As God's image bearers, part of laying a healthy foundation is accurately defining masculinity by looking through the lens of Jesus as a man. His strength was defined by sacrifice, humility, compassion, and love. He had close relationships with a small group of men. He was a champion of women. Scripture tells us Jesus wept in an encounter of loss,

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But generally speaking, males struggle more in this space, and I strongly believe it's connected to our definition of masculinity. A definition many have worked to retire for some time now. For years, we've been working to expand the definition of masculinity, and countless individuals have pushed against the cultural messages we are sending boys a

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The River and the Ripple

There's a famous saying that "there comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in." This book is all about heading upstream to find out where boys are falling in. I hope to interrupt a boy's current way of being in the world in a

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I'd encourage you to watch the footage with your kids and allow the visual to set the stage for some great conversation. Talk about

https://youtu.be/MoxFkJlVZlA

1. Who are your "pacesetters"-the friends who stay with you in the hard moments and celebrate with you in the victories?




2. Who are you a pacesetter for in friendship? Which friends are yo

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The second emotional milestone is perspective. This milestone is learning to accurately categorize the events of life. Learning that a one in life is losing my car keys and a ten is losing a family member. I don't want to go to ten over losing a scrimmage, though many boys can and do.

The milestone of perspective is like the pain scale doctors use.

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Though Scripture is incredibly clear in God asking us to come to him when we are weary and burdened, helpless and in need, we struggle with doing so as males. The invitation is clear, but the practice is difficult. Until we learn to pray with honesty, speak with honesty, and act with honesty, we will continue to rely on our own strength. Relying on

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On that note, let's stop asking boys, "What do you want to do?" Let's start asking them, "Who do you want to be?"

Boys will instinctively tether themselves to their performance as students and athletes. They will feel the pull as adults to anchor their identity to vocation. Asking boys, "What do you want to do?" or men,

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Consider using some part of your training time to watch movies like My All American; Radio; The Blind Side; When the Game Stands Tall; Remember the Titans; Invincible; Facing the Giants; We Are Marshall; Rudy; Glory Road; Hoosiers; Hurricane Season; Coach Carter; Invictus; Bend It Like Beckham; Miracle; Eddie the Eagle; The Miracle Season; Soul Sur

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INTENTIONAL PRACTICES

1. Journal prompts. A favorite memory. A time I felt afraid. A hope for the future. If I could have any superpower. My favorite thing about summer. Three interesting facts about me. A character from a book or movie I'd like to meet and why.




2. Strengths assessment. Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper. List strengths on one

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