The Lion and The Bear | A Podcast For Men

Support The Lion and The Bear:
Give Online: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=UBPUM8A8KQU4Y

MTN Ops: https://rstr.co/mtnops/20135

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FATHERFULL?ref=dashboard-header

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakeholderman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drake.holderman/

Before he became a symbol of Christmas, Saint Nicholas was a real man who lived with conviction, courage, and sacrificial faith.

In this episode of The Lion and the Bear, we tell the true story of Saint Nicholas of Myra. Born into wealth and left orphaned by plague, Nicholas chose generosity over comfort, quietly giving his inheritance to rescue the poor and protect the vulnerable. His faith shaped not only how he gave, but how he stood firm when truth was under attack.

From secret acts of mercy to bold defense of Christ at the Council of Nicaea, Nicholas lived a life marked by action, integrity, and obedience to Jesus. He confronted corruption, protected the innocent, and refused applause for his good works.

This episode invites Christian men to look past the legend and rediscover a life surrendered to Christ, reminding us that faithfulness lived over a lifetime leaves a legacy that outlasts any myth.

Support the show

Support The Lion and The Bear:
Give Online: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=UBPUM8A8KQU4Y

MTN Ops: https://rstr.co/mtnops/20135

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FATHERFULL?ref=dashboard-header

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakeholderman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drake.holderman/

What does real strength look like for a Christian man?

In an age obsessed with comparison, competition, and proving dominance, Scripture offers a radically different vision of manhood — one rooted not in envy or pride, but in Spirit-formed strength. In this episode of The Lion and the Bear, we tell the true, gripping story of heavyweight boxing legends Joe Louis and Max Schmeling — two men shaped by rivalry, race, politics, and global pressure — and the unexpected kindness that defined their legacy.

Set against the backdrop of 1930s boxing, Nazi propaganda, and national identity, this episode explores how Joe Louis chose honor over humiliation and kindness over resentment — even toward the man who once defeated him. Long after the crowds were gone and the gloves were hung up, Louis quietly paid Schmeling’s rent, covered his medical bills, and ultimately arranged his funeral.

This is not a call to softness.
 This is a call to biblical strength.

Through Scripture, storytelling, and practical challenge, this episode confronts the hidden sin of envy that rots a man from the inside out and reframes kindness as spiritual warfare, a fruit of the Spirit, and evidence of a life under Christ’s authority (Galatians 5:22–23).

If you are a Christian man wrestling with comparison, insecurity, jealousy, or silent rivalry — at work, at church, or even in your own home — this episode will challenge you to crucify pride and walk the harder road of Christlike strength.

You are not fighting other men.
You are fighting the lie that you are not enough.

And kindness is how you win.

Support the show

Support The Lion and The Bear:
Give Online: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=UBPUM8A8KQU4Y

MTN Ops: https://rstr.co/mtnops/20135

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FATHERFULL?ref=dashboard-header

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakeholderman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drake.holderman/

What if your job is not just a paycheck but a calling from God

In this episode of The Lion and the Bear, we confront the difference between cutting rocks, building a wall, and building a cathedral. You will hear two unforgettable stories, a stonecutter with a kingdom vision and a NASA janitor who knew he was part of something bigger. Then we lay down five biblical truths about work that every Christian man needs right now.

You will learn why work is woven into God’s design from Eden, why quiet faithfulness matters more than applause, how laziness sabotages a man’s life, how your work becomes worship when it is done for Christ, and why finishing what you start is a mark of maturity and grit.

If you are a husband, father, leader, tradesman, entrepreneur, or simply a man who wants purpose and discipline, this episode will help you reclaim a biblical work ethic, renew your sense of mission, and build a legacy your sons can imitate.

