manhood

"Fear came into man’s heart with sin. Adam was never afraid of his God till he had broken his commands." — C. H. Spurgeon

The same can be said of power. If you’re after power for the sake of power, you’re playing a dangerous game—one that will drive you to risk your personal morals and principles. If, however, you want to use the power you wield (or could wield) to lift others up, go dominate and earn it.

My “man symptoms”—anger, frustration, sadness, boredom, low-grade guilt and shame—all seemed unfortunately normal, not like chronic abnormalities. After all, the men I knew and with whom I compared my life, had similar tales to tell.

As a symbol of manhood, a knight’s chivalry points to one of the most pressing needs of young men in our generation: a well-defined set of ideals. Ideals set parameters; they shape a boy’s identity and motivate him to higher levels of excellence, just as they did for the medieval knight. For a son, these ideals become a moral and spiritual beacon.

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

Before you can become the Warrior, you must become the Beloved Son. And in order to truly become the Beloved Son, you will need to reclaim your heart. That is the first mission that will find you and every man: the dangerous and glorious mission of getting your heart back. Until you’ve accomplished that, anything else you attempt is moving out

I want you to start each day with your visualization process—your manifesto. And I want you to cap each day with the same. Did you show up for yourself and others the way you wanted to? Did you gain ground or lose ground with others? When you screwed up, how did you correct it (or how should you have)? What are you going to commit to doing better

Role #6: Wise Man We live in a culture of fools. Men need to learn to become wise.

The second aspect of “a work to do” relates to more than a chosen profession; it encompasses a son’s spiritual giftedness. God has designed men to contribute to the whole community, specifically to the church and kingdom work. Says 1 Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the