God’s Presence Shapes Us Into Men
This is the second in a series on God’s presence. The topic of masculinity has become a hot-button, cultural discussion. Differing definitions of manhood abound, as well as programs for how to become a man. But in all of these conversations, one thing is rarely, if ever mentioned. It is God’s presence that most surely […]
Invited Into God’s Presence
Throughout most of history, mankind has felt drawn to something beyond the physical world, something more than what could be accessed with the senses. The longing for this other world played itself out in the various myths and practices of animistic religions. The spiritual world did not need to be proven. It was assumed as […]
3 Pointers To Being A Good Father
How does a man become a good father? In this last post on fatherhood, I want to answer this question with some practical pointers. But I want to begin by examining the motivation behind our desire to be good fathers. When my two daughters were born, the predominant drive to be a good father was […]
Experiencing God’s Fatherhood as a Son
This post is the third in a series on fatherhood. Experiencing God’s fatherhood as a son is simply not a category for many men. This becomes clear whenever I speak about God’s fatherhood to a group of men. The normal line of questions that come deal with how they can be better fathers to their […]
Fathers: The Blessing and the Curse
The hope for a father is etched into the masculine soul. But it is a tenuous hope, yielding joy to some and misery to others. It is the blessing and curse of fathers. In the first post on fatherhood, I connected our desire for a father with Jesus’ message about God as Father. In this […]
Hungering For The Father
This is the first of four posts on fatherhood. We are born hungering for a father. The father of our childhood and adolescence should touch that hunger, but it can never satiate it. A man may then spend the rest of his life projecting on his earthly father some untenable ideal, along with the inevitable […]
10 Signs You Are Moving from Boyhood to Manhood
What does it mean to be a man? And how does one become a man? These questions are being asked in a thousand different ways in our turbulent culture. The loss of centering for masculinity is at epic proportions. You can see it in the tragedies on the news, in the endless public discussions, but […]
Who Are The True Heroes?
One of my good friends had an uncle who fought in WWII. But he vehemently refused the title of hero when someone attempted to label him as such. His curt response? “The ones who didn’t come home — they were the true heroes.” In the news last week, I heard the story of a man […]
Friends…Until Death Do Us Part
For a video version of this post, click here. Men routinely fall for this deadly lie and create havoc in their lives. I have done it myself. Here’s the lie: Life is found in the success, power, reputation, and fame I achieve in my career. But the man who chases after that deception will not […]
A Man’s Quarter-Life Crisis
One of my good friends has dubbed it the quarter-life crisis. Somewhere around 25 or so, a young man can feel the question hanging in the back of his mind, unformed and yet very much present. He has walked through all preplanned educational doorways, finishing high school, college, and perhaps graduate studies. He has taken […]