer to believe the untruth that parenting can be done predictably, conveniently, and with ease.

A Different Way to Honor MLK

Today in the US we take time to remember Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here's a way to honor the man and the movement: [re]read Letter from a Birmingham Jail. It's not as widely known as some other texts, and is worth pondering.

And then take some time to ponder this: what injustices exist today in your sphere of influence? What can you do about this? How could you take this before the Lord in prayer?

Elijah, You, and the Power of God

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1, NIV)

That's how Elijah is introduced.

May I ask you a question: What do you know about Elijah?

How old was he?
Was he wealthy? Or poor?
Was he tall and handsome? Popular with others?
Was he a rebellious boy or a model son?
Did he come from a godly family or good pedigree?

Did he have sisters or brothers or cousins?

Was he married or single? Divorced? A widower, maybe?

What were his skills and talents? Did he have a trade?
What were his past experiences?
Was he an extrovert or an introvert?
Did he have a high IQ?

We simply aren't told. Because Elijah's past doesn't matter to God's ability to use him now.

Elijah is very intentionally presented to us as Everyman. Because it's not about Elijah, it's about God working through Elijah. In fact the name Elijah means "God is my Lord."

James reinforces this understanding as he calls people to pray:

The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. (James 5:16-17, The Message translation)

So I encourage you not to get hung up on your past. Don't let Satan whisper to you about your inadequacies and hypocrisies. (Of course you're inadequate! Of course you've been a hypocrite! It's not about you, it's about Jesus!) Be Elijah today for everyone in the sphere of influence that God has granted you, and pray confidently.

Reminder -- special day is coming

Husbands, quick reminder: Valentine's day is just a month away.

Any jerk can get a last minute gift. Take some time, be thoughtful, be a man.

15 Things

John Piper relates 15 things his father learned. Outstanding! Print this off, talk about it with your kids.

"Why Do You Blog?"

A friend recently asked me, "Why do you blog?"

Simple answer, echoing John Wesley: I write blog posts to myself; if others want to listen in, great.

Blogging is good personal discipline. It causes me to pray, "Lord, make me a large and clean conduit of your love and grace to others." I strongly believe that under the sovereignty of God these blog posts are useful for encouraging and building up others, including people I will never meet or who outlive me. Blogging also helps me overcome fears.

Be bold, be gentle.

Show Up. Work Hard.

Ok, husbands and fathers, check out this Seth Godin blog post (12/21/2010):

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Go to work on a regular basis.
Art is hard. Selling is hard. Writing is hard. Making a difference is hard.
When you're doing hard work, getting rejected, failing, working it out--this is a dumb time to make a situational decision about whether it's time for a nap or a day off or a coffee break.
Zig taught me this twenty years ago. Make your schedule before you start. Don't allow setbacks or blocks or anxiety to push you to say, "hey, maybe I should check my email for a while, or you know, I could use a nap." If you do that, the lizard brain is quickly trained to use that escape hatch again and again.
Isaac Asimov wrote and published 400 (!) books using this technique.
The first five years of my solo business, when the struggle seemed neverending, I never missed a day, never took a nap. (I also committed to ending the day at a certain time and not working on the weekends. It cuts both ways.)
In short: show up.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Now: apply this mentality to being the husband and father God calls you to be. Show up. Work hard. "Making a difference is hard."

Put the Seat Down

Wish I had this when I was engaged to my beloved...recommended, even if you've been married a while. Would be an excellent book to use with any pre-married man you are mentoring.

Put the Seat Down and Other Brilliant Insights for an Awesome First Year of Marriage

Disconnects?

Ponder this message:



Now, what might God be saying to you (ya-hum, YOU)?

Happy 2011!

Happy New Year, everyone! May God make His Name glorious in your life, and bless you.

Feeling Overwhelmed?

I'm noticing a pattern for myself:

I have so many things I want to do that I'm overwhelmed, and don't get very much of any of them completed. The temptation to "go do something else" (usually not as hard) is very strong.

(I thought I'd share it here in hopes it's a helpful observation for you.)

Here's a hypothesis: I feel the overwhelm because I lack confidence in my planning. I feel the overwhelm because of fears (looking foolish, getting into 'unsafe' territory, fear of failure, etc.). I feel...

