I hate setting goals…I don’t know about you but I think I have failed to reach just about every goal I have ever set for myself in one way or another.  In fact, I think the only major achievements I have reached in my life were achieved in spite of myself.

However, setting goals is an important exercise and this is particularly true for the “new world man”. You need to be a Rush fan to know what a “new world man” is, lol).

The reason I think so many men have trouble with goals (reaching them, not necessarily setting them) is because we are so easily distracted…we are so easily seduced by our flesh and by the worldly passions which can so easily ensnare us. This has certainly been true in my life, although by the grace of God I am starting to actually make some progress in some important areas in my life as a result of my decision to surrender those areas to God.

So I am going to do something I would rather not do but that I believe I need to do in order to continue growing as a christian and that is write down, for all to see, some personal goals that I hope to achieve as a result of reading the book: “The Measure of a Man”. If you haven’t read this book…I strongly encourage you to get a copy and read it.

My Goals:

To maintain a regular schedule of accountability and transparency to my “band of brothers” especially those I meet with on Tuesday evenings on the steps outside Reality, on Wednesday mornings in the Reality sanctuary and on Monday, Thursday and Friday mornings during our walks to and from the beach (most of these men comprise my list of “3″ and “12″ that I recently wrote about).

In addition, I will work toward reaching a level of transparency and ethical and moral character consistent with Paul’s “20 qualities of maturity”, listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-10.  Some of these qualities include: being temperate; devout; prudent; above reproach; not addicted to substances; not quick tempered; and hospitable.

In addition, I aim to follow through on the small things as well as the big things while making myself available to God so that He can use me in a ministry that He has created especially for me…

Wow, so there you have it…I ask that you would pray for me in this effort so that I would be successful in achieving these goals and I commit myself to praying for you too -and along these same lines- as I think these are worthy goals that every man would be blessed to be able to lay claim to.

Be blessed.

Indeed, one might think that receiving such explicit marching orders from God would have been enough to convince Joshua about the seriousness of the situation he was facing. And maybe it was sufficient for Joshua…after all Joshua was an obedient man and a faithful follower of God in the tradition of Moses.

But what is interesting to me about these few verses is the fact that God didn’t stop at just telling Joshua to be strong and courageous. God also commanded Joshua to obey all the laws Moses gave him and that in order to be prosperous and successful, Joshua must also meditate on the law day and night so that he might do all that is written in them. And then…in what I would describe as a final punctuation as to the gravity of the situation, God tells Joshua to not be terrified and do not be discouraged.

This is essentially God’s fourth plea, in as many verses, for Joshua to have courage…after all, to be discouraged, according to Webster’s dictionary, is to lack courage. God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous four times while also commanding complete chastity to the written laws he received from Moses. And then, rather than leaving it at that, God offers Joshua yet another exhortation; do not be terrified and do not be discouraged.

God knows something about the severity of the battles we face and how we will be tried and tested while doing battle in the spiritual realm. Ephesians says “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Moreover, God knows something about these “rulers, authorities and spiritual forces of evil”…after all He created them. He also knows that without full chastity to His commands…we might as well go into battle unarmed. And yet that is exactly what so many of us do every single day.

I pray that as men we will be strong and courageous in our battles and that we will equip ourselves appropriately with the whole armor of God…Paul identifies the armor we need here:

“the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…”

Has He not commanded us?

Be blessed…

I am persuaded by the suggestion that the following numbers are key to unlocking a balanced life: 1, 3, 12, 100 and 3000.

The first number (1) is non negotiable and represents our need to have a One-to-one relationship with Jesus. It’s the most important number and the most important relationship we have…agreed? The second number (3) is the number of men who know just about everything there is to know about you and who can and will get in your face when needed…this number might be 2, it might be 4 or 5, but whatever it is, it’s best to keep it small. These men comprise what I like to call a “band of brothers”. The men who are essential to our lives and out to our ability to be the husband, father, son, brother and friend God created us to be.

Think about that for a while. I will explain the other three numbers with you later.

In the meantime, be blessed…

ht: dr. dennis swanberg

Hey all, welcome! I suggest you read Proverbs 27:17 in order to understand the context of the above phrase and how it relates to the title of this blog.

I think it is pretty indisputable that when we allow other men to speak into our life, hold us accountable and when we resolve to meet together regularly with a commitment to be transparent with each other (something that doesn’t come easy for me), it makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the enemy of our soul to devour us.

As you get to know me you will come to understand that my heart is for the spiritual, social and economic plight of men in America in the 21st century. Therefore, an emphasis on the contemporary issues that impact us will be the focus of this new ministry. And not because I have anything special or unique to offer other men…but, rather, because I desperately need my iron sharpened.

I am not a pastor…a biblical scholar and I have never attended a seminary or a bible college. My qualifications to share what the Lord has done for me and what He is doing in my life today is no better or worse than the qualifications we read about in Mark 5: 18-20.

Jesus didn’t tell the man in Mark 5:18 to go to bible college…or to fast for 40 days…or prove his worthiness in any particular way. Instead Jesus told him to go and tell people what the Lord had done for him. And that is exactly what the man did. And when he did, it says the people were amazed…

I don’t know about you…but I need to be sharper and more alert in my God ordained role as husband, father, son and brother…and this is especially true as I navigate the tumultuous terrain in these last days…

If you are in the same boat, I invite you, actually I exhort you to share your life with other men and share your insights with me and the other men who choose to post here as well as those who simply choose to lurk here…

As for the frequency of my updates, I am inclined to let the Lord guide me. I resolve to be faithful in this new effort so when He would have me share something with you I will do my best to do so. I pray you will do the same.

Be blessed…