Masculinity is often associated with strength, resilience, and discipline. These qualities are not innate, but rather cultivated through intentional actions and self-reflection. In this post, we will explore how discipline plays a crucial role in shaping one’s masculinity and fostering personal growth.
Understanding Discipline
Discipline can be defined as the ability to make consistent and conscious choices that align with one’s goals and values. It requires self-control, perseverance, and a strong sense of commitment. Often misunderstood as a harsh and rigid concept, discipline is, in fact, a powerful tool to help individuals achieve their desired outcomes.
Discipline as a Catalyst for Personal Growth
In the realm of masculinity, discipline serves as a catalyst for personal growth. When men embrace discipline, they empower themselves to push beyond their comfort zones and unlock their full potential. It enables them to overcome challenges, develop healthy habits, and cultivate a sense of purpose in their lives.
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Physical Discipline
Physical discipline is perhaps the most widely recognized aspect of masculinity. Engaging in regular exercise, maintaining a nutritious diet, and prioritizing physical well-being are all components of physical discipline. By taking care of their bodies, men not only strengthen themselves physically, but also foster mental clarity and emotional resilience.
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I know a lot of Christians are afraid of AI, but I think that it is a powerful tool that can be used to help, not hurt. It most definitely can be a dangerous tool in the wrong hands, but so can a pencil. A tool is just a tool, and I don’t think that any believer should be scared of it at the moment. This is why I want to start a mini-series conversing with AI on the topic of masculinity. Here is my first conversation:
How Would You Define Christian Masculinity?
Christian masculinity can be understood as an expression of masculinity within the framework of Christian beliefs and values. It involves embodying the teachings of Jesus Christ and striving to live according to the principles outlined in the Bible. Christian masculinity places an emphasis on virtues such as love, humility, compassion, forgiveness, and servant leadership. It encourages men to be responsible, respectful, and protective of their families, communities, and those in need. Christian masculinity also values the importance of spiritual growth, integrity, and moral conduct. It is important to note that interpretations of Christian masculinity can vary among individuals and denominations, but the common thread is the integration of faith and virtue in shaping one’s identity and behavior as a man of God.
How Would You Define Cultural Masculinity?
Cultural masculinity refers to the set of beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and expectations society associates with being a man within a specific culture or society. It encompasses the collective understanding of what it means to be masculine, as shaped by social, historical, and cultural factors. Cultural masculinity varies across different societies and may be influenced by factors such as religion, traditions, social norms, media, and gender roles. It often involves traits and values such as strength, assertiveness, independence, toughness, competitiveness, and self-reliance. However, it’s important to note that the specific characteristics and expectations of cultural masculinity can change over time as societal perceptions and gender roles evolve.
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“You know, one thing that really kind of irks me as I’ve gotten older and something I don’t think that really bothered me much when I was younger, maybe a teenager. I definitely don’t remember much of it bothering me in college, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to get really frustrated about people that are fully apathetic.
People that have Become so disinterested in anything in the world that they, it’s really kind of hard to explain. Like, you know, an apathetic person, you kind of know what I’m talking about. Um, they, like you try and talk to them and get to know them and saying that they are kind of just there. Kind of like how a brick.
is just there. They’re similar, but not quite the same. Like, of course, everyone has some types of interests. And so I’m not talking about interests like maybe casually playing a game or interested in a sport. But their interest doesn’t go much past, uh, surface level. So you ask them, well, what do you want to do with life?
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Nothin What are your real interests in life? Nothin Do you like watching TV? Eh. Do you like playing sports? Eh. And no matter which direction you try and turn to see, you know, what their passions are, what, you know, how they’re going to, you know, what they’re going to do with their life, any of those types of questions, especially when you’re talking to teenagers or young adults, and you get nothing.
Like, it’s this complete blank slate of nothingness. And then on top of that, you try and, you know, you know, try and push a little bit as a teacher and someone who volunteers at a youth group, you know, I try and probe a little bit, push a little bit, get the kids to think and grow, and they have this disinterest with the world that kind of goes beyond the normal, like everyone has things they’re not quite interested in, you know, my big one is I’m not very interested in watching sports, I’ll play sports, But if you kind of start talking about, you know, what game was on the other night, how one team is doing this year, I’m going to kind of lose interest.
I’ll do my best if that’s something you’re passionate about, but I’m going to lose interest. Now, if you talk about other things that I am interested in. Marvel, video games, Pokemon, stuff like that, you’ll get my interest. Those are things that I’ve always been interested in. But there’s this group of people, and I feel like it’s growing, I could be wrong, but it feels like young adults and older teenagers, kind of that 16 to probably 22 year old age, that range now, there seems to be a higher percentage of individuals in that age, especially men.
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Males who aren’t interested in anything and again, it goes beyond just this well I don’t really know what I want to do with my life and I’m not talented in anything. That’s that’s normal for that age I’m talking about something goes deeper this kind of this apathy that is pervasive in their entire being and they Just have no goals, no aspirations, they’re, they’re just a ship lost at sea with no port in sight and not even trying to go to a port.
And it’s, it’s really disheartening. And sometimes it makes me either angry or it makes me depressed because how much they’re missing out. How much of life. And of who they really are, they’re missing. And a lot of times, they have been either deceived by themselves, or deceived by the people around them.
And our culture nowadays, with social media, with movies, with all these things, has a really bad influence on these kids. More so than my generation and older. I didn’t grow up with social media, not till I was in high school. And the way these kids are seeing the world is so much different than how I saw it.
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I wasn’t in constant communication with my friends. I didn’t see everything they did. I didn’t see pictures posted on Snapchat or Instagram or Facebook or TikTok. I didn’t see everything they did. I didn’t communicate with them 24 7. There are so many teenagers that I see now, and they are always on the phone with somebody.
Like this inability to be alone has completely swept over this generation, and that constant barrage of images. Never allows them to one see the truth. It is so much easier to lie about who you are It’s easy to post pictures of yourself smiling when you’re depressed It’s so easy to post pictures of how you look and make yourself look, you know Stronger prettier or whatever then you actually are and so when other people look at those pictures They become jealous or they look at themselves and say I’ll never be able to look like that So why even try?
And this, again, never ending barrage of images, of soundbites, and of communication has produced a generation that feels nothing, that believes they can obtain nothing, and they believe the entire world is against them. And that’s something I’ve talked about before. And I think that has contributed in some form, either a lot or a little, to this feeling of apathy, where they don’t really care, and they don’t care that they don’t care.
And as Christians, and as a Christian… It really hurts, because when I look at them, and I know that they are made in God’s image, and not only did he make them, and all of us, he made us, he molded all of us. He molded us with his hands, like a master craftsman molds clay. He spent the time, the sweat, the energy, the thought, to produce in us…
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Exactly what he wanted. He made us be what we wanted. Now, it’s up to us if we use it. It’s up to us what we do with our lives. But God has created us to be something special. We are the image bearers of him. And to me, that is amazing. But so many people don’t, either they don’t know it, or they don’t fully comprehend it.
And I think that’s another thing that has led to this generation being apathetic. These young men, specifically, since this whole thing is about men, though it does apply to women as well, but my focus is on men. So these young men don’t know why they’re here. They feel like they’re useless, and our culture is…
Vehemently attacking men, and I’m not even talking about masculinity specifically, that is part of it. But it’s also just the idea of being male. Being male nowadays means you are an oppressive villain whose only thing that they can do nowadays is hurt other people. You know, they’re told being male hurts women.
They’re told being male hurts other males. They’re told being male has led to the oppression and destruction of every basic culture in the world. Throw in race, being a white male is… You know double the sin nowadays and so of course these young men are looking around the world saying you don’t care about me I am made for no purpose Nothing about me is unique or special so why am I going to try why am I going to care and it is heartbreaking and I think there are too few people who are taking the time and energy to actually listen to young people nowadays without Wanting to chastise them.
And I admit that it is really, really hard. When I talk to some of the youth that I know, some of the teenagers and young adults, and they just go on this kind of broken record of just foolish concepts that they’ve just, they’ve digested from the world around them, from their schools, from the media, from social media, from their parents, from their friends, that, It’s just kind of, it is hard not to yell at them and not to want to smack them, but you can’t.
You have to love them. You have to show them that this world is not what they think it is, that they have been lied to. They have been deceived by this corrupt society that serves itself. Our society does not want to serve God. It wants to serve itself. And I think that is kind of the whole thing that has created this apathetic, you know, don’t care, I’ll do what I want kind of mentality.
And again, it really gets to me sometimes. So that’ll be the conclusion of this episode. I don’t want to go too long on this tangent of apathy. You know, say that word five more times. Uh, so thanks for listening. I hope you enjoy, if you liked it, please leave a comment. Please leave a like, share, follow, do whatever you can or want to do on whatever platform you listen to.
How Proverbs 27:17 Can Change Our Thinking A dull knife is dangerous. Running your finger across it may not initially cut, but don’t let that fool you. The danger becomes apparent when it is in use. Imagine preparing for dinner one evening, and you have to cut some vegetables or meat, so you reach into…
Best Books to Defend your Faith or Understand Christianity The idea of defending something shouldn’t come as a surprise to people. Growing up with a bunch of nerds I heard a lot of arguments for why Star Wars was great or why it sucked. Same went for Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Stargate, and…
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Freewill or predestination? How about both? Christians love to debate theology, it’s one of our favorite pastimes. But we don’t like to debate out of animosity or pride, we are only trying to get to the bottom of a belief. I…
(Excerpt from my upcoming book Warrior, Poet, Priest: Rediscovering Godly Masculinity)
I believe that masculinity is important because God created it. As a believer in Christ, this is all I need. But for argument’s sake, I will discuss a few more reasons. First, Genesis tells us that God created humans male and female. The fact that we were created as a duality should mean something. Look at it this way. In Eastern culture, there is the idea of yin and yang. Yin is feminine and yang is masculine.[1]
Two parts that make a whole. Combined, a perfect circle is created.[2] Similarly, God created us to represent two parts of Himself. God created men to exhibit certain traits and women others. This is called theomorphism.[3] Some aspects overlap, but many aspects of femininity are not found in masculinity and vice-versa. Masculine and feminine are equal in their manifestation of divinity. We are not divine ourselves, but God has imbued parts of Himself in us. Scripture uses the term “image” or “likeness” when describing how God made us. We see this in Genesis 1:26-27. I like how Grudem’s Systematic Theology puts it:
26 Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness… 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.Genesis 1:26-27 NASB
“When God says, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’ (Gen. 1:26), the meaning is that God plans to make a creature similar to himself. Both the Hebrew word for ‘image’… and the Hebrew word for ‘likeness’ … refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing it represents or is an ‘image’ of. The word image can also be used of something that represents something else.”[4]
We are created as images of God, what a daunting and beautiful thing.
This is why when we try to remove one half from the whole, we have a broken society. We try to split or warp God’s intended purposes for masculinity and femininity. One reason why we do this is that we believe that one is better than the other. We either think that masculinity is better or that femininity is better. This is also wrong. Grudem later writes “If God thinks us to be equal in value, then that settles the question, for God’s evaluation is the true standard of personal value for all eternity.”[5] As I said before if God said it that is all I need. He is the standard, the author, the maker, and the master of the universe. If He said it should be one way over another, who am I to disagree? But like usual, we believe that we know best. We believe that our short stint on this planet has given us the wisdom to override God.
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Another point to remember is that God is genderless, though we do use masculine terms to describe Him. With this in mind, men and women exhibit attributes of Him in their unique way. The attributes that women possess we call feminine. Likewise, those that men have; we call masculine. This is why I believe that masculinity is important. When a society tries to remove the traits that only men have, that society is in essence destroying half of itself. It is also saying that those aspects of God are not worth having. Something half alive is not alive. And spitting on the divine is not a wise decision. We need to see what men are supposed to be like through God’s lens, not our own.
Another point for why gender differences are important is because God made men for specific tasks and women for specific tasks. These tasks are beautiful and cannot be done by the other. Our modern world has a weird idea that if an individual cannot do something that someone else can do they lose value. I think that this is ridiculous. Everyone has something that they cannot do that someone else can.
I am 6’4” and have been so since I was about sixteen. I have been able to reach top-shelf items since I was twelve or thirteen. Just because of my size I have been able to lift more than the average male my entire life. My natural ability does not decrease the value or the masculinity of those around me. I can reach high items, but I have the hardest time getting something out of the bottom drawer. God has given us all gifts, and we have to use those gifts.
Another example is the gift of music that God has given to my wife. Christina has an amazing voice and the ability to play multiple instruments. While dedication and hard work played a role, she has a natural gift as well. This is one that I do not have in the slightest. I can kind of sing, but I cannot play an instrument to save my life, and while I have always wanted to play something, I have never dedicated any amount of time to trying. My gifts are in speaking and writing (I hope). God has given us all gifts. Some are for women, some are for men, and some are for both. Trying to negate masculinity because it makes you feel excluded is childish. Trying to say that a woman can do everything a man can do is ridiculous, and vice versa. We need to learn to enjoy the gifts given to us and stop envying the ones given to someone else.
Let me know what you think! Anything you would change? Anything you loved? Any comments would be loved!
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[1] Matthews, Carolyn M. “Nurturing Your Divine Feminine.” Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, vol. 24, no. 3, July 2011, pp. 248–48, https://doi.org/10.1080/08998280.2011.11928725. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023.
Welcome to part 2 of my Easter series! In this blog, I want to discuss three archaeological artifacts and three primary sources. I have noticed that many Christians have never taken the time to familiarize themselves with defenses for their faith. I am not suggesting that every Christian needs to be a master at apologetics. But a simple understanding would go a long way. I think a very easy category to begin with is history. That is why I made part 1 (link here) and a part 2 discussing historical evidence for Jesus. The six things I want to focus on for the rest of this blog are: Caiaphas’ ossuary, The Pilate Stone, the Crucified Heel, Tacitus, Josephus, and Pliny the Younger. Each source adds valuable evidence for the biblical narrative. Without any further-a-do, let us dive into history for a moment.
Caiaphas’ Ossuary
In 1990 a group of workers were doing their job when one of them suddenly uncovered a tomb. I have been told that this is actually a very common issue in Israel. Since it is such an old country, and has been occupied by so many different groups or rulers it seems every moved rock reveals some archaeological artifact.
This time a piece of biblical history was uncovered. When scholars descended into the tomb they found a group of ossuaries. An ossuary is a box that contains bones. This was a common practice in 1st century Israel. One of the ossuaries had the inscription “Joseph son of Caiaphas.” If you remember from your Sunday school class, Caiaphas was one of the men Jesus stood in front of. Scholars believe that this is his tomb.
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Archaeological finds like this are important because they smooth out the tension surrounding Jesus. If the Bible mentions all of these characters that interacted with Jesus and we couldn’t find the most prevalent ones in any way outside the Bible that would be a problem. Finding Caiaphas just adds one more level of proof for the Bible.
The Pilate Stone
Up next we have a more important archaeological discovery. The last one was important, but I think less people argued over Caiaphas’ historicity. Pontius Pilate on the other hand, was argued over quite a bit. Outside of some writings (which we will go over later) we had not uncovered any sources proving Pilate
Well now we have! The Stone of Pilate is a block containing writing with the name of “Pontius Pilatus” written on it. He was dedicating something to Emperor Tiberius so he wrote what he did and that he did it. Talk about writing it in stone. This stone puts Pilate in the correct region (Judea), the correct time (under emperor Tiberius), and the correct position (governor). These three things are very important extra-biblical facts for the Bible.
The Crucified Heel
Our last archaeological artifact is a heel bone with a twisted stake in it. This discovery is important because we had almost no proof proving crucifixion with nails. We had drawings and descriptions with rope, but no nails. The reason why this is concerning is because Jesus was nailed to the cross.
If the Bible says that Jesus was nailed to the cross, and the Romans never nailed people but only tied them, that is a big problem. That kind of small detail can show that the “witness” had never been there, and that they made it up. But now that we have proof of nails being used we can believe the testimonies of the gospel writers.
Tacitus, Josephus, Pliny the Younger
Now we have reached the section on primary sources (a first hand account). I am not going to break this section up, but instead, I am just going to write them out and let you see the words for themselves. Each person is writing shortly after Jesus except for Pliny who wrote his passage around 100 AD. These writings are important because they prove that Jesus was worshiped as God (part of the trinity) from around the 50s or 60s AD. Many critics try to say that Christ was not deified until the 3rd or 4th century. These secular writings (non of them were Christian) give the greatest evidence for Jesus, and for Him being believed to be God.
Therefore, to stop the rumor, Nero substituted as culprits and punished in the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men, loathed for their vices, whom the crowd styled Christians. Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus, and the pernicious superstition was checked for a moment, only to break out once more, not merely in Judea, the home of the disease, but in the capital itself, where all things horrible or shameful in the world collect and find a vogue.
Tacitus
At this time there was a wise man called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. Many people among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. Accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have reported wonders. And the tribe of the Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to this day.
Josephus
They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food–but food of an ordinary and innocent kind.
The end of March is now upon us. Here in America that means two things. First, that means spring is breaking through. The grass is turning green, flowers are blooming, and trees and flourishing. This also means that allergies are starting to flare up again. Yeah me!
Secondly, it is now time to celebrate Easter. I have always loved Easter time. I love seeing all of the colors coming back to life, daylight lasts longer, and we get to celebrate our Lord and savior. I am always down to worship God. So this blog is going to be dedicated to Easter. Primarily I want to discuss some of the archeological and historical sources that we have that validate Christian beliefs. I think more people should be very knowledgeable when it comes to this subject. But before I get into a rant on apologetics I will just launch into the topic at hand.
The Jesus Boat
This one is not really proof about Jesus or anything, but more of a cool discovery. So back in 1986 Israel went through a drought. During the worst part, the Sea of Galilee’s water level dropped significantly and a submerged boat was discovered. After carefully excavating it from the mud they discovered a few things about it.
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First, the boat was about 27 feet long. It was also almost 8 feet wide and 4 feet deep. This would make the boat quite comfortable to sail in. Carbon dating put the boat around the 1st century BC or AD. This makes the boat the same type of boat Jesus would have sailed on during His ministry.
Synagogues
This next one is a whole lot more important when it comes to Biblical evidence. The Bible mentions synagogues quite often. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all describe Jesus entering a synagogue at some point. Jesus taught in synagogues, healed in synagogues, and confronted the Pharisees around synagogues. But there was a problem for a long time concerning these buildings of worship; we couldn’t find any.
But, that is not a problem anymore! we have uncovered around 10 different synagogues all dating before the destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD). This date is important because many scholars thought that synagogues did not become popular until after the second temple was destroyed. This means that Jesus would have these buildings just like the gospels write.
Pool of Siloam
The last item for this blog is the Pool of Siloam. This is the pool where Jesus healed a blind man found in John 9:7. The actual location of the pool was hypothesized, but unknown. There was a pool constructed in the 5th century by Empress Eudocia about 70 yards from the actual pool. It was built because the original pool was buried. It wasn’t until some repairs were being done on a drainage pipe that the original pool was discovered.
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
John 9:6-7
The amazing thing about the Pool of Siloam is that it matches perfectly the description given in the gospels. For the sake of brevity I won’t go into the details, but just know that when the gospels describe something they have never been proven wrong.
Time after time a site has proven the gospels. Humanists and naturalists have tried to explain away the Bible, and they have failed every time. This is why I hold my faith in the Bible. I believe in the things that haven’t been proven because every time we think the Bible is wrong, it is proven right.
Part 2 will discuss the really cool finds that focus heavily on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. But until then, have a great Holy Week!
How often do we think that we have to please or pacify God before He will love us? “I have to be perfect before He will love me.” I know that that is how I try to live my life most of the time. I know that is not true, but I go back again again. Why do I think that my actions will ever make Him love me more than He already does?
It is comforting to know that I am not alone. Jacob (you know, the Patriarch of Israel. The one that they were named after.) had to have this point driven into his thick skull. Jacob returns to Canaan with confidence and glory in the story that unfolds between Genesis 32 and 33.
He has two wives, eleven sons, and vast flocks. Jacob was the GOAT. But, he was not where God wanted him to be. Yes, Jacob was starting to give glory to God, but he needed one more push.
