Host: Dan Panetti

This episode started with a question - “why don’t more people celebrate Easter?” I thought that was a very profound observation and it got me thinking…first about the difference between Christmas (celebrated by most) and Easter and then into some deeper questions about what many are missing because they are focused on the natural world…and missing the supernatural!

Here are links to the books I referenced in this episode:

Host: Dan Panetti

In 1 Samuel 17, we read about how David was chosen to be the representative for the nation of Israel to fight against the giant Goliath. For forty days, Goliath demanded for a man to be chosen, to come down to fight him - and one day, we will be asked if we have a champion, an advocate, to stand and represent us on the most important day - the day we stand before a holy God!

As Jesus was on trial before Pontius Pilate, Pilate sends Jesus out to the crowd and says, “Behold the man.” What a powerful statement - Jesus is THE MAN - our man, our representative before God - and can you imagine having a better advocate for yourself than the Son of God?

Training4Manhood is a ministry to help equip you to be God’s man, but the most important issue is whether you have accepted the Son of God to be YOUR man! As we enter into the Holy Week in preparation for Easter weekend, let this be a time for you to consider the life and statements of Jesus - I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, sent from heaven to be my representative, my sacrifice, the payment for my sin - and I pray that you reach this same conclusion!

Choose a MAN for yourself!

Host: Dan Panetti

The conversation started with this line, “All you can do is live a good life and hope for the best.” I know many people believe this to be true…but is it? And is this the best we can truly hope for? It seems strange to me that we can know more about what we need to get on our final exam in our freshman English class to secure an A in the class than most people believe they can truly know about where they will spend their eternal destiny.

But, I don’t believe that God wants us to live with this insecurity and anxiety, when assurance of our eternal destiny can be known…for sure!

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, God wants us to know that we are all born with the same spiritual condition: death. We are all separated from God because of sin. But in Ephesians 2:4-7, God tells us how we can have the assurance of our salvation - “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Now that’s “Good News” - or the Gospel of Jesus Christ - that you can have the assurance of your eternal destiny WITH God made available to you paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross! If you’ve never accepted this “free gift” (see Romans 6:23), today is the day of salvation and assurance! As Easter approaches, this truth is what Christians worldwide for centuries have been celebrating - that Jesus Christ paid the price to make men alive - transformed by His grace into “new creations” for His glory!

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle ([email protected]) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Guest: Campbell Panetti

If you’ve been hanging around T4M for a while, you know that we take the designation of “friend” to be very important. I often share a quote from George Washington - here it is in its entirety:

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to appellation.”

Recently my youngest, Campbell, approached me with a new thought and addition to this conversation - he was saying that there are different levels of friends, too - that those who are your most intimate friends are your fellowship - and we see this modeled in the life and ministry of Jesus as well. Jesus had the 12 disciples, but He often took the 3 (Peter, James, and John) while leaving the others.

Apparently this concept is supported by science and research as well. According to psychologist Robin Dunbar, the maximum number of close friends that a person can have is about five people - you can have a larger circle of friends (about 15 people) and another circle of about 50…and the maximum number of people that a person can have “meaningful contact” with is about 150 people.

The last part of our conversation dealt with the idea that “friends accept each other as they are.” I don’t wholeheartedly agree with that assessment - I think Scripture teaches us that friends are important tools to sharpen and improve us, often through saying hard truths and constructive criticism. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” The only way for iron to sharpen iron is for there to be honest and open conflict/friction to remove areas of weakness or sin. Hopefully you have friends around you who are working to help you be a better version of yourself!

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle ([email protected]) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Host: Dan Panetti

My very first episode of T4M was about this idea - who is going to pick up the sock in the living room? Yes…that’s what men do - they do what needs to be done, even if it comes at a cost to them! Manhood isn’t about advancing yourself, but about using the gifts, talents, and resources that you have to advance others!

One man who embodied this concept was General George C. Marshall - and a great book that you can read to learn more about his life, work, and character is Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: Leadership Lessons from George C. Marshall by Jack Uldrich.

The quote about Abraham Lincoln that is attributed to Robert G. Ingersoll is “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Awesome concept that Lincoln lived out so well.

Another great resource to learn more about the concept of humility is Andrew Murray’s classic Humility: The Path to Holiness.

And I couldn’t remember the title of Tim Keller’s awesome (and incredibly short) book on this as well - The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path to True Christian Joy. Trust me, you’ll want to read this and give copies to friends!

Host: Dan Panetti

In reading Mark chapters 14 and 15, you’ll discover two very different leadership “styles” - one of Jesus who modeled service, surrender, and sacrifice - and one of Pilate (Roman prefect/governor) who modeled position, performance, and power.

What do you think you embody as a leader…in your home, at work, in the community?

Some great resources to help you wrestle with these concepts are:

The Awe of God: The Astounding Way a Healthy Fear of God Transforms Your Life by John Bevere

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society by Eugene Peterson

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle ([email protected]) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Host: Dan Panetti

In Mark 14, we are told the story of Peter warming himself by the world’s fire and while he is getting comfortable, that comfort results in his conformity to the world! The question we have to ask is where are we warming ourselves by the world’s fire? Where are we making little compromises to fit into the popular opinion instead of taking a stand on what is right and true?

Sure there are great heroes who have made bold stands in the face of overwhelming opposition - and maybe you or I will be called to face that kind of decision - but most of us are faced with far less dramatic situations where we are asked to make stands for truth and the only thing is might cost us is social capital or at worst our jobs. 

This world needs men who take a stand for truth regardless of the cost. Don’t warm yourself by the world’s fire…stand on the Word of God.

Host: Dan Panetti

Some claim that Jesus wasn’t the Messiah because they judge a rabbi (Jewish teacher) by his followers. To that I would say two things. First, be careful about ignoring the truth of a message because of the messengers. But, secondly, I would say, ok…let’s evaluate the impact that Jesus has had on the lives of countless individuals and their communities and cultures over time.

A few resources to help you wrestle with these concepts:

How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin Schmidt. Description of the book from Amazon: Western civilization is becoming increasingly pluralistic, secularized, and biblically illiterate. Many people today have little sense of how their lives have benefited from Christianity’s influence, often viewing the church with hostility or resentment. How Christianity Changed the World is a topically arranged Christian history for Christians and non-Christians. Grounded in solid research and written in a popular style, this book is both a helpful apologetic tool in talking with unbelievers and a source of evidence for why Christianity deserves credit for many of the humane, social, scientific, and cultural advances in the Western world in the last two thousand years.

Hopefully this conversation is a powerful reminder that others are evaluating what is important to you by looking at your life. If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, I hope that others can see that you've spent time with Him today!

Amazing Grace is both a movie and a book (well, it’s a song, too, written by John Newton). The book Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxas is an outstanding biography about the life and impact of William Wilberforce, credited with the elimination of slavery in England. The movie Amazing Grace (2006) stars Ioan Gruffard and Benedict Cumberbatch - find it on your favorite streaming video service.

Braveheart (1995) - incredible film starring Mel Gibson as William Wallace. Find it and watch it.

Host: Dan Panetti

Here are some helpful additional resources to further your Biblical worldview development:

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle ([email protected]) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Guest: Randell Holmes, Jr., college student/athlete at Texas A&M University, author of Daily Devotional for Teen Boys

Welcome back to our conversation with Randell Holmes. This week Randell starts off firing from both barrels as he challenges us to grasp the difference between what he calls “fruitfulness over faithfulness.” Many young men are more concerned with the “fruitfulness” of the things of this world - God is concerned with your faithfulness to produce SPIRITUAL fruit in your life and your community!

I mentioned the incredible book Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle and the question that Ryle asks, “Where are the godly older men?” Ryle thought there were so few godly older men because the enemy and worldly ambition bent them closer to the temporary things of this world and they never grew up tall and strong for the Lord’s service. Randell reminds us that a lot of young men don’t believe that following God is “truly worth it.” Scripture reminds us in Psalm 84:10 that it is better to be “one day” in the presence of God than a thousand elsewhere! You might ask, “Is following God truly worth it?”  Randell’s challenge to you is that you’ll never know unless you truly try it. That reminds me of an incredible statement from the British author G.K. Chesterton who said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”

Our next topic of conversation brings up the idea of Christian hedonism put forth by John Piper in Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Piper says that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Check out this article from Desiring God’s website for further explanation. Randell reminds us that Romans 8:5-6 addresses this same concept - that when our minds are set on what the flesh desires, that “mind governed by the flesh is death.” But those who set their minds on “things above” or the “Spirit” have “life and peace.”

Randell’s recommendations for this year:

Final word from Randell - if you’re not a believer/follower of Jesus Christ - you’re missing out on God’s purpose for you! Find a good church, open the Word of God, ask some questions and get some answers about the true meaning of life!

Randell’s book is part of a 3-part series that covers young men from youth through college: