I love routines, okay, my wife calls them ruts. Routines can be so predictable. I spent many wonderful mornings writing at Pneuma Coffee House — a ministry of our church. I arrived at the same time. Sat on the same couch. And had the same 12-ounce, decaf latte with almond milk. Daily habits are good. They help us point our day in a good direction. The truth is, most of us know we “should” read...
If your faith doesn’t feel as strong as you think it should be, it’s likely you’ve let your training schedule laps. It’s obvious what happens when we stop working out: our muscles relax, our strength fades, and our stamina wanes. Faith is like that. I had to restart my running after a recent heart attack. It was time to be serious about getting out on the road again. At first, it was all...
“ It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2 Most men carry more than they say. Responsibilities, private struggles, and disappointments often go unseen. You could sit next to someone in a men’s group for months, unaware he’s...
“ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly...
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” — Hebrews 10:24-25 Most men assume encouragement means a fist or chest bump, a head nod, or that leaning in shoulder-to-shoulder is a compliment. A quick word, a...
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” — 1 John 1:7 Confession is not admitting you’re wrong—it’s admitting you need help. We know that Scripture says to bring sin into the light, yet something inside us resists. Pride tells men they can handle their...
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” — Proverbs 27:17 When we lived in Colorado, many people spent their free time climbing the state’s tallest mountain peaks. I never saw that as a sport one should attempt alone. A man walking alone on a trail faces simple, real hazards. If he twists an ankle or gets injured, there’s no one to help. He can take a wrong turn and get lost...
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” — Galatians 5:22-23 On the trail, you can’t tell a tree’s health from the root system, which is buried. But its appearance above ground tells the true story. If the branches sag, and the bark shows splits and cracks, the tree is likely in trouble. Fruit, if it...
“For the grace of God has appeared… training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” — Titus 2:11-12 If your faith doesn’t feel as strong as you think it should be, it may be because your training schedule has slipped. Anyone who spends time on a trail knows what happens when conditioning fades. The...
“And let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” — James 1:4 On the trail, impatience is expensive. Ever pack in a hurry and realize later you left your rain gear or water purification tablets behind? Ever ignore a trail marker to take a shortcut, only to find yourself bushwhacking your way back to the trail? Ever step too quickly into a...