As Jacob entered Canaan he headed toward his estranged brother to reconcile. The night before Jacob was alone most likely thinking about the day to come. If you remember, Jacob had stolen Esau’s birthright and blessing. Esau had sworn to kill him, which is why Jacob ran away in the first place. While he is sitting in the dark alone Jacob is suddenly attacked. The story described by Moses is clear on who the assailant is. God in human form was wrestling Jacob. It is believed that Jesus appeared to change Jacob’s life forever.
Jacob and God wrestled for hours, but before the sun could rise God struck Jacob in the thigh. With Jacob crippled, they have a conversation. In this conversation, God changes Jacob’s name to Israel. This change is more important than most of us think. Before wrestling, Jacob’s name meant deceiver. After the wrestling, his name was changed to wrestles with God (Israel). No longer was Jacob known to God as a deceiver. Now he was renamed, rebranded as it were.
After this encounter, Israel goes out and meets his brother. I have to wonder for a moment if Esau was confused by his brother calling himself by a different name. But the critical part comes during the conversation. Before that night Jacob had still put too much emphasis on his own actions. He had done this or he had done that. Now he puts all the focus on God. What a mighty change!
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This is the story’s moral: God has already changed our names so we don’t have to work for it. We are renamed! No longer are we sinners, enemies, or deceivers. Now we are saved, son, and heir. We did nothing to gain those titles. God did it for us!
Unfortunately, I do not remind myself of this fact enough. But, I am trying. This is something I am going to try to remind myself of as often as I can. God loves me because He does. Like a parent His love is unconditional. AMEN!
Let me make this very clear, making money is important. It is the duty of godly men to strive to take care of their families. Each family will do this differently though. Some men will be the sole provider, others will work alongside their wives, and still, others will work at home. I know my opinions on this are not popular. It is believed by the conservative side of life that men have to be the sole financial provider or the main provider.
While I do believe that this is the case for the majority of families, there are some that can break away from this. The main point I want to focus on is that this is not a primary theological one. This idea of providing will not condemn someone or save someone. That means that this is a secondary or even a tertiary idea. This means that we can disagree and still live in the body of Christ, the church. With that said, let us break down the difference between focusing on money and focusing on making a difference.
Men are happiest when they are:
• Making money • Building great things • Lifting weights consistently • Focused entirely on themselves • Surrounded by strong, like-minded men
The main difference between these two ideas is the focus. Masculine Peak (MP) claims that focusing on making money will make a man happy. I disagree. When we live with our main focus on making money we will never be satisfied. There is always another dollar to be made, a better position to achieve, or a higher position to earn. Focusing on money creates a monster who is never satisfied. Families will be sacrificed, friends will be sacrificed, God will be sacrificed, and in the end, happiness will be sacrificed. 1 Timothy 6:10 talks about the LOVE of money as the root of all evil. Earning money is not bad, lusting after money is.
We should focus on people. Instead of focusing on money, we should focus on how we can love people with that money. We should focus on our family, our friends, our community, God, and our neighbors. This actually produces fulfillment. Remember, the two greatest commandments are to love GOD, then love our neighbors. We have to know God to fulfill the second part. But we will love our neighbors if we have the first part.
When we are discussing happiness and fulfillment we need to be very clear. Money can make me happy…temporarily. Making connections and loving people has always left me satisfied. Serving those around me has always been one of the most rewarding things in my life. I don’t know about you, but I usually leave a job tired and just wanting to sit down. The only exception is after a good day of teaching, but those days are rarer. When I receive my paycheck I have never felt overwhelming excitement. Usually, I open it up and think to myself, “wow, that’s it?” This is why when “men” encourage other men to only focus on jobs and earning money it feels so shallow. Because it is. Money is only an object or a tool to be used.
That best thing a person can do in this life is love a person. Growing a friendship is beautiful. Serving a brother or sister is amazing. Nothing in life will ever beat that. Serving God will always be the highest goal of mankind. Hopefully we are serving the right god. I will end with the lyrics of a song that my wife introduced me to.
Never made time for the family But he is the richest man in the cemetery Only made time for the company But he is the richest man in the cemetery He is the richest man in the cemetery But he is the richest man in the cemetery
Time for another round of macho masculinity! For today’s topic, I am introducing this Twitter post. I was going to write about each point in one blog, but that started turning into a very long post. I am really trying to work on my wordiness so I will be breaking this down into smaller chunks. So, for the rest of this blog, I want to say what I think of this tweet generally.
