“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” — James 1:2-3 It’s hard to “count it all joy” when the weather shifts suddenly, the elevation rises, or the trail turns muddy and hard to follow. Each step takes more effort. These aren’t the conditions a man...
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…” — Psalm 37:7 Every trail has a stretch where the pace slows to almost nothing. The ground levels out, the scenery doesn’t change, and progress feels harder to measure. No milestones. No clear movement. Just step after step that feel like they aren’t getting you anywhere. These are the stretches that test a man’s...
“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31 There’s a part of the trail where the path seems to stall. You’ve been walking, doing the right things, staying consistent—and yet nothing changes. No new ground gained. No clear sign...
“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” — Luke 18:1 There’s a stretch of trail where effort is real, but results don’t show. You do what you know is right—step by step—and nothing moves. No breakthrough. No clear progress. Just steady steps with little to show. This is where many men lose heart. Not because the trail is...
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” — Hebrews 12:1 Many of the Colorado Fourteeners (mountain peaks over 14,000 feet) were a steady trek up—a relentless, grinding path that tests endurance more than...
“ 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...