Cross Training Ministries Podcast

Irritable, angry, anxious, restless, annoyed - such is the display of a man losing  patience. We're all too familiar with this. But what does it look like for a man to grow in patience?

My notes:

• Patience is enduring evil, pain, or sorrow for the sake of a greater good
• Hupomone is steadfastness, constancy, endurance in the midst of suffering (Rev 13:10)
• Makrothumia is the long fuse of anger (Gal 5:22)
• Don't confuse passivity with patience
• Growing in patience requires keeping greater good in view
• Growing in patience requires believing in divine providence

If you're looking for a guide to help you put off vices and pursue virtues, join the CT12 challenge. www.menneedhelp.org

Guys don't seem to think sin is that big of a problem in their lives. If they are not trapped in porn or doing something scandalous, there is a sense that the battle against sin is more of a skirmish than a violent war. In other words: guys have lowered the bar of holiness and minimized the seriousness of sin.

The call of holiness is far weightier than men realize. Guys need to change the way they view their lives by growing in the virtue of godliness.

 My notes:

• Godliness is an abiding awareness of God and desire to please God in every thought, word, and deed.
• The aim of your life is not just to be less worldy, but to be holy.
• Men need to take on the 'priestly task' of making distinctions between clean and unclean, holy and profane.
• Growing in godliness requires changing your attitude toward 'small sins' - they are disrespectful and dishonoring to God.

Practice growing in godliness today by meditating on Leviticus 10:10. Take on the difficult task of making personal distinctions between what is holy and profane.

The aim of Christianity is simple: love God and love neighbor. God shows very little interest in a lot of things like success, fun memories, personal fitness, etc. The whole of Christianity is about reshaping us into the image of God's love. But there's a problem - most guys  don't spend much time trying to become more loving. We'd love to be more courageous. We'd love to be more creative. We'd love to be more antifragile. But love??

In this episode Joe and Evan guide Christian men back to their original calling: Love God above all else.

My notes:

• Charity is loving God above all things and human beings for the sake of God
• Christian love is authenticated by internal attitudes and external actions
• All of the virtues of godliness are products of love
• All of the deadly sins violate love
• Guys who want to grow in love should enroll in the school of marriage and family

Practice growing in love today by meditating on the cross. Use Hymn Workout 21 as a guide.

We're surrounded by the following messages: live for pleasure; satisfy your appetites; don't worry about tomorrow. This is the stupidity of anyone being a slave to their appetites. If we as Christian men want to counteract such slavery, we need to grow in the virtue of temperance. Self restraint and moderation give us the freedom we truly want as followers of Christ.

My notes:

• Temperance is not total abstinence.
• Temperance is the brake pedal for your appetites.
• Moderation gives us freedom to maximize higher pleasures.
• Temperance doesn't mean there aren't moments of feasting.
• Personal thresholds are a great way to practice temperance.

Here's the tool I use to get guys started with setting personal thresholds. It's a piece of the CT12 challenge - a spiritual exercise for guys who feel stuck.

We're all quitters. Sometimes this is not a big deal. You can give up on most of your New Year's resolutions without consequence. But what happens when you begin quitting on your marriage? Or your devotional life?

The virtue that enables us to overcome the desire to throw in the towel is diligence. Listen as Joe and Evan help guys who say: "It's too hard" - "I'm too tired" - "I don't care"

My notes:

• Diligence is persistent effort in spite of difficulty, tiredness, or boredom.
• If you quit everything that is difficult - there won't be anything left.
• Diligence is the virtue that conquers sloth.
• "I can plod and persevere. That is my only genius." William Carey
• When God feels absent, don't be still; run after him.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  2 Peter 1:5–7

Need help? www.menneedhelp.org

Chastity is not a weird medieval belt you wear - it's a virtue you pursue.  If you don't understand chastity you won't understand worship, discipleship, love, holiness, or devotion.

My notes:
Chastity is discipling desire for the sake of love.
Chastity is not just what you see but how you see.
"Chaste" is a holistic approach to devotion to Christ.


Check out Hymn Workout 85 - The Passion for Purity

Get Joe's book Surviving the Trenches to learn how to fight back against lustful desires.

There is no short-cut to humility. You might be able to temporarily fake humility by pretending not to be proud; but that won't last.  In this conversation, Joe and Evan uncover the misconceptions of humility, give you clarity on what true humility is, and show you how you can begin practicing humility today.

My notes:

• Humility is not merely a tool for career advancement.
• Humility isn't having a low view of oneself.
• Humility isn't weakness.
• Joe's definition of humility: Accepting the truth that before God I am nothing, and I can do nothing; therefore, I am totally dependent upon God and totally available to God.
• Pride can't grow in the soil of humility.
• With humility, you can hear the truth about yourself without being crushed.

Here are two spiritual exercises for guys who want to begin practicing humility:
Humility Hymn Workout
Hymn Workout on the Cross

Join our mailing list if you want to learn more about how to get fit for the fight against sin.

If you want to achieve your goals for 2023, you don't need to be more intentional; you need to establish better habits and routines.

Join the CT12 challenge and learn how to break the bad habits that are impeding your spiritual growth, and establish simple routines for growing in godliness.

Use the Colossians 3:17 Planning Activity as a guide for setting goals for the new year.

I rarely miss a meeting. This is especially true if it's a meeting with someone important - a boss, a line-manager, an important new acquaintance, etc. If there is a scheduled appointment on the calendar I almost always show up. However, I miss prayer time with God all of the time. I just decide not to show up and feel no guilt about skipping. Other stuff comes up.

How is it that I am so faithful to show up at meetings and so faithless to show up at prayer?

Guys need to set a daily meeting with God. To be more committed to prayer, we need to stop thinking of prayer as a leisurely activity and start thinking about it more like a meeting that we can't afford to miss.

Need help kickstarting a new prayer routine? Download the Meeting with God template.