Men are happiest when they are:
• Making money • Building great things • Lifting weights consistently • Focused entirely on themselves • Surrounded by strong, like-minded men
With that, let us begin. The man who runs Masculine Peak (MP) has a list of things that he believes are the top five ways to make a man happy. As I am sure you can tell by now if you have read any of my blogs, I think that these are five of the worst ideas. These ultra-macho masculine men seem to focus on easily achievable goals that can make them feel good. They never push hard goals for men. They only want showy things that make them look good, feel good, and allow them to push people around.
Another point that I hate about these types of guys, is that they focus solely on themselves. They are some of the most selfish individuals that you will ever meet. They only help themselves, and they treat everyone else, especially women, like their personal objects to be used and then thrown away. They desire stuff, not people. They want power and control, and they will do anything to achieve it. They will also do anything to keep their power. they will hurt people, lie, cheat, and destroy.
To sum up my point quickly, they are children. I have very little, if any, respect for these types of men. In fact, they are not men. They are little boys. This is a point I am trying to make in my upcoming book, Warrior, Poet, Priest. Just because someone has reached the age of adulthood, 18 in America, that does not make them a man. These men are actually just adult children whining, crying, and throwing tantrums when they do not get their way.
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When it comes to work and women, they achieve lots of temporary success. They keep women for short periods until she either get tired of the crap or the abuse. As for work, these types of “men” can find lots of success, but that success is only financial. Financial success fades away quickly and leaves the owner feeling empty. That is why it leaves a bad taste in my mouth when “men” focus on fleeting earthly things as their main goals. Real men, godly men, focus on things that will last beyond them. Again, they focus on family, God, community, and a good reputation that will transcend their bodies.
I want to ensure with the words of Jesus. For some reason He can put thoughts into words much better than I can. Here is a statement that He said during His sermon on the mount.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth.”
— Paul the Apostle (Ephesians 6:14a NASB)
First, we have the belt of truth. This is first because without truth everything else falls down. Just like civilian clothing, armor requires something to wrap it together. A belt is that something. Before we can put on something like righteousness, we have to have the truth. If we are deceived by life, Satan, or ourselves we are useless. A soldier who cannot keep his pants on or his breastplate fastened cannot fight.
As we enter the battlefield raging in our world we must first focus on truth. Truth is our foundation. It keeps us grounded on what is right or wrong. If we cannot decipher what is real or fake, true or false, we cannot protect those who are in need. Warriors are meant to be the shield for the defenseless. But if our eyes are blinded by deception than we will fall for any lie presented to us.
“Boys are being told they are worth nothing because they are male. Girls are being told they are nothing because womanhood is not really a thing.”
Warrior, Poet, Priest
Our modern world is presenting so many cruel lies that are hurting so many people. Boys are being told they are worth nothing because they are male. Girls are being told they are nothing because womanhood is not really a thing. Children are being told that they can twist their bodies into a number of things based on how they “feel.”
Teenagers are being pumped with medication because they are depressed, anxious, angry, frustrated, alone, bullied, and scared. They are surrounded by voices, external and internal, that tell them that their life is doomed and that they really aren’t worth much.
Young adults compound their teenage issues with adult issues. They have to get a job, go to school, fall in love, and find a place to live while still dealing with all of the issues they had before. Many young adults don’t even see the point in most of it because they think the world is burning or that the game is rigged against them. In some cases, they are right. This world is against them. Satan, the prince of this world, has done his best to make sure their lives are as hard as possible.
Young adults compound their teenage issues with adult issues. They have to get a job, go to school, fall in love, and find a place to live while still dealing with all of the issues they had before. Many young adults don’t even see the point in most of it because they think the world is burning or that the game is rigged against them. In some cases, they are right. This world is against them. Satan, the prince of this world, has done his best to make sure their lives are as hard as possible.
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On top of all these issues our world has to deal with racism, sexism, misogyny, misandry, political hatred, religious hate, and church hurt to name a few. If men of God turn from the truth, if we drop the belt, we let all of the pain mentioned above continue.
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