Training4Manhood

Guys, just got back from a wedding…and have “marriage” on my mind - wanted to share some thoughts - hopefully helpful thoughts - about the importance of marriage and how to do this powerful relationship “right.” 

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.

Jeremiah 12:5

If you have raced with men on foot and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?

Challenge - find time to pause and reflect - assess your life, mission, purpose, trajectory in life - are you walking in a manner worthy of your calling, are you serving God’s purposes and using the gifts and talents to advance His Kingdom? Take time to dive deep into God’s Word, look for God’s wisdom and direction for your life, surround yourself with godly people to encourage and challenge you - and then live with significance and purpose, pausing frequently to assess your journey!

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.

1 Timothy 3:8-13

Qualifications for Deacons

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Paul continues his list of qualifications for men, this time for the position of deacon, the chief servant of the family of God.

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.

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Qualifications for Overseers

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,  for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?  He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.  Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Men, a great list from Paul written to a young Timothy about qualities for leaders in the church - should be qualities that all young men aspire to!

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: Gabe Boyd

Gabe and I agree that one of the most valuable things that a young (well, any aged guy for that matter) man can do is spend time in God’s Word. Why? Well, take a listen to this conversation that I had recently with my good friend Gabe Boyd about the value of knowing God’s Word in the life of a man. And we also talk about a couple practical steps that each man should take toward this endeavor - get a good Bible that you can read and understand, read it and find others to read it and discuss it with you, and find a good, Christ-exalting, Bible-teaching church to join and grow in your faith journey.

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.

I was listening to Pastor Jack Graham, Prestonwood Baptist Church, and he shared in his sermon on the life of David about some ways that the enemy attacks a man - he said that the enemy will use silver, sloth, sex, and self. In this episode, we’ll dive into each of these and talk about God’s perspective on each…and how to best counter the efforts to take us out!

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.

Looking at the Book of James, there are some powerful verses in chapter 3 that share the difference between “worldly” wisdom and “heavenly” wisdom. These attributes of wisdom from above are great markers of maturity in the life of a man - and we examine each attribute in this episode. James reminds us that at the core of immaturity is self-centeredness, while the individual that plants the seed of selflessness will reap a life of peace.

2 Chronicles 24:12 - And the king (Joash) and Jehoiada gave it to those who had charge of the work of the house of the Lord, and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord…

“It is a much easier thing to build a temple for God than it is TO BE A TEMPLE FOR God.” C.H. Spurgeon

A Good Start: A Book for Young Men and Women by C.H. Spurgeon

How can we BE a temple for God?

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:23 that we are body, soul, and spirit - what do each of these components mean and how can we improve in each?

Psalm 127

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Ricky Chelette’s Three A’s:

The Book of James in the Bible gives the reader great wisdom and insight into God’s economy and how the maturity process of a believer generally works - it is usually not through ease and comfort that one grows and matures, but through hardship and difficulties - learning to hear the voice of God and trust Him through the process.

In James 1:19-20, the author tells the reader to “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Learn from the wisdom of the great saints of the faith - including Job, who learned that speaking about things that he didn’t fully understand was foolish and immature. I hope this examination of these verses in God’s Word reminds you to first connect your life to God, made available through the sacrifice of His one and only Son Jesus Christ…then, trust and obey as you walk with the Lord, learning to listen to His voice and trust His ways.