The Manhood Journey

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 c

As for this chapter, here's where I'd ask you to start:

If you had to list five characteristics of a godly man, what would those be? This isn't a test; there are dozens. What are the first five that immediately come to mind?

Among those five, how would you grade' yourself on some maturity curve? From 'have no clue' to 'been doing that for years, do a

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 signifi

MY OWN MOTIVES The first type of prayer is the one which asks God to identify our own 'desires that battle within? Ask God to show you what your real, unvarnished, unjustification-excused desires are. A few quick thoughts might help:

Do you serve your wife (good move) just to create the opportunity for more fun in the bedroom (bad motive)?

Do you wan

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.

The point is that for many men, our interactions take on a similar flavor. We're so focused on whatever we've been doing recently (epic or mundane), that we're just itching for an entry point to talk about it. We don't listen to hear; we listen to interrupt.

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? I

What a golden opportunity! First, I was grateful he brought me the question (bridge of trust still intact? Check!). Second, I was delighted that I'd been where he was before. I didn't want to only believe the Bible because other respected leaders said I should. There was something deep in me that knew that if the Bible was true, it could prove itse

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 i