Iron Sharpens Iron

I'm getting ready for the new year by checking out events that I may want to go to during the course of the year...and attending a men's conference is definitely on the list.

It's been awhile since I've been to a Christian men's "stadium event" (I attended a Promise Keeper conference back in 1998), but I have great memories of doing so.

I have a neighbor who recently became a Christian and I would love to help him jump start his growth in the area of leading his family. Nothing else can do that quite like being in a large venue with hundreds of other guys who are all trying to be better men!

It looks like this organization has a great line up and plenty of dates in 2011:

Iron Sharpens Iron | National Men's Conferences

Awakening Heroic Manhood

Good post on Covenant Eyes blog describing some practical ways women can help inspire their men to live a noble manhood:

Men need someone to believe in them. They need someone to tell them that they can rise above this horrendous mediocrity. They desperately need someone to tell them that they can have a lot more than “one thing” on their minds. And they need someone to raise the expectations of their manhood. Believe it or not, we as men need you, as young women, to help us find our way out of this spiritual gutter of cultural “normalcy.”

Awakening Heroic Manhood | Covenant Eyes

Dadcando

So you're going to be home from work for a few days with no obligations other than spending time with the wife and kids. Great!

After the glow of the new presents wears off, you might need some ideas on some activities to do with the kids. That's where this great resource comes in handy:

As a dad, you have a lot on your plate right now, and I know that there is probably so much going on in your life that it’s hard to think straight. That’s why I have condensed the most important information you really need at your fingertips, and put it all on to one site, so that you can make the most of the special time you spend with your kids.

dadcando.com

The Communication Game

Christmas is a few days away and I can guarantee you there will be board games under our tree. How about you? Do you take the time to slow down and play a board game with the kids?

Here's a board game that is specifically designed for dads and daughters. From the publisher:

If you talk to your children now, chances are they'll talk to you later. The Communication Game a is a fun game that makes it easy for fathers and daughters to communicate with each other on "father-daughter" outings via a fun, casual "you ask, I answer" format...

The game is designed for fathers with daughers' age 10 or higher, but many fathers have played with daughters much younger. The game was invented over ten years ago by a father who was looking for a way to stay in touch with his daugter after being separated by divorce.

Awards:
2009 Teachers Choice Awards for the family by Learning Magazine
2008 National Parenting Publications Awards
2007 Game of the Year Award by Creative Child Magazine

The Communication Game - The Father Daugther Communication Game & Learning Tool.

At Amazon

Future Kids to Play Outside

This is a re-post from March, but I thought it was clever and very relevant considering the number of "motion controller" type consoles and games that will be opened and put into use in a few days.

Favorite line:

The evolution has been rapid. First controllers vibrated, then the Wiimote simulated bowling, and now Project Natal [Kinect for Xbox 360] has us jumping around the living room. At this pace kids could be playing outside by 2015.

Check it out for a good chuckle:

New Technology May Allow Future Kids to PLAY OUTSIDE

The Mission Of Your Marriage

December marks the end of a year-long marriage mentoring relationship my wife and I entered into with a couple from church. We started out under the auspices of marriage enhancement and quickly realized we were bordering on marriage crisis.

We are so glad we took the time to let an older (more experienced) couple mentor us in this way...I can truly say it has made a difference.

Along those lines, here is a great website from Marriage Missions International dedicated to "revealing the heart of Christ within marriage". They have a ton of good articles on many different aspects of marriage.

Of particular interest to me is this short how-to on creating a mission statement for your marriage and family:

The Mission Of Your Marriage And Family

Man Making

I've mentioned before that manhood rites-of-passage concepts are not the exclusive domain of Christian fathers. Here's a manhood blog & website that appears not to be Christian in nature, but often has interesting insights and links to other info.

Of particular interest to me is the page that lists "guy films"...films the author has found contain themes that tie in well with manhood discussions.

These films can be great discussion starters for groups of men, and for a group of men and adolescent males. The debrief can always add some depth to a film for young guys, and you’ll be surprised where a discussion can lead a group. While the film will suggest the best questions, sample debrief questions might include:

• What scenes in the move were the most memorable for you? How did those scenes make you feel? Why?
• What was the most exciting part of the film?
• Who was your favorite character and why?
• What did the film teach you about being a man? Do you think men are like that in real life?

Man Making

Healing a Man's Father Wound

I remember being introduced to the concept of the "Father Wound" many years ago and thinking it was a bunch of nonsense...

Years of experience in talking to men has proven otherwise. Much of what men struggle with in their quest to be "real men" and subsequently passing it on to their boys centers around this important relationship.

It is important for all men to know:

Only a father (or a surrogate or substitute father) can affirm a man's masculinity and make him feel that he's a man. Neither fame nor fortune nor all the women in the world can ever do this for him. Only a father's love can.

Here's a short article explaining the concept, the consequences, and how to begin to heal.

Healing a Man's Father Wound

She Calls Me Daddy

With three boys in the house, it is always a struggle to keep my daughter from "falling through the cracks". I'll be honest...it's just easier to deal with boys.

Going through an old box of books the other day I found this book again. My daughter is a teen, so it's been a few years since I read it. But if I remember correctly, it is a good book.

Check it out:

She Calls Me Daddy Review

Holds Everything You Need

Stumped on what to tell your kids that you want for Christmas?

What could be more manly than a new wallet....but not just any wallet....

You need the Slim Clip*! Reduce your plastic cards down to 7 or so, get yourself $20 cash to carry around, and quit collecting receipts (you never look at them anyway!)

I've been using one of these since last Christmas (I discovered and ordered it and gave it to my wife, to give to my kids, to give to me) and I love it. I carry it in my front right pocket and it is so convenient and cool.

You'll never go back to that bulky, soggy, chunk of leather you have stuck in your back side!

Official Slim Clip Website

*I'm not getting any kick-back, I just really like the product!

Strategic Dads

Well over a year ago I posted a link to the blog pre-cursor of this resource.

Now it looks to be a full-on ministry with really great content. Of particular interest to me is the "Create a Crest" feature.

Check it out at:

Strategic Dads

Fatherwork

I briefly browsed this website and it struck me as rather clinical and academic...but I can't argue with the content:

Fatherwork provides stories, ideas, and activities to encourage generative fathering. Harold B. Lee stated that "The most important...work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes."

I'm not sure if you'll find anything useful on the site, but being a "charts and diagrams" guy, I found one or two things of interest. One warning: I didn't find any overt references to LDS teaching, but the authors appear to be professors at BYU.

Fatherwork

I Did Not Save the World Today

Ok, it's pretty obvious that I did not save the world today. Did I even think I could?

It sounds silly to say, but sometimes I think in the back of my mind I think I should. I've even caught myself saying it as a response to my wife and her innocent inquiry into how my day went:

"How was your day, honey?"

"Well, I didn't save the world today...."

Sometimes I live my life like I think it is possible...

Sometimes I think it is required of me: being the best husband, father, friend, coach, church member, employee, etc., etc., etc.,

The reality is there is only one Savior of the world...and He has already done it. Any echo of that in me, is Him in me!

Here's a song by a Christian folk singer I just discovered (and now love!) that really hit me hard..."up side the head" hard. He pretty much sums it up. Make sure you listen to the chorus. This one's going on my iPod!

Did Not Save the World Today | Allen Levi Song - Yahoo! Music

Men of Armor

Just found out about this ministry/blog. I'm totally on the same page with the great things they are doing to help men in their daily fight....

Cool thing is, they're in my "back yard"! Turns out we have lots of shared connection points.

Check them out at:

Men of Armor