Here's a men's group in Richmond, VA with lots of info and resources:
Through a variety of ministry and service experiences men will be challenged to measure their manhood against a biblical model rather than contemporary culture. Consequently, these men will become spiritually alive in Christ, investing significantly in their personal spiritual growth as well as the spiritual growth of their wives and children.
Always great to find another blog with the same heart to encourage men in their Christian walk.
Here's a great blog I just found out about that does just that. Check it out:
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:
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?
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:
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:
Here's a website providing engraved plaques and similar items. From a recent post on Familymanweb.com forums:
[Raising a Modern Day Knight] helped me to see the importance of raising Godly young men for the Lord as well showing me their examples of what they did for their sons so that they would remember and never forget. This token of rememberence is vital and anything you can present to him will be forever engraved with him (pun intended). This weighs heavy on my heart as I would have loved something similar from my dad. The other men I included in this ceremony for my son were just as blessed as we were also.
Some of you know that my family and I run a Christian Engraving Business. With that being said, I have some solid Marble 8x10 plaques I could engrave for you to present to your son (if interested).
Christian men don't have the exclusive desire to be better husbands & fathers. There are quite a few non-Christian organizations devoted to mentoring and helping men to be "better men".
While I believe that apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ it is impossible to become the men we were designed to be, I can't just sweep these secular organizations under the rug...they truly have some good insight and have many of the same goals.
Ultimately while their mission might be the same (initiating men into manhood, mentoring, building community, etc), the primary belief they base their programs on is that men are fundamentally "good" and just need the support of other men to become "better".
Christians on the other hand believe we are fundamentally "bad" (ie, sinners) and that only by the saving grace of God can we become "new", and through a relationship with Him, he helps us to operate as men in this "newness".
Check out this website to see this topic from a non-Christian perspective:
Here's a cool ministry that is attempting to minister to both boys & girls, men & women. It looks like they offer both training and retreat-style camps.
I really like the "axioms" from their mission statement:
The Men Of Honor AxiomsI am a winner... I am a man of honor;
I do the right thing... because it's the right thing to do; My word is my bond.
C.H.I.P.
Character, Honesty, Integrity, Perseverance.
If there is no man... I will be the man;
Manhood and Christ-likeness are synonymous;
Being a male is a matter of birth;
Being a man is a matter of choice;
There is no greatness outside of God;
1, 2, 3... YES!The Ladies Of Honor AxiomsI am a leader... I am a Lady of Honor
My attitude... Is my choice
I do the right thing... Because it is the right thing to do
I learn to listen... Because I listen to learn
A good leader... Is a good follower
To be a Godly leader... I must follow Christ
L.I.G.H.T.
Loyalty, Integrity, Generosity, Honesty, Trustworthiness
I am not ordinary... I am extraordinary
My inner beauty... Is the jewel that shines within me
Ladies of Honor... Shine
1,2,3... YES!
This looks to be a great site for Christian guys to get authentic:
BattleZONE combines basic Christian spiritual training with a cyclical discipleship strategy designed to build and reproduce strong, effective disciples of Jesus Christ. BattleZONE Ministries helps churches develop male leadership.
Most men learn best by seeing and doing, by being mentored and coached. BattleZONE is designed to create a culture of open learning where men like you can bring real-life temptations and struggles into the open where they can be taught, shown and coached.
Here's another voice in the strategic-father-blog-o-sphere. Some really interesting posts already in the three months since it started.
I've posted a bit about creating family crests in the past, so I'm especially interested in his take on a "modernized" family crest.
Check it out:
Way back in February of 2007, the third post on this blog was a review of Brian Molitor's book Boy's Passage, Man's Journey.
From the looks of his website, it seems his ministry is still going strong!
I hope to soon read his book for daughters: Girl's Passage - Father's Duty.
Check him out here:
Malachi Global Foundation
I've always tenuously recommended John Eldredge's stuff. I have heard and read the many arguments that his ideas are "radical" and that he tends toward "open theism".
If I take his books as just another Christian guy sharing his story and not as a theological treatise, I find that his works are inspiring and encouraging.
His latest book is no different. Here he explores an idea that popped up a lot in his previous books: that we are living our lives as part of a grand story along the lines of the "epic" movies he so often references (The Matirx, Gladiator, Braveheart, etc).
He suggests that our lives have purpose and meaning and that we realize that meaning as we participate in the story God is telling...none other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is a easy yet inspiring read, and I can't help but feel it might be a good way to share the gospel with certain people in my life. I recommend this book.
Here is a cool website that goes along with the book:
I finally "went commercial" and set up an Amazon store.
Really, I'm setting it up not because I want/expect revenue from it, but because I thought it would be a nice place to have an easy-to-navigate list of books & movies that have been meaningful to me in my journey through manhood and fatherhood.
If I make $1 off of it I will be surprised! If it helps one person find the right resource, I will be satisfied!
Good to see other fellowships running the same 6-week RMDK series we are running at Colonial:
New Life Band of Brothers
This website looks to be a Texas-based ministry formed by men looking to create a sense of Fraternity focused on the Word of God:
FELLOWSHIP OF THE SWORD is a fellowship formed around the Word of God that is a God-centered ministry to men and women and ultimately their families. When and only when we focus our gaze on Father and seek His heart and His desire will we see Him work in earth-changing ways.
FELLOWSHIP OF THE SWORD is committed to being a world-impacting force in the lives of men and women. Our vision – our very destiny – is found in unlocking the passionate heart placed in everyone from the beginning of time.
While most of the resources I share on this blog are oriented towards fathers becoming strategic in raising their own children, my heart is also burdened for the fatherless.
For a few years I participated in sharing a weekly Bible study at a Wake County Juvenile Detention Center which really made me appreciate what a struggle life is for young boys without a strong male role model.
Here's a ministry that is doing something about it. From the website:
Every Sunday morning, our churches are full of moms who are praying for a godly man to take an interest in their sons, to mentor them; they need help. Even more importantly, those boys need help. In the absence of a father, they need Christian men in their lives to guide them on their journey to manhood
Men lay the foundation for boys in their journey to manhood, helping them discover who they are. More importantly, as Christian men, they show them that God has a plan for their lives. EVERY MAN IS A MENTOR!
The heart of this ministry is to SAVE THE BOYS by encouraging, challenging, and equipping men to make a difference, to be a godly influence in the lives of their sons and the many fatherless boys in their churches and neighborhoods. Absentee fathers have created a huge new mission field -- Fatherless Boys -- and we need men to help those boys become men of character and integrity, men of faith.
It is really exciting to see the "next generation" of authors beginning to write about being strategic in raising sons & daughters with a core of moral substance.
While I will always go back to the founding fathers of this genre (Robert Lewis, Steve Farrar, Stu Weber), it is nice to hear new voices too.
While I haven't yet read his books, Rick Johnson looks very promising as one of those new voices. From his website:
I believe families, communities, and our society can grow stronger when parents begin to realize the unique power and influence we have in the lives of our sons and daughters. This goal is reflected both in the books I've written and through Better Dads, a fathering skills ministry that now equips both men and women to become better parents, spouses, and leaders.
Focus on the Family recently had Robert Lewis (author of Raising a Modern Day Knight) on the program.
Check it out:
As I've mentioned, my oldest son has a ceremony coming up. It is scheduled for this weekend. Using the sword as the metaphor, here are the principles I'll be imparting for this "stage":
A True Man has a Purpose. He has:
