Donald Miller has written a very stimulating book on growing up without a father entitled “To Own a Dragon.”  He shares his own journey of being a man who needed to be fathered.  He makes this observation, “The thing I believe about manhood now is that it lives within the male from a very early…

In his short book “The misunderstood man” Walter Trobisch talks about “The sheltered Man.”  This is the man who feels safe and secure.  “He can be a shelter to others because he himself is sheltered.  He is no afraid even if at times he should lose or suffer defeat.”  A sheltered man can simply get…

It has become more apparent to me lately that I must remain alert and vigilant in my walk with God.  This means that I am to keep my heart and mind focused on him.  There are times when it is easy to drift  into careless wanderings with my mind, that then begins to effect my heart, where my…

Over the years, as I have prayed from men, the image of light is often prominent in our prayers for healing.  When we are in Christ the light of his presence is within us.  Part of our struggle is our unbelief, in not realizing that the light within is greater then all the darkness.  Jesus…

I recently had a very inspiring conversation with a brave and courageous brother in Christ who is on the journey to “recapture his heart.”  I say brave because most of us do not want to go into our hearts.  In a new book about the teaching of Henri Nouwen (“Spiritual Formation), he makes this very…

One of the continual struggles for us men is the sense that we don’t measure up spiritually.  We get down on ourselves and impatient in our desire to change for the better.  It is difficult to accept that we are deeply flawed.  We simply will not change as fast as we would like.  God has…

A couple of weeks ago, Judy and I were with our three adult children, their spouses and children in Kansas City for three days.  It was the first time our children’s families have been together for at least three years.  Of course, for Judy and I it was a wonderful experience.  For many families this can…

Have you ever wanted to quit?  You ask, “Quit what?”  Quit trying to be a nice, descent, spiritual guy.  This is the “nice guy” whom the church rewards for being “a good man.”  The nice guy knows he is operating more in his own strength then that of the Lord’s.  I have learned from hard…

Reflect a bit on this quote from Ken Nerburn’s book, Letters to my Son: A Father’s Wisdom on Manhood, Women, Life and Love:  “I have felt myself emptied into the mystery of the universe, and I have had moments when the smallest slight threw me into a rage. I have carried others when I barely had…

I have recently been reading John Eldredge’s revised and expanded edition of  “Wild at Heart.”  His book and the work of Richard Rohr has been the inspiration for this blog site.  These two men have also been an encouragement for me in hosting “wildman” Saturdays here at Canaan’s Rest.  I remember how I was impacted by…