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...

Doubt and discouragement are two of the biggest battles that Christian men face and oftentimes, these can be the very things that cripple a man's faith.  I've watched it happen many times.

These two enemies can cause a man to lose hope and give up the fight, but it doesn't have to be that way.  As we know, there is no battle or temptation that is too big for God to overcome in our lives.  

But...that's only true for those who are alert and know what to do when they creep into your life.

In this blog post, we'll look at five ways that men can deal with doubt and discouragement so they can stay in the fight and not get sidetracked, disillusioned, or taken out of the fight completely.

5 Ways To Fight Doubt and Discouragement

#1. Connect with God

When we feel lost and uncertain, one of the best things we can do is to connect with God. We can do this in many ways:  first thing in the morning in God's Word, prayer, quiet time in nature, listening to...

Fear is a powerful emotion that can paralyze us from reaching our full potential. It’s something that everyone experiences but few of us men like talk about.

As Christian men, however, we are called to live a life without fear and to trust in God’s plan for our lives.  Over and over again we are admonished in Scripture to, "Fear not...for I am with you!".

Yet, fear often gets in the way of our relationships and keeps us from living our best lives.

Here are 6 of the biggest fears that keep us from living a better, fuller life and some practical ways to we can overcome them.

6 Common FEARS Men Face

Fear of Rejection

One of the biggest fears that Christian men often face is the fear of rejection. We fear rejection in our relationships, our careers, and even in our faith. Whether it’s the fear of not being accepted by others or the fear of failing God, this fear can hold us back from taking risks and pursuing our dreams.

To overcome this fear, we need to remember...

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...

If you're a Christian man, you know that making good decisions is important. You want to live a life that honors God, serves your family well, and makes a positive impact in the world around you. But how can you make decisions that will lead you in that direction?  Not only that, but how can you make decisions on a day-to-day basis that lead you to a life with fewer regrets at the end?

Andy Stanley's book "Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets" offers some excellent guidance, and perhaps the most powerful tool in the book is what Stanley calls "the maturity question."

In this blog post, we'll explore what that question is, how it can help you make better decisions, and why it's particularly important for Christian men.

What is the Maturity Question?

The maturity question is simple but profound. It goes like this: "What does a mature person do in this situation?"

Andy suggests that we ask ourselves this question in any decision we face, whether big or small. The reason is...

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...

"I don't know you.  But I know something about you."

That's what I would tell complete strangers that I'd meet at retirement benefits trainings that I lead years ago while working for another wealth management team.

I'd go on to say this:  "At some point in the future I believe that every one of us will one day either say, think, or feel one of two things:  1) I'm so glad that I did.... or 2) I wish that I would have...."

I'd go on to talk about planning for the future and why retirement planning was so important.  But the reality is that planning for the future is critical for everyone - but not just when it comes to money.

The difference between "I'm so glad that I did" and "I wish that I would have" is night and day!  The first one is light, easy, full of joy and peace.  The second is as heavy as it gets.  There is nothing in this world much heavier than regret.

That's what we're talking about in this conversation today.  How to live the...

For many men, exercise is just something they do to stay in shape and look good at the beach.

But did you know that regular exercise can benefit you in ways that maybe you'd never imagined? In fact, there are several unexpected benefits of exercise that can help you live a better life - the life that God meant for you to live!

In this post, we’ll discuss some of these benefits and help you see why they’re so important for Christian men who want to live life to the fullest.

5 Unexpected Benefits

Improved Mental Health

Exercise has been shown to improve mental health in several ways. This includes reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improving brain function and memory. Regular exercise can also help reduce stress levels, which can help you feel more relaxed and focused throughout the day.

If you are struggling with your mental health, many experts suggest that far better than any medication is physical exercise and moving your body.  

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