What are you doing to reach and disciple your men?

• Single parents account for 27.3% of households with children under the age of 18.
• 2.2 million single dads are the primary care-givers of children under the age of 18, a 62% rise since 1990.
• 1 in 2 children will live in a single-parent home at some point in childhood.
• 1 in 3 children are born to unmarried parents.
• Between 1970 and 2000, the number of single moms increased from 3 million to 10 million.
• 43% of teenagers do not live in the same house with both of their birth parents.
• Since 1970, single-mother households increased 122% from 5.3 to 12.2 million; single-father households increased 163% from 1.2 to 3.2 million.

Source: “Single Adults” by Dennis Franck, Rev! Jan/Feb 2008

Life
Walking with God, John Eldredge, Nelson Books, 2008. In this book Eldredge seeks to encourage Christians to live in intimate relationship with God. To this end, he opens up his journals, using himself and his life as examples of how to do this. He says simply, “This is a series of stories of what it looks like to walk with God over the course of about a year.” But even more than a tale of walking with God, this is a book about talking with God. Eldredge wants his readers to enjoy conversational intimacy with God. “Really now, if you knew you had the opportunity to develop a conversational intimacy with the wisest, kindest, most generous and seasoned person in the world, wouldn’t it make sense to spend your time with them, as opposed to, say, slogging your way through on your own?” Eldredge offers his own growing ability to hear from God as a guide.

A Walk on the Wild Side with John Eldredge. (New Man eMagazine Interview concerning Eldredge’s latest book). To many Christian men today, John Eldredge is a modern-day Joshua: a godly man with a warrior’s heart who inspires them to action. Ever since his 2001 book Wild at Heart, Eldredge’s writing has resounded with the hearts of men around the world by making it OK for them to be a Christian and still be a “guy." Read more.

Leadership
Resurrection Breakfasts. It is time to begin planning for next year’s resurrection breakfast. A resurrection breakfast is an evangelistic outreach event for men. It can be a church, community, citywide or regional event. A team of four men can easily handle the arrangements and make this happen. Read more.

A Jesus for Real Men. "The stallions hang out in bars; the geldings hang out in church." This observation from David Murrow strikes a little close to home for someone like me. I always thrived in my congregation but was never certain I fit the mold of masculinity I saw modeled around me. So as much as I resent Murrow's sentiment, it nevertheless rings true: In many churches, a certain type of man is conspicuously absent. Read More. (Article of the Month)

Disciplemen.com. This is the knowledge base for leaders engaged in the battle for men’s souls. Where else can you go to find best practices, e-mail courses, the experts in the ministry and community information? Join the community. Sample the resources. Be a contributor. Disciplemen.com is a resource of the National Coalition of Men’s Ministries hosted by Man in the Mirror. Check it out. (Ministry of the Month)

Reboot (with Joshua) Faith is the Victory (Joshua 2:8, 14,22-24)

^v8 I know that the Lord has given this land to you … If the spies were questioning whether the Israelites could conquer the Promised Land, Rahab’s statement was certainly an encouragement to them. She uses the present perfect tense indicating a completed action.

^v13 When the Lord gives us the land ... This is a very positive statement in the present tense but conveying a sense of the future. They knew the Lord was going to give them the land. They were not waiting until they got home and put the matter to a vote.

^v24 The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands, … Unlike the spies of 40 years earlier, these men reported that the Lord had given the land to them. Their report indicates that Israel had learned the lesson from 40 years in the desert. Did the spies know better than give a pessimistic report to Joshua, who, 40 years earlier, reported that the Lord would give them the land?

As a disciple of Christ, do you believe that the Lord will enable you to to overcome the barriers, challenges and traps confronting you? Do you believe that the Lord will give you the Promised Land?

If you young fellows were wise, the devil couldn’t do anything to you, but since you aren’t wise, you need us who are old. - Martin Luther