Do you as a man have deep personal spiritual friendships with other men?  As I observe the next generation of men seeking to follow Jesus, I am heartened by the deep commitments men are making to stand together in what some are calling an “alien” culture. There are strong “band of brothers” forming all over…

Larry Crabb, made this observation regarding men, in his book, “The Silence of Adam.”  “Men are easily threatened.  And whenever a man is threatened, when he becomes uncomfortable in places within himself that he does not understand, he naturally retreats into an arena of comfort or competence, or he dominates someone or something in order…

When Judy and I were raising our family, we had the practice of having family devotions after our evening meal.  I always tried to make  our conversation relevant to our children’s lives.  On one particular  evening as I was sharing, I said to my gathered family that, “Dad got spanked today.”  The kids  got real…

On “The Troubles,” a song off of U2’s latest album “Songs of Innocence,” the band observes that the  loss of one’s soul is far more serious than any social or political problem: “Somebody stepped inside your soul/Somebody stepped inside your soul/Little by little they robbed  and stole/’Til somebody else as in control.”  These words are…

Do you know the meaning of “misandry”  The simple dictionary definition is “a hatred of men.”  We hear  often about “misogyny,” the hatred of women,” but little about misandry.  In a recent panel discussion entitled “Mad men, modern family: examining the role of men in social development.” the question was asked, “Is the  cultural conversation…

The Vatican recently sponsored an international colloquium on the complementarity of man and woman in marriage entitled “Humanum.”  I watched the first 15-minute video produced for this event: “The Destiny of Humanity: On the Meaning of Marriage.”  I was deeply moved by the thoughtful manner in which the video presented the truth of marriage between…

I have mentioned Dr. James Houston in previous blogs. In his book, “The Heart’s Desire,” he states that “chastity is emotional sincerity, by which we express our emotions openly, not dishonestly.  It involves how we really feel.”  Chasity is an old-fashion word that needs to be in the vocabulary of men in our day.  It…

At a recent gathering of men at my church, the pastor asked us to quietly reflect on Jesus washing the feet of his disciples (Matt. 13:1-17). When I contemplated the thought of Jesus washing my feet, I sensed that the love of Jesus was penetrating the darkness of my soul.  This is an uncomfortable thought…

Stu Weber in his book, “The heart of a Tender Warrior,” suggests the role of  “wagon scout” for men.  In the old west, he was the guy who goes out ahead of the wagon train. He give direction.  He anticipates needs.  He helps define the route.  He is a man who gives a vision for…

David Brooks, an editorial writer for the New York Times, can be spiritually stimulating at times.  In a recent speech he made refers to a book entitled “Lonely Man of Faith.”  The author, Joseph Soloveitchik, describes  Adam One and Adam Two, correlating both to the creation story.  Adam One is external, career-oriented, and ambitious.  Adam…