Our relationship-building challenges aren't a man-v.woman thing. They're an ego-v.-humility thing. And, if we are to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6), we're going to need to learn how to cultivate strong relationships. Building these relationships is a key skill along our manhood journey. We must get this right, or we risk being alone and

If I win that battle, the whole insanity of moral relativism erodes. And, we've not only established that truth exists, but we've raised the stakes. We know where to find it!

If we elevate God's Word as the source of truth in our homes, we actually tackle many myths at once:

Truth is all relative (1 John 5:20 – 'We know also that the Son of God has

Some of my favorite questions are listed below. You'll be able to discern which ones might require an existing relationship and which ones can be used with a new friend:

So, what's one of your biggest challenges (at work)

these days? Depending on their answer, you might not get to anything else! You might replace 'at work' with any role you're aware

QUESTIONS:

1. If I had you list, right now, who your enemies are, who would you put on that list? Forget for a moment that we just talked about them not being the enemy and write down who you'd have said fit this description. Now, for each of them, can you identify the 'real' enemy behind them?




2. What spiritual opposition do you face on a regular basis?

When you live out your faith as a father, you're showing God to the world. Put another way, for you and me, our highest calling is to represent God to the world. The stakes are higher than us getting accolades, becoming respected in the community, raising great kids or even building a thriving marriage.

Fathers are the lens through which the next

QUESTIONS:

1. How good are you at asking questions? How can you improve in this area? Would those closest to you describe you more as a 'teller' or an 'asker?




2. Think of the names of one or two of your closer friends (excluding your wife and kids). With those names in mind, can you list any of the following characteristics about them:

a. Their most

To put the matter bluntly, I am not my kids' hero.

I don't want to be their hero.

I want my children's hero to be Jesus Christ.

My job is to point to the Savior, not try and be one.

This is where fathers can go overboard and develop an 'earthly-dad-the-everlasting-father' complex. At some point of maturity, I must transition to becoming the colaborer

QUESTIONS:

1. How well do you know God's Word? If your son or daughter came to you with a question, can you find at least some example in Scripture to tie your thoughts back to? Would your children say that you regularly 'reason things out' while using God's Word as your foundation?




2. Think back to a struggle you've experienced that your kids know about.

Don't fear the word success. Redeem it. This will help our children avoid falling into the trap of accepting this world's hedonistic and narrow view of success.