Support the show

Support The Lion and The Bear:
Give Online: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=UBPUM8A8KQU4Y

MTN Ops: https://rstr.co/mtnops/20135

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FATHERFULL?ref=dashboard-header

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakeholderman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drake.holderman/

Most men live with a bow string under tension — bills, deadlines, family demands, real responsibility, and a desire to protect and provide for the people they love. And when pressure builds, our instinct is to force results. Pull harder. Move faster. Control everything. But force doesn’t lead to accuracy. It leads to anger, frustration, and collateral damage.

In this episode, we explore why patience isn’t passive at all — it’s precision under pressure. You’ll hear the story of a young archer learning a lesson every man needs: the arrow obeys patience, not force. Then we shift to Scripture and get intensely practical about how patience is formed, trained, and unleashed in a man’s real world.

We’ll cover:

• Why white-knuckling self-control never works
• How trials become reps that build patient strength
• What it means to rule your spirit like a warrior king
• The power of prayer to fuel patience the way protein fuels muscle
• How to handle irritation, delay, and pressure without losing your peace
• Why a patient man is more dangerous, trustworthy, and effective than a reactive man

Men who master patience are not soft. They’re steady. They’re safe. They’re wise. They become the husbands, fathers, leaders, and followers of Christ this world desperately needs.

If you want to stop reacting and start ruling your spirit, this episode will give you the biblical framework and the battle-tested practices to do it.

It’s time to breathe before you draw. Slow your mind before you move your muscles. And lead from a place of strength no hurry can imitate.

Patient men hit what matters. Let’s become those men.

Support the show

Support The Lion and The Bear:
Give Online: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=UBPUM8A8KQU4Y

MTN Ops: https://rstr.co/mtnops/20135

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FATHERFULL?ref=dashboard-header

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakeholderman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drake.holderman/

In July 1941, inside the barbed-wire geometry of Auschwitz, a siren sounded and ten men were chosen to die. One of them collapsed in grief for his wife and children. Then, in the silence that followed, a thin Polish friar stepped forward and changed the shape of history with a single sentence: “I want to take his place.”

This episode tells the story of Maximilian Kolbe — a scholar, priest, and missionary — whose life of quiet strength prepared him for a moment of extraordinary sacrifice. We walk through the world he lived in, the choices he made long before Auschwitz, and the starvation bunker where he prayed, encouraged, and gave himself up for another man’s future.

Kolbe’s life echoes the heart of Christ: stepping in, taking the burden, and offering himself where death and fear tried to rule. His courage wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic. It was steady, sincere, and costly — the kind of strength every man needs to cultivate.

Men of consequence serve, protect, and stand in the gap. Real leadership looks like self-giving love. Real masculinity looks like choosing responsibility. And sometimes, the difference between despair and hope begins when one man quietly steps out of line.

Support the show

Support The Lion and The Bear:
Give Online: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=UBPUM8A8KQU4Y

MTN Ops:

https://rstr.co/mtnops/20135

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakeholderman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drake.holderman/

In this episode of The Lion and the Bear, Drake explores why self control is one of the most essential disciplines for Christian men who want to live with strength and purpose. Through the story of a king who guarded his city but neglected his own heart, the quiet erosion of gluttony and unchecked desire in our modern world, and the disciplined training of Olympic runner Abebe Bikila, this episode points men toward the kind of life that is built on steady obedience under the grace of God.

You will hear about the daily work of building spiritual walls one brick at a time, the importance of guarding the gate of your desires, and the need to lock shields with brothers who help you stand firm. This episode invites every man to grow in biblical masculinity, self discipline, holiness, and Christlike endurance.

Support the show

Support The Lion and The Bear:
Give Online: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=UBPUM8A8KQU4Y

MTN Ops:

https://rstr.co/mtnops/20135

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakeholderman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drake.holderman/

Drake Holderman takes men into a compelling journey through history, Scripture, and the heart of biblical manhood. Beginning with the remarkable true story of President Ulysses S. Grant getting stopped—and ticketed—by a D.C. police officer, Drake explores why humility is the core strength of godly men and why pride is the silent destroyer of a man’s character, relationships, and calling.

