welcome!
Male Corner
Welcome to my side of the blog. This is where I (Ben) speak to the men who want to learn more about God, being a man and just fun stuff.
This is a corner of the blog by design.
Men don’t seek or consume content the same way women do. They don’t go looking for self-help, fulfillment or self-actualization nearly as often. We aren’t the ones in the church that are excited to talk about our feelings or share new realizations.
We focus on DOING things, BUILDING things, MOVING things, BREAKING things and FOOTBALL.
We tend not to share our deepest feelings and thoughts but instead keep those close and deep inside.
Because of that, we don’t end up on websites like this, looking for content like this.
In fact, I expect a huge amount of readers of this article will be wives who really like Bekah’s side of the blog and are seeking good content for their husband. And then the wives plan to force you to read this stuff so you CAN BECOME THE MAN OF GOD THAT SHE HAS BEEN DESPARATELY WAITING AND THIS NEW RESOURCE WILL JUST DO THE TRICK AND LIFE WILL FINALLY BE PERFECT.
Ladies: you can lead a horse to water….
When your man is ready, he will read this. When he needs inspiration, he will come. When he has questions for me, he will ask.
There are fundamental differences between men and women. One of my favorite men’s books (Man Alive by Patrick Morley) explained that men only feel moved by the Spirit in church a few times a year at most. We only feel the goosebumps on our arms during that particular song or part of the sermon once a year. Most of the time, we aren’t driven by a good story, a rousing life change, a perfect illustration. We actually just keep doing what we do. Working in the church. Working at home. Working at work. We stay focused in the day to day – and not on the big picture. And that is by design.
So, to the ladies who are here, feel free to read, but this isn’t for you. I’d love to create a space that calls men to a high standard, that teaches young men how to become strong men of God, and helps men in all stages of life grow and become better men. But in order to do that, I need to speak to them and not have you telling them to listen to me. So feel free to let them know about this resource, but then let them be. Thank you!
Men – God has given us a role to play, a job to do, a person to be. Each of us are different. We are different ages, from different regions and have different upbringings. What looks like manhood to you will be very different than what it looks like to me. That’s ok. Some of you will be way more “manly” than me, some perhaps less. Again, ok. But what we need to do is determine what it means to be a man, and then figure out how to excel at that.
Today, everyone tells us what we can and can’t be. What is manly, what isn’t manly or even that being manly is wrong. What one man says is leadership in the family, another person will call abuse. Sometimes it feels impossible to know how to be a man, because Christian leaders have all kinds of different ideas.
And, maybe you aren’t a Christian. I still would like to talk to you too. Because I care that you are a good man, a man who treats women well, who treat children well and who treats other men well. Our society desperately needs good men.
Men who are strong. Men who know the difference between right and wrong. Men who can change the community they live in.
We need to be the kind of men who make people feel safe and who people come to when in trouble.
So, what do you need to do? How do you get there?
It’s pretty simple.
You do it how we accomplish anything in life. You do it one step at a time. You attack a big problem by doing the first step, and then the second step, and then the third step… The same way you run marathons, untie huge fishing line knots, or roof houses.
You choose not to be overwhelmed, but simply focus on what you do know and then learn what you don’t know.
In the case of manliness, what do you know?
You know that you were created in God’s image, male and female He created us (Genesis 1:27).
You know you are called with a purpose (Romans 8:28).
You know that God has plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11).
You know God cares how you treat one another (Matthew 5-7).
You know God cares how you lead your household (1 Peter 3:7, 1 Timothy 3:4)
Everything you need to excel at manhood is in the Bible for you, in simple, small lessons.
God created you for this purpose and He made sure you had the teaching and guidance you need.
This is the secret –don’t stress over a huge list of things that we need to do. Instead, focus on doing the things you were made to do. Discover who God made you to be, and then do the things He created you to do.
That’s the focus of this corner – unlocking the man of God, who God designed, by focusing on simple disciplines and removing “the sin that so easily encumbers” (Hebrews 12:1).