Learning and Teaching Godly Manhood

Many of the problems in the church, in our families, and in society could be solved if men were spiritually and emotionally mature – that is, if they were able to meaningfully connect with their God, their wives, and their children.

Men’s ministries often focus on a man’s outward behavior but ignore the deeper influences. Men shouldn’t be coddled like little boys, they should be challenged as men. A man needs another man to step into his life and to challenge him to mature from the little boy he was into the man God is calling him to be.

Authors Rick Burgess and Andy Blanks recently shared some surprising statistics with me, revealing the impact of a man’s faith on his whole family. They said:

If a child in the house becomes a follower of Christ, there’s a 7 percent chance that the rest of the house will become followers as well.
If mom becomes a follower of Christ, there’s a 23 percent chance that the rest of the house will become followers of Christ.
If the father of the home becomes a follower of Christ, the chance that the rest of the house will follow jumps to 93 percent.

Rick and Andy are experts in ministering to men. Rick is one half of the popular Rick & Bubbaradio show, which addresses a lot of issues that men care about, including faith and family. Andy Blanks is the co-founder and publisher of YM360, which provides resources and training to youth ministry workers. They’ve written a book called How to Be a Man: Pursuing Christ-centered Masculinity.

They told me on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Learning and Teaching Godly Manhood”that men will thrive when they’re challenged, and boys will thrive when they have godly men to mentor them.

Rick and Andy also shared eight core characteristics of a godly man:

Identity
Integrity
Purpose
Surrender
Passion
Commitment
Compassion
Influence

Those eight characteristics are crucial to defining and understanding masculinity because masculinity can be different from culture to culture around the world. It is being radically reinterpreted right here at home. Our truest understanding of masculinity can only be found in the person of Jesus Christ.

For a deeper understanding of how to model life’s most important values for your children, I encourage you to join us for our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Learning and Teaching Godly Manhood.”We’ll combat toxic masculinity with a message for men about their influence and passion, and the importance of surrendering their lives to God. You can listen to the program on your local radio station, online, oniTunes, via Podcast, or on our free phone app.

For a gift of any amount, I’ll send you a copy of Rick and Andy’s book, How to Be a Man: Pursuing Christ-centered Masculinity. Visit our websiteor give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).