Drawing from Luke 18, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, and Paul’s stunning description of the descent and exaltation of Christ in Philippians 2, this episode unpacks how real men grow spiritually: not by climbing the ladder of ego, success, or power, but by willingly stepping down and bowing low before God.

If you want to become a man of integrity, influence, and spiritual strength… if you’re tired of the pressure to prove yourself… if you want to lead your home with courage, purpose, and Christlike character—this episode will meet you right where you are.

This episode speaks directly to:
• Men struggling with pride, anger, or defensiveness
• Husbands and fathers who want to lead with humility
• Christian men seeking purpose, identity, and strength in Jesus
• Leaders who want to build character that lasts
• Men hungry for authentic discipleship and spiritual growth

Support the show

You Were Made to Be a Man: A Charge to the Sons of God

Young men,

 You were not made to drift through life with your head down and your heart half-awake.
  You were not made to chase pleasure, avoid pain, and stay quiet while the world falls apart around you.

  You were not made to apologize for your strength, bury your purpose, or pretend that manhood is something to be ashamed of.

You were made to be a man.
  And that is a good thing.

From the beginning, God designed you, on purpose, 
  to walk with Him as a man of God.
  Not a boy pretending.
  But a man anchored in truth, fueled by faith, and marked by integrity.

You were made to rise
  out of the shallows of boyhood and into the deep waters of manhood.
  Out of carelessness and into calling.
  Out of comfort and into courage.

Manhood isn’t just about getting older.
  It’s about growing bolder.
  It’s about becoming who you were always meant to be
  a protector, a provider, a presider.

You were made to protect,
  to stand between danger and those God has entrusted to you.
  You were made to provide,
  to use your strength to serve, not to be served.
  You were made to preside,
  to lead with wisdom, with humility, and with conviction.

And above all,
  you were made to glorify God.
  To live for His name.
  To live like His Son for you are His son
  To fight the good fight of faith every single day.

Young men, rise up.
  Young men, take responsibility.
  Young men, Be courageous.

Youg men, walk in righteousness.
  And young men, love boldly when the world tells you to hold back.

This world doesn’t need more boys with beards.
  It needs men of God with backbones.
  Men who reject passivity.
  Men who embrace responsibility.
  Men who live and lead and love like Jesus, with grit, grace, and eternal purpose.

So here’s my charge to you:

Be a man.

Support the show

Before he became a bold missionary or a martyr for the gospel, Saul of Tarsus was a man driven by zeal, pride, and religious fury. In this opening episode of our summer series, Murderer, Missionary, Martyr, we go back to the beginning—to the man Paul was before he met Jesus.

Who was Saul? What shaped him? And how could someone so radically opposed to Christ become His most devoted ambassador?

This episode explores the intensity of Saul’s upbringing, his ruthless reputation, and the deep convictions that made him feared by the early church. But it also sets the stage for the kind of transformation only God can orchestrate.

If you’ve ever wondered whether God can really change a life—this is where that story begins.

Support the show

Welcome to the first episode of Through Grace and Grit, a new summer series exploring the disciplines that shape a life in Christ. In this opening conversation, we lay the foundation by talking about the essential partnership between God's grace and our grit. It's not one or the other—it’s both. Becoming spiritually strong and living life to the full in Jesus requires divine power and daily perseverance.

Over the summer, we’ll walk through classic Christian disciplines—like prayer, Sabbath, Scripture, and more—and how they train us to live anchored, fruitful lives. I hope you’ll join us for the journey.

Support The Lion and The Bear:
Give Online: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=UBPUM8A8KQU4Y

Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drakeholderman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drake.holderman/

Connect with show sponsors:

Roderique Realty: (417) 825-7667 

Anvil Strength & Wellness: https://www.facebook.com/erik.theis

Email: [email protected]

Superior Roofing: https://www.superiorroof.net/

Connect with Blackbox International:
Blackbox’s website: http://blackboxinternational.org/
Support Blackbox: https://blackboxinternational.org/the-lion-the-bear-podcast/

Support the show