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In this ancient land where Jesus came for shelter as a child, our CMN brotherhood has launched a ministry majoring in men. Working with key allies and friends, a men’s movement is taking off. It’s a burst of life in the arid Middle East. A land filled with antiquities and wars is becoming a land of renewal and hope. Today, we saw pyramids and thousand-year-old mummies, including King Ramses ll. It was fascinating to learn that his father King Seti l, actually mentored him starting as a teenager. Ramses was in battle at age 14, then sat with his uncle...

Just a thought. Perhaps together we could correct this. When people meet pastors, like my son for example, one of the first questions is, “How large is your church?” I believe the true measure of a church is not how many people are in the seats. The true measure of a church is how many disciples are in the streets. Butts in the seats are one thing. But the scripture, “a true witness saves lives.” is quite another.

Being alone can be refreshing, but being lonely is always draining. According to some studies, the average man has 1.7 friends. And I think we can all point out the .7 guy. He’s the one that doesn’t show up when you move. The U.S. government CDC says loneliness costs the US economy an estimated $406 billion a year, in addition to the estimated $6.7 billion a year in Medicare costs for socially isolated older adults. (CDC; wellbeing/social-connectedness/loneliness.) Barna research reports that people in a healthy community such as a church actually live longer. The answer to the emotional and mental...

Recent psychology reports tell us that the average age of maturity for young men in culture is 29. Twenty years ago, the cultural age of maturity was 21. The average age of a man getting married has gone from 24 to 30 in the past thirty years. The average age of video game players is now 34. Culture has made it easy for men to stay immature. We’ve given young men permission to stay childish. Not surprising today that 7 out of 10 divorces are initiated by women. She grew up. He didn’t. Maturity is the ability to make right...

Your heart needs a promise. It needs a vision, hope, desire, something to look forward to. A compelling vision is what pulls a man into his future. The Church must promise men that the future will be better with Jesus, that following Christ will make you somehow more of a man with a better life. I once sat with a young man at a Waffle House. He was done with church. Because of personal disappointments, he was done with following Jesus. I promised him that if he would return to church—if he would connect with me often and with other...