Hey, maybe that's at the heart of the issue? I'm focusing too much on my feelings!

What about you?

Defining Spiritual Leadership

Excellent thoughts here from David Murray about spiritual leadership. I've recently been rereading Oswald Sanders' Spiritual Leadership and this hit home as well.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I like Joel Beeke's definition: "Spiritual leadership is moving people by biblical means, in dependency upon the Holy Spirit, to do God's will." Here's my own: "A Christian leader serves God and His people by exemplifying godly character and conduct; by communicating God's Word to everyone with wisdom and love; by excelling in vocational responsibilities; by uniting, equipping and inspiring God's people for worship and works of service; and by preparing them for eternal life." It's a bit of a mouthful and probably still doesn't cover all the bases. Let me expound it a little.

1. He serves God and His people
The Christian leader sees himself primarily as a servant not a ruler. And he is a servant of God first, then of His people.

2. He exemplifies godly character and conduct
The internal life comes first. Without a Christ-like core, everything else will eventually decay and rot. But character does issue in external conduct. Modeling holiness of life is perhaps the most powerful and yet most neglected element of spiritual leadership.

3. He communicates God's Word
Christian leaders read and study God's Word in order to communicate it wisely and lovingly to Christian and non-Christian alike, as opportunity arises. He is concerned to speak God's Word more than his own and to make sure all his own are consistent with God's.

4. He excels in vocational responsibilities
He does not over-spiritualize leadership by thinking that prayer and Bible study will cover a multitude of incompetencies and inefficiencies in everyday life. He recognizes his duty to be organized, to be efficient, to keep appointments, to prepare for meetings, to inspire trust and respect by wise financial stewardship, etc.

5. He unites, equips, and inspires God's people for worship
He unites God's people in thoughtful, orderly, reverent and Word-centered worship. But He also leads and directs worship so that it reaches and inspires the heart and the emotions. Like the Father, he wants worship to be full of Truth and Spirit.

6. He equips and inspires God's people for works of service
While prioritizing worship, he also teaches, trains, organizes, and enables God's people to serve Him, His Church, and His World as their talents and opportunities permit.

7. He prepares God's people for eternal life
Eternity is ever before him. However busy his life or his church's life, however much he and God's people serve here below, the spiritual leader is ever mindful that all this is all-too short preparation for the long world to come.

Source:

When Fathers Go to Church...

This study seems consistent with my observation -- when fathers attend church regularly, their adult children are much more likely to be regular worshippers.

Here's an excerpt:

"In short, if a father does not go to church, no matter how faithful his wife’s devotions, only one child in 50 will become a regular worshipper. If a father does go regularly, regardless of the practice of the mother, between two-thirds and three-quarters of their children will become churchgoers (regular and irregular). If a father goes but irregularly to church, regardless of his wife’s devotion, between a half and two-thirds of their offspring will find themselves coming to church regularly or occasionally.

A non-practicing mother with a regular father will see a minimum of two-thirds of her children ending up at church. In contrast, a non-practicing father with a regular mother will see two-thirds of his children never darken the church door. If his wife is similarly negligent that figure rises to 80 percent!

The results are shocking, but they should not be surprising. They are about as politically incorrect as it is possible to be; but they simply confirm what psychologists, criminologists, educationalists, and traditional Christians know. You cannot buck the biology of the created order. Father’s influence, from the determination of a child’s sex by the implantation of his seed to the funerary rites surrounding his passing, is out of all proportion to his allotted, and severely diminished role, in Western liberal society."

Read the whole essay.

Merry Christmas!

Have a blessed day, everyone!

Fathers and Sons

The first part of this video is from the terrific film "Secondhand Lions"

Rerun: How I Use Blogs, Twitter, and Facebook to Encourage People

Except for using Hootsuite instead of SocialOoomph, this is still the way I encourage people through blogs and social media.

Kill Kids by Destroying Their Imagination

Haven't read it, but the theme sounds excellent. Dad's need to pay attention to these issues for our children and grandchildren.

TEN WAYS TO DESTROY THE IMAGINATION OF YOUR CHILD

Studying Books -- the New Old Mantra

New mantra for men: it's not enough to read. You must study.

