As the year draws to a close, it's the perfect time for Christian men to pause, reflect, and evaluate the past year's journey.  What went well?  What didn't?  What's next?

Taking stock of our accomplishments, challenges, and growth can provide the insights we need in order to live bigger, better lives in the coming year.

So, here are five powerful ways for you to reflect, evaluate, and finish the year strong - helping you set the stage for a more purposeful and impactful year ahead.

5 Ways To Reflect, Evaluate, and Finish Strong

1. Journaling for Clarity and Gratitude:

   One of the most effective ways to reflect on the past year is by keeping a journal. Take some time each day this month to jot down your thoughts, experiences, and feelings as you reflect on your successes and challenges from this past year, and write about the lessons you've learned.

   Not only is writing down your thoughts important, but practicing gratitude is also an essential aspect...

As Christian men, we understand that a strong and fulfilling marriage is the foundation for a resilient family and a vibrant faith in our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren.

Yet, in the hustle and bustle of life, maintaining the deep connection and intimacy that marriage demands can sometimes - no, scratch that - will be a challenge. That's where The Ultimate Intimacy App steps in and can help you like it has helped me.

I discovered this app back in 2022 and found it to be a powerful tool to help foster stronger bonds, better communication about sex and romance, and saw how it could help reignite the passion that oftentimes goes missing even great marriages.

In today's conversation, I want to introduce you to this app and look at some of the different elements and overarching themes of it and share how it may help you to thrive in your marriage, too.

The Big Elements of The Ultimate Intimacy App

1. Communication: The Pillar of Genuine Connection

In the...

In a rapidly changing world, the culture we live in is presenting daily challenges to Christian values and principles.

As Christian men, it is crucial for us to stand firm in our faith (1 Cor. 16:13-14) and to take a bold stance against the prevailing cultural norms that contradict biblical truth and what once was thought of as common sense.

There is no more time to wait and no more time to waste.

If men will act, we can make a positive impact on our families, communities, and society at large. But if we fail to - our time may run out.

To keep that from happening, here are three essential ways that Christian men can - and must! - stand up to culture before it's too late:

1. Embrace Biblical Manhood:

In a culture that is blurring the lines of gender roles and masculinity, it is vital for Christian men to embrace and exemplify biblical manhood.

God created men and women with unique purposes and roles, and both are equally valuable in His sight as well as in society. As...

The apostle Paul was on a mission to preach Christ where the Gospel had not yet been preached and to help establish churches wherever he went.

In two different letters he encouraged Timothy and Titus to find men who could help lead the church.  Men who had certain characteristics and qualities that would deem them worthy of the task.

However, not every man qualified for this.

Which should lead us to ask:  What DOES a man of God look like who is worthy of such honor and respect?

17 Marks of a Godly Man

In Ephesians, Paul said that Christ gave gifts to the Church in terms of leaders who were appointed by God to help, "...equip God's people to do his work" and to help believers, "...be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ."

So let's look at this standard of Christ that Paul may have had in mind and see how it relates to us as Christian men today who wonder what it takes to be a man of God.

When we look at the list of qualifications that...

As a parent, it can be challenging to navigate conversations about sexuality with your kids, especially when it comes to the LBGT conversation. The world is constantly bombarding our children with messages about gender and sexuality that are contrary to biblical truth.  

As Christians, and in particular as men and heads of our households, it is our responsibility, then, to teach our children what God's Word says about these important topics and how to respond with grace and love in every situation.

Here are some practical ways to help you lead your kids through the LBGT conversations from a biblical perspective.

Navigating LBGT With Your Kids

1. Start with the basics

Before diving into discussions about sexuality and gender, it's essential for you to have a firm foundation based on biblical truth. Start there and study what God says for yourself or ask your church for help with resources and ideas.  Then, teach your kids what the Bible says about...

Being married is awesome!  But it doesn't come without its challenges.

One of the major challenges that married men face is communication with their wives. But we often start with the communication piece while ignoring the underlying connection.  Communication is critical.  But it can only be successful if there is a strong connection and intimacy first.

Unfortunately, many men struggle with building a deeper connection with their wives and then inaccurately diagnosis the problem as a communication problem.  That may be true.  But if you can improve the connection with your wife you'll likely find that the communication you have with her changes for the better too. 

In this post, I’ll be sharing five practical ways to build a stronger connection and build deeper intimacy with your wife.

5 Keys To Stronger Connection

1. Show Affection:

This may seem like a given, but in many cases there's simply not a lot of affection that men show...

One of the best gifts that God has given us is our conscience.  That part of our lives that allows us to evaluate our thoughts and desires and determine what is right or wrong.  However, if we don't allow our conscience to be under the control of the Holy Spirit - we can find ourselves in situations that hurt us and lead us astray.

So, why exactly do we have one?  Ultimately, our conscience is designed - when controlled by the Holy Spirit - to help lead us to live life to the fullest.  Or, as we like to say in our ministry, to help lead us to become the man that God meant for us to be.

But we don't always allow it to do its job and there's one big reason why.

Paying Attention To The Tension

Everyone has the ability to let their conscience help them evaluate situations they're in and make wise decisions - better decisions that lead to fewer regrets.  But we often make one simple mistake - or decision - that leads to unwanted...

First comes love.  Then comes marriage.  Then comes baby in the baby carriage!

We all know the jingle but we don't always know what to do once the baby carriage shows up.  As Christian men, we just know that we want to have a great family.  We know it won't be easy...but we know it will be worth it in the end! 

So how do we get there?  What do we have to have in order to have a great family? 

3 things come to mind:  Alignment, Guardrails, and Letting Go. 

3 Things You Have to Have 

#1. Have Alignment

Leadership and maximum impact starts at the top with you and if you and your wife aren't in alignment about what matters most - it definitely won't reach the ears or hearts of those following in your footsteps.

We all know what it's like when a car is out of alignment.  Tires erode quickly and the car just doesn't drive like it's supposed to.  The same is true with your home.  If you want your family to operate at the...

What story do you want to tell about your life? 

What story/stories would you like others to tell about you?

These are incredible questions that Andy Stanley offers to us for consideration.  He calls it The Legacy Question and for good reason.

When your life is no more and the only thing left are the stories told about you - what will they be?

This - for better or worse - is your legacy.  It is what lasts when you're no longer around.

Stories

I've actually thought a lot about this question as God was prompting me to start my ministry called Get In The Fight.  I spent a lot of time thinking, writing down ideas, and praying about this very question and it lead me to what we now use as our 4 Principles of Get In The Fight:

Honor - Discipline - Strength - Joy

When I was a kid, I was very focused on sports.  I wanted to be remembered as the greatest athlete to ever come out of my school.

Today, I don't really care that much about that.  In fact, it would be...