I wrote earlier this week lamenting that men weren't readers. Ok. I'm not going to whine or cajole or plead. I will call you to a high standard, and challenge you to step up to your God-given responsibilities and challenges.

Simply passing your eyeballs over the pages of a book will not do. Invest yourself into books (that are worth it) and study, in order to strengthen your mind and thinking.

Some suggestions for study:

1. Select good book, challenging books -- the ones that help you become a better man, husband, father, leader.

2. Write the month and date you start reading a book inside the cover. You'll be amazed when you come back to books later and see how God brought that into your life at that time for a reason.

3. Read in 2 or 3 books at a time. You're less likely to get bored, and the cross-fertilization of ideas and disciplines will turbocharge your learning.

4. Write in your books. Really mark 'em up, make 'em yours. Studying means reading with pen in hand and interacting with the text.

5. Plan to pass along the best material you find, with an explanation of why you recommend it. This forces you to summarize the key ideas and place the book in the context of other books, topics, etc.

Study, men.

I have a whole course on learning faster, if you're interested.

3 Steps Forward -- Fit in Hard Thinking in Your Busy Schedule

I know you're scrambling, busy with MANY things going simultaneously. It's difficult to write, create, think clearly about complex problems, and complete projects.

Here's a three-step process towards being more fruitful (meaning, creating value for yourself and others):

1. Print off this article:
"Getting Creative Things Done: How to Fit Hard Thinking Into a Busy Schedule"

2. Read it, study it.

3. Get your calendar out and start implementing this strategy.

Start on step 1 now.

Lion Chaser's Manifesto

I have this on my bathroom mirror and read it regularly. I commend it to you!

Lion Chaser's Manifesto

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

(Mark Batterson)

Men, But Not Readers

"The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the one who cant read them." - Mark Twain

Why is that so few men read books?

There are lists of recommended books (here's one from The "art of manliness" website -- takes a while to load all the pictures...hmmm... maybe that tells us something about men?).

Perhaps we're too easily distracted by things which are less work than reading.

Perhaps we think we've done all our reading in school.

Perhaps we're just lazy.

My counsel: buck the trends, be a man who reads.

Parenting: Preparation, Persistence, and Prayer

I recommend Rebecca Hagelin's short article, "The Myth of Experts." We dads (less so than moms) are inundated with how-to information on parenting from 'experts,' with the net effect that our confidence in how to parent is being rattled left and right.

An excerpt:
-=-=-=-=-=-

"It takes three basic stones to build the foundation for raising a child of character —preparation, persistence, and prayer.

First, prepare for the journey of raising a child (or if you are starting late, a teen) by having a vision for him or her. My young friend’s parenting confusion, like so many parents I hear from, stems from the dizzying number of child-rearing theories thrown at her that have one thing in common: mom isn’t good or smart enough to figure it out herself. The first step is simple: shut out the experts and focus on the kind of young woman you want your daughter to become. Keeping that vision in mind, it becomes much easier to know who should be shaping her heart and what type of relationships will give her life meaning. Our vision for the adults our children will become offers a coherent set of principles and values that will guide our childrearing.

Secondly, be persistent in holding onto that vision no matter what the culture throws at you. Part of never giving up means finding allies in the battle. Identify others you trust – mentors, if you will – who have been there before; and people in your faith group who will enforce what you are teaching at home. Surround yourself with people who understand that it is God who chose you to be the father of that particular son.

Third, but most importantly, pray for your child and for your own wisdom in parenting. A humble heart before our God opens our ears to hear His guidance. Pray for a heart that will love unconditionally—and then practice the virtues that express that love: generosity, patience, kindness, forgiveness."

If You Could Get Some Leadership Coaching...

I believe God is calling me to do more to develop the next generations of leaders. I'm curious for your input: if the best possible leadership coaching were available to you on an ongoing basis,

What would you learn more about?
How would you like to interact?
What would be different than your current situation?

Comment or email me, I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on this.

Don't Make This Choice

Men, I have a gut-level truth for you to process today:

We choose to procrastinate.

No one makes us procrastinate. No circumstances compel us to procrastinate. There's no one else to blame. We get to make choices in how to spend our time, our energy, and the focus of our thinking.

If you procrastinate, it's because you choose to.

Don't like it? Make a different choice.